Once a Thief (1991 film)

For other uses, see Once a Thief (disambiguation).

Once a Thief
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Woo
Written by	John Woo Janet Chun Clifton Ko
Produced by	Terence Chang Linda Kuk
Starring	Chow Yun-fat Leslie Cheung Cherie Chung Kenneth Tsang
Cinematography	Poon Hang-sang William Yim
Edited by	David Wu
Music by	Lam Man-yee
Distributed by	Golden Princess Film Production Limited Media Asia
Release dates	February 2, 1991 (1991-02-02) (Hong Kong) January 14, 1994 (1994-01-14) (United States)
Running time	103 min.
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese, French, English, Hakka

Once a Thief is a 1991 Hong Kong action crime comedy film written and directed by John Woo (who played Stanley Wu), and starring Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang and Chu Kong.

Although the action sequences are quite faithful to Woo's typical choreography, comic relief and the general mood distinguish it from his grittier works, such as his previous film, Bullet in the Head (1990). Fans of the bloodier John Woo movies may find the bizarre mix of Stephen Chow-like mo lei tau rather confusing. Nonetheless, Woo's endeavor to make something lighter amidst his series of heroic bloodshed films translated to somewhat of a box office success in Hong Kong.

Plot

The story is of three orphans (Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung) and their two father figures (Kenneth Tsang and Chu Kong). They are taken in by both a wealthy crime boss (Tsang) which leads to their close friendship, and a kind police officer (Chu). Nevertheless, the trio grows up learning high-tech methods of theft and specialize in stealing treasured paintings. After a heist in France goes awry, Chow's character is thought to be dead and Leslie takes Chow's place as Cherie's lover. However, Chow returns in a wheelchair and the group begins planning their next heist for themselves, fall out of favor with Tsang, and various complications and gun battles ensue.

Cast

• Chow Yun-fat - Red Bean Pudding
• Leslie Cheung - James
• Cherie Chung - Red Bean
• Kenneth Tsang - Chow
• Chu Kong - Godfather
• Woo Fung
• John Dang Yat-gwan - Young Red Bean Pudding
• Tong Ka-fai - Young James
• Leila Tong - Young Red Bean
• Declan Wong - Magician Henchman
• David Wu Auctioneer
• John Woo - Stanley Wu

Box office

The film grossed $33,397,149 HKD in Hong Kong.

See also

• Once a Thief (1996), a Canadian TV movie 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. Both films were directed by John Woo.

DVD release

On 10 January 2005, DVD was released in Hong Kong Legends at UK in Region 2.

Eight months later, The John Woo Collection DVD were released on 5 September 2005 at 4 disc set including two action crime films they were: Bullet in the Head and The Killer they all three films directed by John Woo.

External links

• Once a Thief at IMDb
• Once a Thief at AllMovie
• Once a Thief at Rotten Tomatoes