The Good Thief

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The Good Thief ★★★ 2003 (R)

Jordan's stylish remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's “Bob le Flambeur” serves as a showcase for Nolte's magnificent performance. Nolte is Bob, an American inveterate gambler, heroin addict, and master thief whom everyone likes, including the French cop (Karyo) who wants to save him from himself. When Bob loses the last of his money at the track, he's talked into masterminding an art heist at a casino with the usual band of multinational partners. Along the way, he rescues a young waitress from a pimp, taking her under his wing. Jordan provides plenty of atmosphere and noir-heist dialogue, although the plot gets a little tricky and may induce some headscratching at the end. 109m/C VHS, DVD . FR GB IR Nick Nolte, Tcheky Karyo, Said Taghmaoui, Gerard Darmon, Nutsa Kukhianidze, Emir Kusturica, Marc Lavoine, Mark Polish, Michael Polish, Ouassini Embarek, Sarah Bridges; Cameos: Ralph Fiennes; D: Neil Jordan; W: Neil Jordan; C: Chris Menges; M: Elliot Goldenthal.