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Once a Thief

Play trailer Poster for Once a Thief 1991 1h 38m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Three art thieves (Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung) try to re-steal a painting after their crime boss double-crosses them.
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Once a Thief

Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine 1d
Once a Thief is an outlier in Woo’s mature period, closer in spirit to his pre-breakthrough workman era making comedic genre pictures. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/14/2005
3/5
Scott Weinberg eFilmCritic.com 06/13/2004
3.5/5
Anyone who already owns The Killer and Hard-Boiled will undoubtedly still find much to enjoy within Once a Thief. Go to Full Review
Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com 01/12/2004
4/5
Jamie Gillies Apollo Guide 06/22/2003
63/100
Fails to deliver the action goods that John Woo fans want, and his skill with a romantic plot is not very good. Go to Full Review
James Rocchi Netflix 11/07/2002
2.5/5
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Audience Reviews

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Alfie M Jan 21 While it's not as ambitious as other Woo projects it's certainly the most hilarious. Woo directed this shortly after The Killer and A Better Tomorrow 2, so it's nice to get a refresh with such a fun and comedic feature. Chow Yun Fat looks like his having the time of his life while filming this, and the cast seem well acquitted together, it almost seems like documentary. It's somehow more bonkers than some Woo pictures, some scenes are so outrageous. And, I think Woo is the only director I can forgive because he does It in such a classy way. The ending is fun, the film has Woos signature bullets for days. What's not more to love. Especially for my first John Woo film of 2026! See more thiago s @Thiagostone Jan 18 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Max W @MaxthorWoo Jul 6 A classic, albeit dated, showcase of John Woo’s flair for stylized gunplay, but the underdeveloped dynamics between the three leads feel abrupt and incomplete — leaving little emotional resonance in its wake. See more Leprechaun K @LeprechaunKing Feb 27 Chow pairs up with John Woo again for this light action/romance/comedy all-in-one. Wasn't his greatest but still entertaining. See more Jimmy P 01/20/2023 The twist at the end is sooooooooooooo good!!! See more 10/04/2016 6.5/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2BT See more Read all reviews
Once a Thief

My Rating

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City on Fire 89% 75% City on Fire Watchlist A Better Tomorrow II 57% 82% A Better Tomorrow II Watchlist Hard-Boiled 92% 92% Hard-Boiled Watchlist Prison on Fire 100% 87% Prison on Fire Watchlist Dragons Forever 67% 79% Dragons Forever Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Three art thieves (Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung) try to re-steal a painting after their crime boss double-crosses them.
Director
John Woo
Producer
Linda Kuk, Terence Chang
Screenwriter
John Woo
Production Co
Milestone Pictures, Golden Princess Film Production Limited
Genre
Action
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (DVD)
Nov 7, 2000
Runtime
1h 38m
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