You've seen it all before

Wizard-8

It won't take long into watching "Once a Thief" for viewers to say to themselves, "I've seen this all before." Who hasn't seen this same basic story about a struggling ex-criminal pushed by circumstances to rejoin his old gang and pull off one last job? It's been done many times in movies and television shows since this movie was made. In fact, I am confident it had been done many times before this movie was made. You'll be able to predict every major plot turn long before it happens.

So the question comes up as to whether the movie manages to bring in some fresh elements. Well, there is the fact that the ex-criminal, played by Alain Delon, is not totally sympathetic. That's different, though he does enough negative stuff that at times you'll wonder why the movie thinks we should be interested in him. The most interesting thing about the movie, however, is the direction by Ralph Nelson. Though the movie is set in San Francisco, the movie has a strong European style and feel throughout. Possibly this was due to the influence of the French producers in this American/French co-production. This different style does give the movie some interest... but ultimately, not enough to earn it a recommendation.

score /10

Wizard-8 9 October 2015

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3331979/