Wow, movies of this caliber used to come on regular television??? Who would've thought a few decades later this would be the same network to have a show where women cry over men that they've only known for 10 minutes. TV has definitely gotten dumbed down. I don't think a lot of people nowadays have the attention span long enough to watch a movie that doesn't contain a load of cussing and sex. That personally turns me off, so I love finding these vintage movies on YouTube. I'm finally done with Lifetime movies. I got so tired of watching people argue with their family. I wanted to go back to watching the movies that I used to enjoy: films that are truly suspenseful and explore the human condition. Thief is proof of why a small budget doesn't mean poor quality. This is the most well-acted made for TV film I've seen in a LONG while. I'm not exaggerating - I've been watching a lot of them, and this is the first one that wasn't crap for a change.
I don't usually like movies or TV shows where the main character steals as a living, but I found myself enjoying this story about an LA burglar and jewel thief, and even feeling sorry for him. Neil Wilkerson (Richard Crenna) wants to go straight - his motivations being his girlfriend (Angie Dickinson), and trying to obtain custody of his son, who's living on the east coast in a foster home due to his mother's alcoholism. He finds himself having to pull off a heist one last time to pay off a gambling debt. The only complaint I have is the ending. It didn't make any sense, and it was disappointing. Otherwise, Richard Crenna's performance was heartfelt as a father who wanted to be with his son, as a man who was giving serious consideration to becoming a husband, and as a criminal who was being pulled into a life that he was striving to escape. This has been added to my list of movies to watch more than once.
