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Once A Thief

 

Starring :

Chow Yun Fat

Leslie Cheung

Cherie Chung

Kenneth Tsang

Chu Kong

 

Action :

Kwok Choi

 

Producer :

Terence Chang

 

Director :

John Woo

 

 

 

ONCE A THIEF  (1991)

Reviewed by Andrew Saroch


In this box-office smash, Chow Yun Fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung play a trio of art thieves living life to the full in Paris. The threesome steal a valuable painting, but are double-crossed by their employer. In the ensuing shoot-out, Chow disappears presumed dead and Cheung barely escapes. The action moves to Hong Kong with Cheung and Chung now courting and their adoptive 'father' continuing to ask for their help in art-thefts. When Chow reappears in a wheelchair, the trio are re-united and begin to uncover their betrayers.

John Woo really surprised the audiences with this mixture of acrobatic gunplay action and comedy. However, any fears were unfounded as 'Once A Thief' is a splendid addition to John Woo's filmography. Chow Yun Fat is at his most charismatic and he is well-complimented by Leslie Cheung and regular co-star Cherie Chung. The Paris locations that open the film also add a unique dimension to what is still a uniquely Hong Kong film. A class production in every department.

 

Rating: 

 

 

BUY THE DVD

HK Flix.com (R0)

Amazon.com (R1)

Amazon.co.uk (R2)

BUY THE VCD

YesAsia.com

BUY THE VHS

Amazon.com (NTSC)

Amazon.co.uk (PAL)

BUY THE OST

N/A

 

Region:  0

Distributor:  Mega Star

Chapters:  

Picture:  Letterboxed at 1.78:1.  A very nice transfer with accurate colours and good levels of detail.  It holds up particularly well during the numerous dark scenes and only suffers from minor print damage.

Sound:  DD 5.1 Cantonese or Mandarin soundtracks with removable Chinese (traditional and simplified), English, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa (Indonesia and Malaysia), Thai and Spanish subtitles.

Trailers:  The original theatrical trailer for 'Once A Thief' and the Mega Star montage with clips from several of their DVD releases.

Talent Files:  Biographies and Filmographies are included for Chow Yun Fat and John Woo.

Extras:  A brief film synopsis is included within the 'About The Film' section.

 

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