Thief wasn’t director Michael Mann’s debut feature, that being 1979’s lesser-known made-for-TV Emmy winner, The Jericho Mile. Yet it’s undoubtedly the film that defined his cool, calm, calculated style. James Caan is equally pivotal in defining the Mann antihero with his portrayal of jewel thief and ex-con Frank, who’s based on real-life cat burglar Frank Hohimer. The Home Invaders, Hohimer’s 1975 memoir, inspired Mann’s script, which offers a mix of grit and polish that’s still shocking and enthralling to this day. – Richard Whittaker
