Alec Baldwin, after more than a decade-and-a-half of not becoming the major star we all thought he would be back in the eighties, finally proves that he has star power to burn. Unfortunately, he shows it in a otherwise unspectacular movie that very few people will ever see unless they are late night cable TV junkies or Video store residents.
Don't get me wrong--"Thick as Thieves" is a pretty good crime movie, especially compared to the usual no-story, all-special effects, written-by-the-marketing-department, incomprehensible garbage being cranked out by the studios today. It does have a story, a plot, and characters. In fact, if the filmmakers had a bit more skill, you might mistake "Thieves" for a Quentin Tarantino adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel. Writer-director Scott Sanders doesn't quite have the ear for dialog or the visual clarity of Tarantino, however (and, as maligned by hipster film nuts as Quentin has become, all you have to do is rent "Jackie Brown" to know that the man does know how to develop characters and tell a damn story--even if he is a wanton thief of style). Not having read the original novel "Thieves" is based on, I can't really comment on whether author Patrick Quinn is an up-and-coming Leonard. But even if he really is as good as the master, or only aspires to that high level, I have the feeling that there was much lost in the transfer from word to image. First-timer Sanders has good taste in material, to be sure. And his storytelling and visual styles are clean--but they are also dully TV-like at times. This could be a result of the modest budget (The mid-range budget might also explain the huge cast who rarely appear together in groups numbering more than three--the trick is you get them each to do a day or two's work here and there instead of paying a regular sized cast to perform for an entire film).
And, as I mentioned before, Alec Baldwin commands the screen with major star power, in a low-key, subtle performance, reminicent of another little-seen character crime flick starring "the talented Baldwin" from a long time ago, "Miami Blues." One major star turn + a lot of sturdy work from a host of character actors can sometimes = a good movie. In this case, unfortunately, it only = an OK one.
Still, although not up there with the best crime movies, "Thick as Thieves" is superlative when compare to other movies that never have a life outside of Cable TV or the local video store.
