THE GOOD THIEF
UK/France/Ireland, 2002, 109 minutes, Colour.
Nick Nolte, Ralph Fiennes, Tcheky Karyo, Said Taghmaoui, Gerard Darmon, Emir Kusturica, Mark Lavoine, Mark Polish, Michael Polish, Nutca Kukhianidze.
Directed by Neil Jordan.
The Good Thief is a remake of the French classic of 1955, Bob le Flambeur, directed by Jean Pierre Melville. Melville is considered one of the masters of French gangster films with such films as Le Samourai, The Shadow Army, The Red Circle and Un Flic (Dirty Money).
The film is written by Irishman Neil Jordan. Jordan had made a great impact in the 1980s with his early films such as Angel and The Company of Wolves. He reached international fame with Mona Lisa – then made a few Hollywood films which were not so successful including High Spirits and the remake of We’re No Angels. However, during the 1990s he achieved status as a world film director with such films as The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, Michael Collins, The End of the Affair.
Neil Jordan is a novelist as well as a film-maker and has wide eclectic tastes.
Nick Nolte seems to be an obvious choice for the central character – though he seems to shamble through this particular role. The setting is Monaco and the French Riviera, a kind of melting pot for all kinds of European refugees. These include Ralph Fiennes who starred in Jordan’s The End of the Affair.
The film focuses on gambling, on robberies, on thieves and their falling out. However, the title also indicates religious imagery – and there is a sequence in a church where the Nick Nolte character explains the iconography and the meaning of the good thief on Calvary.
Not one of Jordan’s best films nor one of his better-known films.
1. The film as an update and remake of a French classic? The tradition of French portraits of criminals, setting up of heists?
2. The Monte Carlo settings, the Riviera as a character, the atmosphere in which these people live and thrive? The outsiders in Monte Carlo: Algerians, Eastern Europeans, British, American? Their fitting in with the French while keeping their own identities?
3. The musical score and the songs? The title, the original "Double Down" referring to two aces and being able to bet on both? Bob's two aces, the theft of the paintings, the theft of the safe, the winning streak he eventually had at the casino? The change of title to The Good Thief, Bob in the church, his explanation to Roger of Jesus on the cross, the good thief and being promised Paradise? How was Bob a good thief - in character, in his concern for others, in his care for Anne?
4. The planning of the robbery, the attention to detail, the various characters, the different roles? The need for security? Security being broken, the police and their following up the characters and the leads? The actual execution of the robbery, the failure of the robbery of the paintings, the irony of the safe being robbed off-screen and successfully?
5. Nick Nolte's portrait of Bob: his American and French background, his explanation of his parents (and the different stories)? His return to France, his heroin addiction (and the scenes of him shooting up)? His career of theft? Success, the losing streak? The irony of his being in the club with the confrontation between Said and Roger? His opting to save Roger, throwing the syringe?
6. The consequence for his life, his friendship with Roger, the planning of the robberies and yet Roger following him, discussing things with him? His leading him on? His going cold turkey, handcuffing himself? His interest in Anne, wanting to protect her, being a father figure as well as lover? His relationship with the other members of the group?
7. Anne, eastern Europe, prostitution and drugs, in the club? The hold over her by Remy, the pimp, the owner? Her attraction towards Said, towards Paolo? Paolo and his jealousy? His telling her about the robbery plans? Her telling Remy? Bob and his taking her in, dressing her up, her accompanying him to the casino, his coaching of her, the delight of the wins? The finale and a possible life with Bob?
8. Paolo, his volatility, his taking the photos of the paintings in the casino with the camera lighter? His telling Anne about the robbery? His jealousy of Remy, the mad passion and shooting him? The previous meeting with the Irish brothers? His getting out of Monte Carlo, going to Italy, setting things up with the brothers, their return to Monte Carlo? The irony that the robbery was successful?
9. Roger, the competent policeman, his staff, being saved by Bob? Their friendship, his suspicions, following Bob, preventing him from going to photograph the paintings? The discussion in the church? The further complications, his realisation of what was going to happen, his getting information from informers? His going to the casino, seeing Bob with his winnings? Going to the vault with the paintings, the explosion? His following through with the criminals, finding the money had been stolen? Unable to pin anything on Bob? A portrait of a harassed policeman?
10. Said, Algerian, the drug-dealing, Bob wounding him? His attraction towards Anne? His becoming an informer? His death?
11. Vladimir and his guitar-playing, his computer skills, checking the security system, cancelling it out, playing his guitar? Paolo and the information, his support for Bob?
12. The Irish twins, the irony of Bob seeing each of them but not realising they were twins? Their own capitalising on this? The meeting, the plan for robbing the vault? Bob using them as a decoy? Paolo going to them, the technique of robbing the vault with no-one realising that there were twins operating? Their success?
13. Bob and the night at the casino, the staff and their reactions, the winning streak, people watching, Anne and her delight, Bob and his being well dressed and looking well-to-do? Defying the police, disowning the robbery of the paintings? The happy ending for him?
14. Philippe and his becoming Philippa, tough, his role in the robbery, his fear of spiders, turning on the mains, the gas leak and the explosion and the failure?
15. The popularity of this kind of heist story? Neil Jordan and his other films about eccentric outsiders, crimes, protection of younger women? Its continuing the themes of his films?
16. Bob and his copy of Picasso, his long story about its authenticity, presenting it to the art dealer, the art dealer and his demands? The payment? The art dealer returning, the painting as a fake, the anger of the art dealer and the slashing of the painting?
