Thick as Thieves

I have seen this movie at least 50 times and plan to see it whenever it appears on cable. I will probably also rent it whenever it is not available on cable. It is without a doubt the best screenplay and best directed movie I have ever viewed. If you have an opportunity to recommend this movie to a friend, I strongly recommend that you do so. Though I doubt that it could bring them as much joy as it brings me each time I see it, I am sure they will enjoy it.

Signed, Scott's Mom

Like Supercords, I regret that Scott Sanders 's Thick as thieves is the sole movie he wrote/directed up to this day. Not having read the novel, I cannot speak of the respective merits of the book and the screenplay; but the screenplay /direction combination results in a very entertaining, swift-paced, well-knit, and clear movie ( in spite of the intricacy of simultaneous action at three different levels: the mob's, Baldwin's, and the cops'), with many welcome humorous touches ; good editing, then, and good musical score, too. Another asset is the cast, apparently selected with great care, up to the smallest parts: if Michael Jay White and Andre Braugher got rightly-deserved praise, all the players rate from very good to excellent: Alec Baldwin and his sidekicks, Bruce Greenwood ( almost unrecognizable ) and Ricky Harris, mobsters Richard Edson and Reginald Ballard,amusing Janeane Garofalo, quietly effective and attractive Rebecca de Mornay, and little-known but accomplished actor Robert Miano as the deceptively mild-mannered second-in command of the local mafia.

I borrowed this film of a friend who said it was one of the best he'd seen in a long time,at first i wasn't sure what it would be like due to the fact i'd never heard anything about it,but after watching it i was amazed that it hadn't come out at the cinema,this was a truly good film. The movie has a great script with some memorable lines,as well as a good jazz soundtrack,but also an excellent cast who give some of the best performances i've seen in a long time. Michael Jai White is awesome as Pointy Williams,the smooth black Ghetto Gangster who's trying to become an upmarket buisnessman. Praises must be given to Reginald Ballard who plays the hard hitting Sugar Bear who seems to be the main muscle in Pointies operation.But the best performance of the film must be given to Andre Braugher who plays Dink,a streetwise gangster who knows the score and is Pointies right hand man,he reminds me of Isiah Washington playing Mac in Romeo Must Die. If you watch this then you are guaranteed a good nights entertainment.

A crime lord decides to double-cross a professional thief that the higher-ups in his organization hired for a food stamp heist. Naturally, the professional thief evades the trap, but then decides to get even. As things escalate the cops become more and more interested. So do the chiefs of the organization, who realize that all this unwanted attention is bad for business, and finally find themselves having to arbitrate the situation.

This is a well made crime movie. The movie starts with a humorous scene featuring a cameo by Janeane Garofalo where she and Alec Baldwin deadpan some lies to each other. This scene doesn't lead to anywhere, but is very hip.

The movie goes pretty fast through its story with plenty of smart, breezy dialogue. As always, Alec Baldwin is good, but is outshown by Michael Jai White and Andre Braugher, who play the crime lord and his top lieutenant respectively. White plays a not so bright but vicious crime lord with upwardly mobile aspirations. Braugher hits just the right notes of dismayed resignation as he contemplates his boss' follies. Rebecca DeMornay also has a great character to play - a hard-boiled police detective who has seen it all but remains a half-step behind the action. There are lots of well-crafted minor characters as well. The sound track also deserves a special note (no pun intended).

It you've seen all the Tarantino and Tarantino-esque movies, and are looking for more, this movie would fit the bill.

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.