The Good Thief (2002/I)

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (screenplay) and
Jean-Pierre Melville (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (Ireland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

He doesn't want money. He wants what money can't buy.

Plot:

An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in the South of France. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.

Plot Keywords:

Caper | Remake | Art Thief | Art Forgery | Art Theft

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Nutsa Kukhianidze	...	Anne
Ouassini Embarek	...	Said
Marc Lavoine	...	Remi
Nick Nolte	...	Bob Montagnet
Tchéky Karyo	...	Roger
Gérard Darmon	...	Raoul
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Paulo
Patricia Kell	...	Yvonne
Julien Maurel	...	Philippe
Emir Kusturica	...	Vladimir
Roland Munter	...	Kozinski
Warren Zavatta	...	Petit Louis
Théo Trifard	...	Bill
Sarah Bridges	...	Philippa
Nicolas Dromard	...	Luigi

Also Known As:

Dernier coup de Monsieur Bob, Le (Canada: French title)
Dernier coup de Mr Bob, Le (Canada: French title) (DVD title)
Double Down (Canada: English title) (working title)
Homme de la riviera, L' (France)
The Honest Thief (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality, drug content and some violence.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

France | UK | Ireland | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:12 | Australia:MA (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Brazil:14 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

Nick Nolte admitted in an interview that he took a small injection of heroin in preparation for his role. He claims that in order to play such a character he required the feeling of addiction and what it is to be a heroin junkie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: French police do not have jurisdiction in Monaco, which is an independent state (principality) so police from Nice would not be guarding the casino nor the villa.

Quotes:

Bob: We give you Elvis, we give you Dylan, we give you Hendrix, what do you give us? Johnny Hallyday!
Roger: Don't get me started about Johnny Hallyday...

Movie Connections:

Remake of Bob le flambeur (1956)

Soundtrack:

That's Life

Unusually satisfying story of male affection/vulnerability,

within an interesting heist flick. All of the leading actors are middle aged men and they are INTERESTING people who enjoy being together and respect each other. This is what captures us, the film audience -- as well as the two young actors (guy and girl) who want to be part of this engaging friendship. Nolte's warmth and ironic humor are at the center of this. As his longtime cop friend says, "Everybody likes Bob, that is the problem!".

The heist is really a question of whether this group of men's unusual dignity, intelligence, and ability will be victorious over the Establishment in which people never do more then live half lives; i.e., unlike what makes the main characters appealing. Perhaps all of the films built on this classic pattern are saying, "the real criminality is never to have been alive."