Brothers, Guns, and Doves - Once a Thief (1991)

Director: John Woo

Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang, Chu Kong

Country: Hong Kong

Rating: R

Run Time: 103 minutes

Even though John Woo films are synonymous with high body counts and lots of blood, whose to say that the guy can't also make us laugh? In 1991, Woo released Once a Thief, a little seen action/comedy that was both hilarious and action packed. If seeing Woo direct a comedy wasn't enough to peak your interest, the film also reteams A Better Tomorrow co-stars Chow Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung as friends who steal paintings from all across the globe. Once a Thief is a goofy film that will probably turn away anyone unfamiliar with comedic Hong Kong films. But anyone who loves awesome action sequences and fun heists will be in for a real treat. And if you're like me and have a huge Chow Yun Fat obsession, it's a must see.

Once a Thief is a criminally underrated John Woo film. Whatever the reason, I recommend that all action fans seek this gem out. Once a Thief consistently ranks as one of my favorite action films of all time due to its incredibly fun but awesome action scenes, Woo's always wonderful editing and directing, and Chow Yun Fat's charismatic performance. What could have been a throw away comedy released in between two very violent films, Bullet in the Head and Hard Boiled, is instead a rip roaring good time that packs lots of laughs and great stunt work. Besides, there are no other action films out there where Chow Yun Fat fires a gun while atop a skateboard and performs wheelchair martial arts.

A trio of charming cuties lead Woo's silliest action film to date.

Joe (Chow Yun Fat), Jim (Leslie Cheung), and Cherie (Cherie Chung) are three world renowned art thieves who grew up together as orphans. Their foster father Chow (Kenneth Tsang, A Better Tomorrow) taught them tough love and raised them to become the thieves that they are now. A kind hearted cop named Chu (Kong Chu, The Killer) also became their godfather at the time of their youth in order to teach them to steer clear of crime and to live a straight life. 

In present day, the three friends are rich and successful thieves who live a glamorous life buying lavish clothes, living in a massive house, and driving around in expensive cars. When a rich client asks the three to steal one of the most guarded paintings in Paris, France, Joe and Jim can't resist. After the two successfully steal the painting, their client attacks them and tries to steal it back without paying for it. Joe sacrifices himself during the ensuing battle in order to allow Jim to escape and to live a happy life with Cherie. However, Joe miraculously survives the attack and ends up paralyzed, doomed to live a life in a wheelchair. Joe than sets out to discover who set him and Jim up during their initial robbery while also coping with the fact that Cherie now loves Jim.

John Woo does a great job crafting several fun and exciting heist sequences that you normally wouldn't expect to see in any of his films. Joe and Jim rob three pieces of art throughout the film and each heist is crazier than the last. In the first, Jim, Joe, and Cherie have to make their way onto a moving 18 wheeler in order to retrieve a painting. This scene ends with Chow Yun parasailing off of the truck and floating in the air to some classical music. Great stuff. In the second, Jim and Joe have a to swing across a room with an electrical floor in order to grab a painting off of a wall. They even look through wine glasses in order to spot the security lasers within the room. And in the third, and wackiest, Jim and Joe have to blow open a vault to get at the goods inside. When a load of henchmen show up to kill them, Joe fights them off by sliding around in his wheel chair and head butting sticky grenades at them. If anyone wants to see the great John Woo at his silliest and most carefree, than look no further than these heist scenes.

The stunt work is off the charts in the most bad ass rom com of all time.

Chow Yun Fat is at his funniest and most carefree in this flick. He is beyond charming and likable. I can't express it enough but Chow Yun Fat's smile is the most lovable and infectious smile in movie history. Whenever the guy smiles I can't help but smile back and love the guy even more. It's so rare that an actor in cinema can have over 800 on screen kills and still be both handsome and hilarious.

Leslie Cheung is also great as the lovable and bad ass Jim. It's great to see Chow and Leslie reunite after tearing up the screen in Woo's A Better Tomorrow Saga. These actors are so awesome and lovable I can't get enough of them. It's a shame that Cheung committed suicide and never got to star with Chow Yun Fat ever again. Cherie Chung is also adorable as the film's main love interest and plays an important role in the engaging love triangle between Joe and Jim. 

Hong Kong veteran actors Kenneth Tsang and Kong Chu also do great work as Joe, Jim, and Cherie's mentors. Tsang plays Chow, a cruel and formidable gangster who takes advantage of his children every chance that he gets but pretends to love them at the same time. Chu on the other hand plays Chow, a police officer who teaches the trio kindness and compassion. One of Once a Thief's strongest points lies within the dichotomy between these two character foils. I love nothing more than a story about mentors who teach their students with varying methodologies. Action fans should take note that Tsang and Chu had made appearances in previous Woo films alongside Chow Yun Fat before; Tsang was the kind automobile shop owner in A Better Tomorrow and Chu was the friendly but shifty gangster in The Killer. Therefore, any viewer with an understanding and appreciation of Woo's filmography will enjoy Once a Thief that much more.

