Once a thief is a 1991 hong kong caper film written and directed by john woo, starring chow yunfat, leslie cheung, cherie chung, kenneth tsang and paul. Given all that, the film can only be described with one phrase. John woos once a thief pazsaz entertainment network. All three were raised by the same father and in fact were most certainly street orphans. Once a thief tv series wikipedia, the free encyclopedia once a thief also billed as john woos once a thief is a 1997 canadian television show inspired by the 1996 film of the same name. Anyone who already owns the killer and hardboiled will undoubtedly still find much to enjoy within once a thief.
As a tv movie, it doesnt have the polished production values and special effects of even woos hong kong films, but its a. A hong kong crime family consists of two adopted siblings, li ann tsei and mac ramsey, one blood sibling, michael tang, and their father, the godfather. Once a thief john woo, 1991 the chinese cinema medium. Chow yun fat, leslie cheung, cherie chung, kenneth tsang, paul chu kong, dan masih banyak lagi. Once a thief 1991 john woo synopsis, characteristics. Once a thief is an actioncomedyromance movie involving the plight of three master thieves in the mode of pink panther.
Overthetop action sequences and mindblowing gunplay get mixed with comedy and romance in this thrilling crowdpleaser. John woo is often remembered for hard boiled, or mi. The movie was also made into a 1997 television series also of. John woo, chinese film director noted for action movies that combine copious stylized violence with lyrical melodramatic depictions of male bonding. See who stopped by the imdb studio to chat with kevin smith at acura festival village during the 2020 sundance. Once a thief is more a bythenumbers job than a rembrandt. Very loosely based on his 1991 film of the same name, john woos once a thief was produced as a pilot for a shortlived television series that was shown only in canada. Based on the newberywinning childrens books, this animated film follows a young boy who runs away to an island to rescue and befriend a baby dragon. In that fashion, his two protagonists cannot live up to their. Once a thief has all the trademark woo features exaggerated shoot outs, fastpaced action, melodrama, and romance. Alain delon, annmargret, van heflin, jack palance, john davis chandler, jeff corey, steve mitchell, tammy locke, tony musante, zekial marko, russell lee, yuki shimoda, spencer chan, sam flint, robert foulk et paul frees.
For this 1991 action comedy from hong kong, director john woo took a break from his ultraviolent thrillers. Contact info view agent, publicist, legal on imdbpro starmeter. The movie was also made into a 1997 television series also of the same name. However, i say this with the most respect possible, because this is an insanely funny and exciting heist film. Once a thief john woos once a thief john woos violent.
Mac ramsey ivan sergei and li ann tsei sandine holt are lovers and professional thieves who are separated while fleeing the powerful hong kong underworld crime lord robert ito. John woo would eventually learn how to correctly combine his bullethell style action with rewarding comedy in hard boiled he had to lean into it. Film ini disutradarai dan ditulis oleh john woo dengan copenulis janet chun dan clifton ko. Once a thief is a remake of a 1991 film of the same name. When one heist goes bad, the trio struggle to maintain their relationship. You end up yelling out when a bad guy gets it i did at least. Its not one of his better pictures, but does offer enough of his trademark touches and genuine entertainment value to be worthy of repeat viewings, and its certainly more fun than most of his later american movies. In 1991, woo softened the blood letting for a light romantic comedy, once a thief. Chow yunfat leslie cheung chu kong cherie chung kenneth tsang john woo david wu. Once a thief is a stepping stone in that direction, most exemplified by the astonishing final action sequence. Once a thief 1991 internet movie firearms database.
John woo really surprised the audiences with this mixture of acrobatic gunplay action and comedy. Once a thief is a 1991 hong kong caper film written and directed by john woo, starring chow yunfat, leslie cheung, cherie chung, kenneth tsang and paul chu. This twohour pilot for the canadian tv series is inspired by john woos 1991 hong kong film of the same title, but the story has been altered extensively. He is considered a major influence on the action genre, known for his highly chaotic action sequences, stylized imagery, mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to neonoir, wuxia and western cinema. Compare it to johnnie tos caper heistromantic comedy yesterday once more, which is faster. A couple working for the triad boss tang decides to leaveflee the triad and hong kong. Born in southern china, john woo grew up in hong kong, where he began his film career as an. He is best known for the films a better tomorrow 1986, hard boiled 1992, broken arrow 1996, and faceoff 1997. Once a thief is a movie of many different parts, and none of them really belong in the same film. Once a thief 1991 film wikipedia, the free encyclopedia once a thief is a 1991 hong kong crime film written and. Perhaps destined to be the lost john woo film, once a thief is a tv movie woo directed for the fox network between working on broken arrow and faceoff.
