Once a Thief
Director: John Woo
Genre: Heist, Crime Fiction, Buddy film, Gangster, Crime Thriller, Thriller, Martial arts, World cinema, Action/Adventure, Chinese Movies
Year: 1991
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese, Standard Cantonese, Chinese, Hakka Language, English Language, French Language
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang, John Woo
Once a Thief is a 1991 Hong Kong crime film written and directed by John Woo. It stars Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang and Chu Kong in a lighthearted heist themed action-comedy routine.
Although the action sequences are quite faithful to Woo's typical choreography, comic relief and the general mood distinguish it from his grittier works, such as his previous film, Bullet in the Head (1990). Fans of the bloodier John Woo movies may find the bizarre mix of Stephen Chow-like mo lei tau rather confusing. Nonetheless, Woo's endeavor to make something lighter amidst his series of heroic bloodshed films translated to somewhat of a box office success in Hong Kong.
The story is of three orphans (Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung) and their two father figures (Kenneth Tsang and Chu Kong). They are taken in by both a wealthy crime boss (Tsang) which leads to their close friendship, and a kind police officer (Chu). Nevertheless, the trio grows up learning high-tech methods of theft and specialize in stealing treasured paintings. After a heist in France goes awry, Chow's character is thought to be dead and Leslie takes Chow's place as Cherie's lover. However,
(This is information generated from a Wikipedia article, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.)
Internet Movie Database