Get us in your inbox

The Thieves

  • Film
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Jeon Ji-hyun in The Thieves
Jeon Ji-hyun in The Thieves
Advertising

Time Out says

4 out of 5 stars

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

Written by David Fear

Release Details

  • Duration:135 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Dong-Hoon Choi
  • Cast:
    • Gianna Jun
    • Hae-suk Kim
    • Hye-su Kim
Advertising
You may also like
You may also like