The tang triad comes to vancouver to do weapons business. Once a thief is the 1996 madefortv remake of the 1991 chow yun fatstarring heist film of the same name. Information about this film in the internet movie database. Fails to deliver the action goods that john woo fans want, and his skill with a romantic plot is not very good.
And thats as much a warning as an inducement to watch. The remake aired on the fox network and was hoped to be the beginning of a weekly series, but fox passed on it, and the series aired instead on the ctv television network in canada. The gorgeous foreign locations and attractive cinematography recall alfred hitchockcary grant collaborations. It hasnt received the attention it deserves, but if you can get a hold of it, dont hesitate to rent it, or buy it. Ii so itss great to see one of his lesser known films get a rerelease. Telefilm based on the 1991 feature film of the same title written and directed by john woo.
But it certainly is a oneofakind television movie these days. A couple working for the triad boss tang decides to leaveflee the triad and. Chow yunfat, leslie cheung, and cherie chung portray a trio of orphans who have grown to become art thieves. The story begins with a successful art heist followed by a pledge to make this the last crime ever for the trio. It is odd and kind of sad in a way that the stylishness that he is most adept at as a director is not what john woo most enjoys. Impossible 2, windtalkers directs this lightningpaced caper of stolen art and broken hearts starring chow yunfat crouching tiger, hidden dragon. The imdb studio at acura festival village at sundance. Brought up to be expert in all manner of criminal skills using everything from martial arts to superb abilities to con mac ramsey ivan sergei and li ann tsei sandrine holt are forced to use their expertise to. John woo chose to do this film because he wanted to do something more lighthearted after the killer 1989 and bullet in the head 1990 which flopped in hong kong on their initial releases. Executive producers, john woo, terence chang, glenn davis, william laurin. Film ini dikenal untuk pemeranpemerannya yang merupakan aktoraktor bintang tionghoa. Chow yun fat is at his most charismatic and he is wellcomplimented by leslie cheung and regular costar cherie chung. Allow me to introduce you to its cheap canadian knockoff, once a thief 1996. Are you looking download or watch john woos once a thief the complete series for free enjoy it.
Once a thief 1996, a canadian television film remake starring with nicholas lea and ivan sergei that was later spun off into a television series of the same name which ran from 1997 to 1998. Once a thief is a remake of a alain delon one of woo and chows favorite actors movie called les adventiers and gets a lot of inspiration from cary grant another of the pairs favorite actors heist films from the 1950s and 60s like charade. The tiananmen square incident had taken its toll on john woo, who wanted to shoot a film about the corruption of the political world that results in authorities punishing the innocent. With sandrine holt, ivan sergei, nicholas lea, robert ito. John woos once a thief the complete series sandrine holt actor, ivan sergei actor, peter d. Lighter in tone than most woo thrillers, this begins disconcertingly far away from the mean streets of hong kong as three master thieves plan to. Although remade once already as a directtocable film and syndicated series, woo still talks about remaking once a thief yet again as a big budget hollywood feature. Once a thief showcases a more comical side of woo, who packs his script with screwball doubleentendres that translate shakily from cantonese but retains his facility for deft action photography and his thematic interest in friends trying to remain loyal in a.
However, any fears were unfounded as once a thief is a splendid addition to john woos filmography. Director, john woo and star, chow yunfat always deliver the. Once a thief 1965 starring alain delon, annmargret, van heflin and jack palance. Once a thief is an action packed comedic caper that really is an absolute blast to watch. Once a thief is not a very characteristic film for woo, feeling a lot like a hired gun project.
Both the original and the remake were directed by john woo and the television film served as a pilot for a television series, which would subsequently air for one season from 1997 to 1998. If this page is being served from any other site than it is not a. Get online john woos once a thief the complete series today. I only give it a 4 out of 5 because its overly comedic moments and silly plot holes prevent it from being an amazing action film. Show information, episode list, cast, and airdates. John woo directs the original actionpacked comedy starring chow yunfat as master thief red bean puddin. Once a thief 1996 internet movie firearms database.
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