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List Price: $14.95 | | Label: Simitar Ent.
Salesrank: 127502
Released: February 10, 1998 |
| Our Price: $27.68 |
| Used Price: $1.13 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
John Woo directed this surprisingly lighthearted caper tale for TV as a pilot for a series that never materialized. The forgettable leads--Ivan Sergei, Sandrine Holt, and Michael Wong--play adoptive siblings who have been trained by their father, a Hong Kong crime lord, to be master thieves. Then circumstances pit Holt and Sergei against Wong; the two of them have been co-opted as undercover cops, tracking his big score. The movie doesn't amount to much, but Woo comes through with a couple of terrific, imaginative (and funny) action sequences, including one particularly inventive one that has them literally hanging from the chandeliers. Even Woo diehards may have a hard time swallowing the smirky, callow Sergei as a romantic action lead. --Marshall Fine
Once a Thief Reviews:
A laugh a minute... 
2005-07-09 - Action!
I don't know if this is meant to be a serious movie, but if you need a good laugh, go for it. It's got action, a botched up love story, and some good old fashioned goof balls. Nick Lea and Ivan Sergei were a blast hanging off a chandelier. The Director (Dale) is a hoot in a S&M suit! (hey that rhymed!) The only bore was Sandrine Holt. I'm just waiting for the TV series to come out on DVD, now that was good television! (And the theme song was pretty good too).
Once A Thief 
2005-03-03 - Still waiting for the tv series to come out on DVD. The pilot just wets the appetite for the rest.
When will they release the whole series on DVD?
2004-05-07 - They SO need to release the whole TV series on DVD. Hurry up John Woo some of us were disappointed that the series got cancelled!
Warring: this film [is bad] 
2002-07-23 - Warring this is not a good film. The screenplay is bad, the acting is bad, and about every thing about this film is bad. John Woo is a good director; this is not a good film. Woo's Hollywood success with BROKEN ARROW and FACE/OFF emboldened FOX TV to remake Woo's Hong Kong action comedy hit ONCE A THIEF (1992) for TV. Wath we got was nothing more then a movie that rips off Woo's (good) Hong Kong films (a little bit of HARD BOILED can be seen in the film) with a no name TV movie stars (like Nicholas Lea) who wood bee better off acting in plays or something like that. This film was also to be a pilot for a TV program it looks like they got the ratings in this film [is bad] (you may know that by now, but I hate this film). The story (if there is one) is set in Hong Kong and then in Vancouver but that is all I wath to put to words, the rest is too dumb (or has been used before in the 92 film). Look for the 1992 film. The video is a "Never before Seen R-rated Director's cut", but there is no blood or nothing in it. A much better Woo U.S.A. made film is HARD TARGET.
1997. TV Film. ??? MINS.
Rated R For Violence.
Fun start to an even better series
2002-07-02 - While I won't call this movie high art, it was a lot of fun to watch. And ignore the...comment. While the show has not yet aired in the States (but will be on many ABC stations next fall), it was turned into a series that was much better, including episodes that satirized everything from Waiting for Godot and the Maltese Falcon to James Bond and X-Files.