Chow is a huge dick to Tsang in a laugh riot of a scene.

Once a Thief's only downfall is that its comedic tone shifts after the half way point, a fault that even Woo himself has admitted too. The first half of the film is very romantic, charming, and humorous while the second half is extremely goofy, cartoonish, and action packed. While one could argue that both halves contain comedy, romance, and action, it's clear that the two tones established in each half differ just enough to throw off the picture's balance. The first half of the film was shot at a steady pace in France as a way for Woo to pay tribute to the films of Francois Truffaut. This is evident by the film's romantic scenes and charming tours around France. However, once Woo returned to finish the film in Hong Kong, the shooting schedule picked up speed and Once a Thief quickly devolved into a typical Hong Kong action comedy. While the first half of the film is still silly, the film exists within a world somewhat resembling reality. The second half of the film on the other hand feels like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. The comedy gets really crazy by the end once Chow Yun Fat does wheel chair martial arts, twirls a pole to the sound of classical music, and accidentally throws a baby across a room. I understand Woo's disgrace here, I really do, but I still enjoy the film all the same. 

Once a Thief is easily Woo's tamest and least violent action film from his prime in Hong Kong. The shootouts and the car chases are still fantastic, don't get me wrong, it's just that the film has more of a reliance on explosions to kill people than it does guns or bullets. When people do get shot, very little, if any blood at all, is shown. The big final gun fight contains no bloody squibs whatsoever. However, I understand Woo's decision to tame the violence. After all, a romantic comedy isn't as romantic or comedic as possible if every character death is met with gallons of blood. Still, Once a Thief contains a heavy body count that will impress any action fan despite all of the tamed down violence. If anything, Once a Thief is John Woo's first true PG-13 film, even though it is officially rated R.

I can't help but point out simply how many stunt errors are evident in the film as well. Most John Woo films never reveal their production problems thanks to excellent editing or all around great production value. Unfortunately, Once a Thief is littered with evident production errors. There are several shots where wires can be seen attached to an actor as they fly out of a window or through the air. Stuntmen can even be seen wearing helmets when they flip a car. Explosions even go off before vehicles collide with one another. My favorite stunt error occurs during the big chase in France when a stuntman drives his car through a trailer. The stunt is awesome and all, except for the fact that one can clearly see the ramp built inside of the trailer. 

Fell for the old death by flaming microwaved basketball trick.

The first half of Once a Thief truly is a charming and adorable romance that any film critic would be hard pressed not to love. However, I can understand how any cinematic viewer might be turned off by the second half, what with all of the wheel chair martial arts and exploding sticky bombs. John Woo incorporates a huge variety of everyday objects into his action scenes with this film. Chow Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung use a microwave to blow a basketball across a room into a henchman, twirl a fishing pole to knock down enemies and daze them, slide atop a skateboard while shooting a gun, spin around on wheel chairs while head butting bombs, and even spit paint thinner and vodka out of their mouths to blow back a man's fire ball attack. 

Yeah, I should probably mention that one of the henchmen during the finale has magic powers somehow, I kid you not. While every other henchman and villains in the film use guns, this one big suited henchie has the ability to conjure up flames out of his sleeves and to hurl playing cards so fast that they cut their victims. This random henchman has the powers of X-Men's Pyro and Daredevil's Bullseye rolled up into one. I think that Woo and the producers officially gave up when they decided to pit Chow against a magician for the final face off.

I can't forget to mention that Once a Thief also contains one of the most ridiculous and hilarious plot twists in any movie I have ever seen. It is so out there and unbelievable, that I can't help but laugh at it. Most people will probably scoff at it and disown the movie the moment they see it. However, I think that the twist is hilarious and I love the film even more for it. It's Hong Kong comedy for goodness sakes, give it a break. Still, your jaw will drop and your head will explode when the twist arrives, it is that unpredictable and that impossible.

Two Time Hong Kong Film Award Winning Actor: Chow Yun Fat

John Woo will always be remembered for heroic bloodshed genre films like A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled. However, I believe that Once a Thief should be mentioned in the same breath as those other films because it is equally rewarding. Once a Thief nails all of the themes of heroic bloodshed: honor, loyalty, brotherhood, double fisted gun action, self sacrifice, and cops and robbers. It just separates itself from the rest of the deadly serious heroic bloodshed films with scenes of wheel chair martial arts and Chow Yun Fat throwing a baby through the air. Woo's one and only comedy is as goofy and fun as they come. If I ever meet the guy, I would love to shake his hand and congratulate him on making one of my favorite comedies ever. Even though Once a Thief is a comedy, it still has a minor amount of blood in it and a truly immense body count. Therefore, Woo never betrays himself or the audience, giving them exactly what they want, as well as himself. It's still a Woo film, through and through, even down to Leslie Cheung shooing a dove out of his way during the final shootout. 

Rating: 9/10 - A hilarious, charming, romantic, and bad ass action film that ranks as one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen.