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The Thief

Play trailer Poster for The Thief R 1997 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
In 1946, a soldier fathers a child then dies before its birth. Jump to 1952: on a train, the child and his mother meet a handsome soldier who makes a play for her. She accepts. Posing as a married family, the soldier finds them a place to stay where he becomes everyone's favorite through his good looks and generosity. Meanwhile the widowed Russian with a young son falls for a soldier who turns out to have another identity.
The Thief

What to Know

Critics Consensus

As beautiful to look at as it is thought-provoking, The Thief interrogates Europe's past through the experiences of a family in crisis.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times 02/14/2001
It's a superb film in the classic style of screen storytelling, at once intimate and epic, possessed of lyrical beauty and suffused with that mixture of warmth, suffering and rueful humor so characteristic of Russian films. Go to Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine 01/01/2000
4/5
[Stealing] the show is the eight-year-old Philipchuk, whose wide eyes register awe, puzzlement and misery with a conviction not seen since Salvatore Cascio in Cinema Paradiso. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3/4
It is clear fairly early in The Thief that the title character represents Stalin, and it's one of the strengths of the film that the symbolism never gets in the way of a convincing, heartbreaking story. Go to Full Review Film Threat 12/06/2005
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/05/2005
3/5
Film Threat 12/08/2002
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Virgo V @vision 01/18/2025 The Thief (Vor) is a 1997 Russian drama film written and directed by Pavel Chukhray. The film is about a young woman, Katya (Yekaterina Rednikova), and her 6-year-old son Sanya (Misha Philipchuk), who, in 1952, meet a veteran Soviet officer named Tolyan (Vladimir Mashkov). Katya falls in love with Tolyan, who turns out to be a small time criminal, but who also becomes a father figure to Sanya. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Nika Award for Best Picture and Best Directing. Also winner of the International Youth Jury's prize, the President of the Italian Senate's Gold Medal and the UNICEF Award at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. Some say the film is ambitious, beautifully photographed and painful to watch. Others say the film is intense and that images from it will haunt the viewer. I think that's a load of crap. This film was amazing both on a social and environmental level. See more flixster f @RT77094268 09/11/2014 11 September, 2014 Simple, but uninteresting. 1/10. See more 05/31/2013 This movie reminds me so much of Zvyagintsev's The Return. They both emphasize conflict with the father figure and the pressures of becoming a man. See more 02/19/2013 A fine film with an excellent storyline and outstanding acting. The story is not one a Hollywood production company would be likely to have any interest in filming. But it is a quite touching story of love and the ambiguities of love and family. See more 04/21/2012 Unforgettable, heartbreaking, brilliant, perfect movie. See more 09/09/2011 Just didn't grab me. See more Read all reviews
The Thief

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Cast & Crew

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Pavel Chukhraj

Director

Vladimir Mashkov

Tolyan

Ekaterina Rednikova

Katya

Mikhail Filipchuk

Sanya

Amaliya Mordvinova

Doctor's Wife

Lidiya Savchenko

Baba Tanya

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The Thief

The Thief (1997) The Thief (1997) The Thief (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1946, a soldier fathers a child then dies before its birth. Jump to 1952: on a train, the child and his mother meet a handsome soldier who makes a play for her. She accepts. Posing as a married family, the soldier finds them a place to stay where he becomes everyone's favorite through his good looks and generosity. Meanwhile the widowed Russian with a young son falls for a soldier who turns out to have another identity.
Director
Pavel Chukhraj
Producer
Igor Tolstunov
Screenwriter
Pavel Chukhraj
Distributor
Stratosphere Entertainment
Production Co
Canal+
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 31, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 3, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.1M
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Surround