South Korea's answer to Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy, The Thieves is a sleek, snappy heist movie with convoluted plotlines and plenty of eccentric personalities. The basic premise brings together two criminal crews—one from South Korea, the other from Hong Kong—for a trip to Macau to steal a priceless (and ostensibly nonexistent) diamond necklace from a brutal crime boss. Half the crew is out to rip off the other half, an undercover cop is working in their midst, and the mysterious mastermind of this heist (Kim Yun-seok) has his own agenda. Elder statesman of Chinese pop movie stardom Simon Yam, playing Chen, is given a genuinely romantic/tragic heroism, just one of the many boxes the film checks off in its everything-plus-the-kitchen sink conglomeration of heist movie conventions. The Thieves also serves up romance, pulp crime tragedy, reversals of sympathy, and some thrillingly staged and executed action scenes. Unfortunately, all of this plays out with a confusing flashback structure and more twists than viewers can easily track. Still, this slickly-produced film—the top-grossing movie of all time in South Korea—will likely appeal to fans of old Hong Kong and new South Korean action cinema. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)
The Thieves
Well Go USA, 136 min., in Korean w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.98, Blu-ray: $29.98 Volume 28, Issue 3
The Thieves
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