Academy members with unresolved issues strike again: this polished but rote tale of crippling surrogate fatherhood, about a doe-eyed youngster who worships his mom's Stalinesque brute of a boyfriend, inexplicably wound up a 1997 foreign-language Oscar nominee, despite a color-by-numbers narrative and a punishingly dour tone. (The winner that year was Character, another tale of filial strife; the folks on the foreign-language committee are apparently unable to resist this particular subject.) Performances, cinematography, and direction are all able enough, and the film is too plotless to be tarred with the epithet "formulaic," but you still can't help but picture it among the generic items on a supermarket shelf--a yellow film canister with black sans-serif type stating ALLEGORICAL RUSSIAN FAMILY DRAMA. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)[DVD Review—Aug. 4, 2009—Olive Films, 94 min., in Russian w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1997's The Thief features a good transfer. DVD extras include a 12-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery, and a trailer. Bottom line: a small extras package for an uneven film.]
The Thief
(Columbia TriStar, 93 min., in Russian w/English subtitles, R, <b>DVD</b>) Vol. 14, Issue 3
The Thief
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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