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01/01/00
The Thief (1997)
88
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:21
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7/10
Synopsis: A young boy desperately in need of a father figure is lured and bullied into actions he knows are wrong. A woman experiences a bitter blend of love and fury. And a forceful, utterly ruthless man is... [More]
Reviews for The Thief
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/27/07
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02/09/06
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12/06/05
No review available.
07/05/05
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04/25/03
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12/08/02
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03/24/02
It's a superb film in the classic style of screen storytelling, at once intimate and epic, possessed of lyrical beauty and suffused with that mixture of warmth, suffering and rueful humor so characteristic of Russian films.
02/14/01
Top CriticPhilipchuk is absolutely endearing as the young Sonya, and Mashkov is powerful as the duplicitous con.
01/01/00
The Thief is one in a long line of competent Eastern European movies that evoke the hardships of the Second World War II effectively but not exactly inspiringly.
01/01/00
[A] clever allegory about the death of Stalinism in post-Second World War Soviet Union.
01/01/00
[Stealing] the show is the eight-year-old Philipchuk, whose wide eyes register awe, puzzlement and misery with a conviction not seen since Salvatore Cascio in Cinema Paradiso.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe powerful persona that is evoked by Mashkov, a Russian stage actor and romantic star of cinema, makes the melodramatics more convincing.
01/01/00
The Thief, Russian director Pavel Chukhrai's new film, is both a simple story simply told and an uneasy political fable.
01/01/00
Beautifully photographed by Vladimir Klimov and utilizing Victor Petrov's strikingly authentic set to resemble a railway car of the 1950s, The Thief provides us with a broad sweep of Russian everymen as well as its principal performers.
01/01/00
There is more to this picture than just an affecting story; for those who care to look, there's plenty of symbolism.
01/01/00
As dramatically compelling as it is heavily metaphorical...
01/01/00
Top CriticAs mentioned, the payoff to this isn't exactly surprising, but the scenes that precede it are very good, thanks to Chukhrai's suspenseful plotting and convincing dialogue, as well as the terrific cast.
01/01/00
...The Thief is also a reminder of just how exhilarating and satisfying a good tragedy can be...
01/01/00
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