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Once a Thief

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Once a Thief

Released Sep 8, 1965

1h 47m

Crime

Drama

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2 Reviews

50%

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50+ Ratings

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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Wendy Michener

Maclean's Magazine

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.

Jul 16, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Morbid crime drama.

Rated: C

Aug 18, 2008

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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laurent b

Beautiful cinematography and a solid casting makes this gangster-drama movie a real gem !

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Good melodrama by Ralph Nelson, but that could be better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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Audience Member

Stylish but pretty dull noir.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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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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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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