Once a Thief (John Woo's Once a Thief) (John Woo's Violent Tradition) poster & wallpaper
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Sandrine Holt, Ivan Sergei, Nicholas Lea, Michael Wong, Jennifer Dale ... see more see more... , Robert Ito

This two-hour pilot for the Canadian TV series is inspired by John Woo's 1991 Hong Kong film of the same title, but the story has been altered extensively. Mac (Ivan Sergei) and Li Ann (Sandrine Holt)... read more read more... are the foster children of a powerful crime boss. With their foster father's biological son Michael (Michael Wong), the three make up a trio of high-tech burglars. When Li Ann is forced to become engaged to Michael, she tries to escape with Mac, whom she really loves. On their way, they pull a failed heist on one of their adoptive father's warehouses. Mac goes to prison believing Li Ann is dead. Years later, he is released from prison by a covert law enforcement agency based in Vancouver and is pressed into using his skills for good. He discovers that Li Ann is a part of this agency, but so is her new fiancé Victor (Nicholas Lea). When they're assigned to stop a Hong Kong crime family that's taking over Vancouver, they realize they're going to meet with Michael once again. The fact that this thriller is actually a television program and not a feature is evident in its slightly lower production values; however, Woo proved with the original Once a Thief that he could make a thriller without much violence, and the 1996 edition still has the ability to entertain. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

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50% liked it

5,610 ratings

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: John Woo

Release Date: September 29, 1996

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2000

Stats: 132 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (132)

  • thmtsang
    July 14, 2007
    thmtsang
    Full of action.
  • sweeptheleg
    September 13, 2006
    sweeptheleg
    This ones pretty good. Some funny scenes.

View All Once a Thief (John Woo's Once a Thief) (John Woo's Violent Tradition) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Carole Horst
March 26, 2009
Carole Horst, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 4, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Jamie Gillies
February 4, 2004
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide

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Dragan Antulov
February 4, 2004
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

James Rocchi
November 7, 2002
James Rocchi, Netflix

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February 5, 2004
AV Club

No review available.

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