Michael Mann’s debut THIEF is pretty fully formed, a tightly wound caper with the grit of a ‘70s movie and the pizazz of an ‘80s thriller. Frank (James Caan) is an ex-convict and current master thief with a one-track mind: Make the money, marry the girl, make the family, live in peace at last. This being a movie, none of those things happen as he expects them to.

In this episode with guest Kelly Krantz, we talk about the pitiful antihero at the center of THIEF, the supporting cast (including Tuesday Weld and Willie Nelson), the Tangerine Dream score, and the crushing effect of the American carceral system on the American dream itself.

Find Kelly…

On Bluesky at @kransekage.bsky.social
On Twitter at @kransekage_
On Letterboxd at @luckyhoss
On Trylove episodes: WINGS OF DESIRE (1987), ARREBATO (1979), PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974), REVOLVER (1973), THE DOOM GENERATION (1995), THE NIGHT PORTER (1974), REMEMBER MY NAME (1978), PLAY IT AS IT LAYS (1972), OUTLAND (1981), BASIC INSTINCT (1992)

Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota:

Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
@sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot
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Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis

References:

“Thief: That One Last Job and the American Dream” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog
“The Study of Mann” by F.X. Feeney for The Directors Guild of America
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Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog

#MichaelMannsDarkAmericana #35mm

Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch!

Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “Turning Point” as performed by Mighty Joe Young from the THIEF soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 377: THIEF (1981)

3:39 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

5:29 - Why THIEF is in Kelly’s top Michael Mann movies

9:38 - Frank, the pitiful man who’s still got prison in him

14:09 - A heist movie that’s not really about the heist

17:57 - The “masterfully architected” opening act

23:11 - The way the score parallels the story and characters

29:03 - Imprisonment, autonomy, and compromise

34:35 - Dependency and the fantasy worlds inhabited by Mann men

46:37 - Did Frank ever have a chance?

55:31 - Willie Nelson as Okla

1:05:04 - Tuesday Weld as Jessie

1:15:54 - The Junk Drawer

1:26:58 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1981

1:35:58 - Cody’s Noteys: Marketing Mannagers (guessing Michael Mann movies by their taglines)