Thief (1981)

Thief (1981)

Author: Film Trace February 12, 2021 Duration: 53:07

Mann is born. James Caan cruises through the black mirror of Chicago's rain-soaked streets in Micheal Mann's masterful film debut, Thief. This 1980s neo-noir is a rote one-more-caper film at its root, but its eccentric flourishes grow into bountiful and rich foliage: the ethereal soundtrack from Tangerine Dream, the searing ambition of Caan, and the corrupted spine of Chicago itself. Way behind the genre films of the time, Thief remains a riveting, ambitious, and wonderful film.

Special Guest: Mike Field of the fantastic Forgotten Cinema podcast.

Join us as we trace the life of Thief from conception (Mann cold selling) to production (18 hour days stalking Chicago) to release (muted and forgotten) and reception (Letterboxd catnip). 


Ever find yourself falling down an internet rabbit hole after the credits roll, clicking from a film’s trivia page to the director’s biography and then to some obscure piece of production history? That’s the exact feeling Film Trace aims to capture and expand upon in audio form. This isn't just another review show. Instead, each episode is a deep, meticulously researched excavation of a single movie’s entire journey. We start with the initial spark of an idea-the script found in a drawer, the chance meeting that got it greenlit-and follow every twist and turn through casting, chaotic production, and post-production. The story continues to the film’s release, its critical and cultural reception, and what legacy it holds now. Think of it as a comprehensive, narrative-driven biography of a film, built on primary sources and genuine curiosity. The hosts at Film Trace use their collective nerd superpowers to do all that obsessive digging for you, weaving together context, history, and behind-the-scenes details into a compelling story about how art gets made. You’ll come away from each installment of this podcast not just with an opinion on a movie, but with a real understanding of its place in the wider world of TV and film. It’s for anyone who believes the story off-screen is just as fascinating as the one projected on it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 131

Film Trace
Podcast Episodes
Frenzy (1972) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:03
The sixth and last film in our Existential Thriller cycle is Alfred Hitchcock's farewell to London, the macabre and dissociated Frenzy.Upon release, Frenzy was widely seen as a return to form for Hitchcock, but it has de…
Sorcerer (1977) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:48
The fifth film in our Existential Thriller cycle is William Friedkin's grim and precise Sorcerer (1977).Released in the shadow of Star Wars and Friedkin's own masterpiece, The Exorcist, this bizarre down-and-out adventur…
The Crying Game (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:29
The fourth film in our Existential Thriller cycle is Neil Jordan's infamous 1992 political enigma, The Crying Game (1992).A film's notoriety can easily mute or distort what is actually on the screen. The Crying Game is a…
The Game (1997) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:29
The third film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is David Fincher's Norcal mindbender, The Game (1997)David Fincher is one the most powerful and popular auteurs working in film and tv today. We revisit what has stra…
Michael Clayton (2007) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:20
The second film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is Tony Gilroy's aughtie classic, Michael Clayton (2007).On paper, Michael Clayton probably seems like a taut legal thriller played to the middle-aged set, a John Gr…
Men (2022) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:00
The first film in our new Existential Thrillers cycle is Alex Garland's bizarre and bold Men (2022).Alex Garland has quietly made himself into one of the more exciting filmmakers of the A24 set. The former novelist turne…
The Last House on the Left (1972) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:07
The sixth and final film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is the landmark exploitation film, The Last House on the Left (1972). Made off the proceeds of a successful pornographic film, this genuinely gonzo horror film spar…
Creepshow (1982) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:55
The fifth film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is 1982's mashup of George Romero and Stephen King, Creepshow. Creepshow is an anthology horror film created as an hommage to the trashbin mid-century comic series, EC Comics…
Dead Alive (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:21
The fourth film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is 1992's gonzo horror splatterfest Dead Alive aka Braindead Dead Alive is a shocking film for a variety of reasons, but perhaps most astonishing is that it came from the sa…
28 Days Later (2002) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:28
The third film in our Self-Aware Horror cycle is 2002's zombie renaissance 28 Days Later 28 Days Later reanimated the zombie subgenre of horror, which had been left for dead and maligned where it always had been. Yes, te…