Abstract
The tension resolved in The Jericho Mile persists throughout Thief, leading to a very different conclusion. The existential guiding ethic of Thief’s protagonist Frank (James Caan) is in tension with his goal of bourgeois happiness, a form of social engagement. Frank’s experiences expose the subjugation and bad faith inherent in his goal, leading to its eventual abandonment. The film types drawn upon in Thief (as well as Manhunter, Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies) include crime, thriller, police and gangster genres, as well as film noir and neo-noir. The film includes many generic conventions of the heist/caper movie as well as gangster and film noir, genres discussed by various critics including Ian Shadoian (2003), Fran Mason (2002), Martin Rubin (1999), Paul Schrader (1972), John G. Cawelti (1978), Edward Mitchell (1995). Sometimes Thief participates in genre traditions, at other points it departs from them or combines tropes from different sub-genres. In addition, the film inflects many of these traditions with its existential sensibility.
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