Zong heng si hai (Once a Thief) (1991)
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60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
59% of users liked it
(580 ratings)
For this 1991 action comedy from Hong Kong, director John Woo took a break from his ultraviolent thrillers; it was made a year after Bullet in the Head, and a year before Hard-Boiled. Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung portray a trio of orphans who have grown to become art thieves. When… More For this 1991 action comedy from Hong Kong, director John Woo took a break from his ultraviolent thrillers; it was made a year after Bullet in the Head, and a year before Hard-Boiled. Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung portray a trio of orphans who have grown to become art thieves. When their foster father (Kenneth Tsang), a powerful crime boss, forces them into stealing a painting, they pull off the job but are double-crossed. To get even, the trio plans a heist to steal the painting back. The three lead characters are funny and romantic; they're daring art thieves in the tradition of "The Cat" from To Catch a Thief or The Pink Panther, and the film evokes the same cosmopolitan feel. Once a Thief is far less bloody than Woo's gangster pictures, but in this film, the burglary sequences possess all the astounding grace of his other films' gunfights. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Woo
- Written By
- John Woo, Clifton Ko
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Feb 2, 1991 Wide
- Studio
- Rim Film Distributors
Critic Reviews
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Anyone who already owns The Killer and Hard-Boiled will undoubtedly still find much to enjoy within Once a Thief.
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Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
Fails to deliver the action goods that John Woo fans want, and his skill with a romantic plot is not very good.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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