The Thieves (2012)

The Thieves could easily be compared to a movie like Ocean’s Eleven. With a star-studded cast of well-known Asian actors from Korea, Japan and Malaysia, including Yun-seok Kim (The Chaser, Nameless Gangster, The Yellow Sea), Simon Yam and Gianna Jun (My Sassy Girl), the movie tells the story of several crews working together to pull off a big heist in a casino in Macau. The movie was a smash hit and was seen by almost 13 million people when it was playing in the cinema. Unfortunately it seems that in the west it hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

The movie immediately starts out right, by showing how one of the crews is trying to pull of an art robbery. A job they have been working on for a long time, since their victim meets the “mother” of another crew member to discuss marriage. During that conversation they try to get into the vault using cables on the outside of the building to get there. It’s a thrilling opening which could have easily been something that would fit in a Mission Impossible movie. The crew is then asked to steal a diamond, worth 20 million dollars from a casino in Macau. When they travel there they find out they have to work together with others and the question is who can be trusted.

Although this is a heist movie it adds enough subplots to make this a very interesting watch. There is drama as previous partners in crime have to trust each other and old lovers meet. Each character has their own agenda and it creates an interesting dynamic. The movie also isn’t afraid to harm characters you are rooting for. With no one seeming to be who they are and enough twists to keep you guessing what is going on this is a movie that’s highly entertaining and I haven’t even talked about the amazing stunt work done in this film. There is a fight on the side of a building which is a joy to watch and the heist itself is filled with tension as safes need to be opened and security kept busy. The Thieves offers a great mix of action, drama, mystery, suspense and comedy to keep you entertained during its running time.