Korean and Chinese criminals come together in lackluster heist flick THE THIEVES
THE THIEVES (Dong-hoo Choi, 2012)
AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Opens Friday, October 12
212-398-2597
www.thethievesmovie.com
www.amctheatres.com
The biggest box-office hit in South Korean history, The Thieves is an overly slick, way too self-satisfied heist flick from hot director Dong-hoo Choi, who has scored previous successes with the caper movie The Big Swindle, the gambling tale Tazza: The High Rollers, and the action fantasy Woochi. Master criminal Macao Park (Kim Yun-seok) brings together two talented teams of crooks, one from Hong Kong, the other from Korea, to steal the $20 million Tear of the Sun diamond from a well-guarded casino, but when things go terribly wrong, suspicion, greed, and betrayal lead to one last chance at revenge. The all-star cast includes Lee Jung-jae as Popie, the head of the Korean contingent; Kim Hye-soo as sexy safecracker Pepsee; Gianna Jun as wall climber Yenicall; Kim Soo-hyun as young up-and-comer Zampano; Kim Hae-sook as older disguise expert Chewingum; Simon Yam as Chen, the leader of the Hong Kong group; Angelica Lee as sexy safecracker Julie; and Oh Dal-soo as young weapons pro Andrew. Personalities clash, old romances brim to the surface, and deception rules the day in this too-long movie (135 minutes) that lacks the charm of Steven Soderbergh’s first Ocean’s Eleven film and the high-tech gadgetry of the Mission: Impossible movie series. Huge plot holes compete with a general goofiness as the film just goes on and on, bullets flying everywhere as Macao meets with diamond seeker Wei Hong (Ki Gook-seo) among a flurry of cops who just can’t be that inept. The whole enterprise feels flat, offering nothing new to one of cinema’s most exciting and fun genres.