The Good Thief

Reflections of moonlight shimmering in neo-noir splendor, seedy underworld characters living by their own code of honor, unrelenting cat-and-mouse games between desperate thieves and world-weary cops – it's all here and then some in director Neil Jordan's thrilling remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic 1955 caper film Bob le Flambeur. Set in a French Riviera where sunlight is toxic, The Good Thief creates a remarkable atmosphere of conspiracy, romance and danger as its nocturnal denizens of prostitutes, junkies, thieves, con artists and on-lookers provide a classic crime-movie milieu, gorgeously captured by cinematographer Chris Mendes. Giving his best performance in years, Nick Nolte revels in seediness as Bob Montagret, a verbose, cynical master thief and down-on-his-luck gambler whose fortune may be about to change when he's brought into a scheme to rob a Monte Carlo casino. Luck is fickle, as Bob knows, as does Roger (Tchéky Karyo), the hard-boiled cop who's been tipped off and is soon on Bob's every move. The cool, capricious nights of this evocative fantasyland of wealth and beauty serve as a scintillating backdrop to the games, deceits and betrayals that lay ahead for this motley group of dreamers. As written by Jordan, the dialogue is fast and furious, the twists unpredictable (even for those familiar with the original), and the final 30 minutes are guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

David Bleiler