One of the best things about going to the Mahoning Drive-In Theater is the fact that it has introduced me to classic films that I have never heard of before, and probably would have never gotten to see at all (let alone on the big screen) if they hadn't included it in their lineup. The 1981 Michael Mann neo-noir heist crime drama Thief is a perfect example of this.
The lot chickens are getting pretty comfortable around people. Colonel posed for this picture at the front gate, and both he and Sanders ate edamame out of my hand. I looked it up before I fed it to them, and it's perfect safe for them to eat. I'm going to have to pick up a small bag of chicken feed to keep in the car.
This film has to go into my top five movies that the Mahoning Drive-In Theater has introduced me to because it's a classic in every sense of the word. Thief stars James Caan as Frank, an ex-con who spent over a decade in prison since he was 18, but has since been released and become a safecracker and a jewel thief who operates a car dealership and a bar as a front for his main source of income. Circumstances put him in a position to meet a crime lord named Leo who wants to hire him to do jobs directly for him. Frank agrees, but only for one particularly large score, the earnings of which he plans to use to set up his ideal life with his wife and retire from his life as a professional thief.
Thief is a brilliant film. The scenes of Frank driving at night through the streets of 1981 Chicago to the score of Tangerine Dream are incredible. James Caan gives one of the best performances of a criminal that I've ever seen. The supporting cast are also fantastic. Jim Belushi plays Frank's partner Barry to perfection. Tuesday Weld, who I know best from her role as Thalia Menninger from Dobie Gillis, is outstanding as Frank's love interest. Robert Prosky, who I remember for his role as Grandpa Fred in Gremlins 2 and as the owner of the garage where Arnie fixes his haunted '58 Plymouth Fury in Christine, is excellent as the mob boss with a face that you're just aching to punch.
This movie is a masterpiece, and I'm thrilled that I got to see it for the first time on the big screen at the drive-in. I can't say that I went into this screening completely cold because they played the trailer quite a few times in the weeks leading up to this show, but it thankfully didn't give away enough to spoil too much of the story. Thief is available to stream for free on Tubi. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it for the next time that you're in the mood for a crime drama, because it doesn't get any better than this.
