![]() ![]() As a result, it is somewhat inconsistent. This high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Woo's Once A Thief arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. Nothing pretentious, nothing groundbreaking, just pure old-fashioned Woo-esque fun. Though some may disagree with me, I think that it is one of his best. ![]() If you enjoy director Woo's early action films but have never before seen Once A Thief, you should. Other than that there is nothing special about Once A Thief - the plot is very transparent and the main characters cliched - but the atmosphere is great, and, in my opinion, a good enough reason to recommend the film. Now what exactly is this unique flavor that I am talking about? It is a special blend of over the top action, light comedy and romance - all three of which are perfectly balanced in director Woo's Once A Thief, but offered in different doses in the rest of his early film. These films are more Hollywood-esque than they are Hong Kong-esque. I know that Red Cliff and Red Cliff II have given some of director Woo's older fans the confidence to speculate that he is returning to his Asian roots, but I am not yet a believer. I've also revisited some of director Woo's Hollywood films and found them to be borderline unwatchable perhaps with the exception of Face/Off, which has bits of the unique flavor I mentioned above. For the most part, everyone seems to be rehashing old tricks. Sure, at the moment Hong Kong action cinema is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, but there isn't a single director whose films are as influential as director Woo's films were in the early 90s. In fact, some of his best ones, A Better Tomorrow (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), The Killer (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990), and Hard Boiled (1992) still have a unique flavor that cannot be found in contemporary Hong Kong films. I've revisited quite a few of director Woo's early films during the last couple of years and have come to the conclusion that for the most part they have aged quite well. They agree to do the job and all hell breaks loose. A new job offer also arrives - and this time around Joe, Jim and Cherie agree that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity which cannot be ignored. Suddenly, however, Joe appears, now in a wheelchair. Jim and Cherie decide that it is time to settle down, perhaps even have a baby. Assuming that Joe has died, Jim and Cherie head back to Hong Kong. The two manage to steal the painting but on the way out of the castle things go wrong - Jim is seriously injured, Joe crashes his car in a luxury boat, and the painting gets stolen by a gang of goons. Without telling his partners, Jim enters the castle. Joe and Cherie are intrigued by the offer but think that it is time to retire and enjoy their lives. While visiting the French Riviera, Joe, Jim and Cherie are offered a lucrative job - if they steal a supposedly cursed painting from a well guarded castle, they would make more than they have made during their entire career. They were trained to become thieves by their adopted 'father', Chow (Kenneth Tsang, A Better Tomorrow II), a shady character connected to the triads, and protected by their 'godfather', Chu (Chu Kong, The Killer), an honest cop. Joe (Chow Yun-Fat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Jim (Leslie Cheung, Happy Together) and Cherie (Cherie Chung, An Autumn's Tale) are professional thieves with a terrific record. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Thai subtitles for the main feature. The supplemental features on the disc include a video interview with actor Kenneth Tsang and the film's original theatrical trailer. John Woo's "Zong heng si hai" a.k.a "Once A Thief" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.
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