The Thieves

Time Out says

Tue Oct 9 2012

A cross-pollinated mixture of Hollywood-blockbuster bombast, Asian cool and ’60s Vegas ring-a-ding swing, this popular South Korean super-caper movie finds two teams of professional thieves—one from Seoul, the other from Hong Kong—joining forces to boost a jewel for an old associate named Macau Park (Kim). There’s just one small catch: The gem that this legend of the criminal underworld is after is, naturally, located inside a heistproof casino. Meticulous plans will be plotted; catsuits will hug the curves of gorgeous women; somebody will turn out to be a mole for the fuzz; safes will be cracked; Simon Yam will rock a white suit like nobody’s business; and once things start to unravel, old animosities will be set aside in the name of postbetrayal payback. The question is not whether this slick, stylish import rips off Ocean’s Eleven, Rififi et al., but how ridiculously fun director Choi Dong-hoon and his Pan-Asian cast can make such blatant genre retreading—the answer being nearly off the charts. Welcome to the K-cinema equivalent of comfort food.

Follow David Fear on Twitter: @davidlfear

Author: David Fear