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Once a Thief

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All ex-convict Eddie Pedak (Alain Delon) wants is a fresh start with his wife, Kristine (Ann-Margret), and daughter, Kathy (Tammy Locke), as he tries to rebuild his life in San Francisco, but a few obstacles stand in his way. One is Inspector Mike Vido (Van Heflin) of the SFPD, who believes Pedak is the man who shot him several years back, and wants revenge. The other is Pedak's brother, Walter (Jack Palance), a lifetime criminal who persistently tries to recruit him to pull one last job.
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Once a Thief

Critics Reviews

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Wendy Michener Maclean's Magazine 07/16/2019
A movie that could easily have been written by a computer and was photographed by a cameraman with the new-wave shakes. The dialogue is as familiar as family arguments. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 08/18/2008
C
Morbid crime drama. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/21/2019 Neat little Noir film with an intense performance by Ann Margaret. I didn't really buy Alain Delon's performance, although there are some undeniably passionate scenes between the two leads. The jazzy score by Lalo Schifrin is super and the location shooting in San Francisco adds a documentary-drama feel to the melodrama. See more laurent b 10/20/2018 Beautiful cinematography and a solid casting makes this gangster-drama movie a real gem ! See more 06/27/2013 A very cool cast and stylish direciton are squandered on a rather dull and uncompelling story. There's even a jazzy score by Lalo Schifrin and some sharp dialogue here and there. There are also some nice action set pieces and the French New Wave-ish style of direction mostly works, but the noir story of ex-con Alain Delon trying to live a straight life with wife Ann-Margret, but is sucked back into a life of crime by cop Van Heflin and criminal brother Jack Palance. It's worth watching if you're a fan of these sorts of films, but it really felt like a missed opportunity. See more 01/12/2012 I really like this movie but it's plot is like 'The Big Sleep' impossible to describe and rather uneven but I like I also really like John Woo's 1991 & 1996 remakes. See more 01/01/2012 Good melodrama by Ralph Nelson, but that could be better. See more 10/03/2011 Stylish but pretty dull noir. See more Read all reviews
Once a Thief

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Cast & Crew

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Ralph Nelson

Director

Alain Delon

Eddie Pedak

Ann-Margret

Kristine Pedak

Van Heflin

Inspector Mike Vido SFPD

Jack Palance

Walter Pedak

John Davis Chandler

James Arthur Sargatanas, Walter's Henchman
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Once a Thief

Once a Thief (1965) Once a Thief (1965) Once a Thief (1965) Once a Thief (1965) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis All ex-convict Eddie Pedak (Alain Delon) wants is a fresh start with his wife, Kristine (Ann-Margret), and daughter, Kathy (Tammy Locke), as he tries to rebuild his life in San Francisco, but a few obstacles stand in his way. One is Inspector Mike Vido (Van Heflin) of the SFPD, who believes Pedak is the man who shot him several years back, and wants revenge. The other is Pedak's brother, Walter (Jack Palance), a lifetime criminal who persistently tries to recruit him to pull one last job.
Director
Ralph Nelson
Producer
Fred Engel, Ralph Nelson, Jacques Bar
Screenwriter
Zekial Marko
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 8, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 47m
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