4/11/2023 0 Comments Once a thiefcouldn’t quite live up to its ambition." įilmink argued "ikt was not a bad movie and at least had aspirations to quality, but it just. provided a generally terse, hard-bitten script whose language sounds like that used by the gunmen, narcotics addicts and hipsters of San Francisco's lower depths. The melodrama may be tough, laconic and filled with a sense of doom, but it is hardly an innovation or an improvement on the gangster-with-a-heart-of-gold fare that has preceded it. Weiler of The New York Times wrote that the film was not as good as similar genre pictures, but praised the accuracy of its gangster dialogue: Marko had a small role in the film and spent time in jail on criminal charges during the shoot. Once a Thief was based on Marko's novel Scratch a Thief and this was his first screenplay. The story was based on the personal experiences of screenwriter Zekial Marko he had written the novel The Big Grab, which was adapted into Any Number Can Win, a big hit for Delon. He quickly and incorrectly assesses the situation and kills Eddie, to Vido's dismay. With the gun in his grasp, Eddie staggers triumphantly toward Vido. After a struggle with Eddie over the gun, Sargatanas dies. Sargatanas suddenly kills Shoenstein, initiating a shootout that results in the wounding of Eddie and Vido. After his daughter is released, Eddie brings them to the truck containing the platinum. Eddie and Vido make their way to the arranged meetup, where the remaining thieves and the loot are, as well as his daughter. After Eddie finally admits that he did in fact shoot Vido years ago, Vido is surprised to find that he no longer feels vindictive. Vido agrees to help him in exchange for his confession and the return of the stolen platinum. Sargatanas and Shoenstein find and kill Walter, and abduct Eddie's daughter in order to trade her for the platinum.Įddie finds Vido, and tells him about the kidnapping. After Sargatanas kills another member of the gang, Eddie and Walter take off with the loot and hide in a truck. The thieves get away with $1 million in platinum. He gives Eddie the chance to come clean before the heist, but Eddie turns him down. After doing his own investigating, Vido approaches Eddie and tells him he knows that he was framed for the murder. It becomes evident that Sargatanas and Shoenstein, other members of Walter's gang, framed Eddie for the shopkeeper's murder, and mistrust grows. Eddie then agrees to participate in the heist, and it is revealed why Walter has been so persistent about Eddie's participation: they plan to rob his former employer, and his inside knowledge of the company is vital to the robbery. Walter drops by and informs him that Kristine's job is really at a sleazy nightclub, where Eddie finds her, to his fury. Eddie refuses, but he is unable to secure another job or collect unemployment, prompting Kristine to begin working as a waitress. Meanwhile, Eddie's brother Walter, head of a criminal gang, attempts to recruit him for a final heist, offering him $50,000 for one night's work. Eddie nonetheless loses his job because of the arrest. When a shopkeeper is killed in a robbery, he is convinced it is again Eddie, but the witness insists otherwise. Since Eddie's release from prison, Vido has harassed him and gotten him fired from numerous jobs. Despite only having seen the shooter's eyes, he is sure that it was Eddie. The detective, Mike Vido, remains bitter over being shot six years ago during an unsolved robbery. Much to his chagrin, he also has a vengeful police detective (Heflin) and estranged brother (Palance) complicating his life. Plot Įx-convict Eddie Pedak (Delon) tries to lead a normal life in San Francisco with a loving wife Kristine (Ann-Margret), a daughter, and a steady job. Nelson won the OCIC award at the 1965 San Sebastián International Film Festival for the film. The movie was known in France as Les tueurs de San Francisco. It was written by Zekial Marko, based on his 1961 novel Scratch a Thief. Once a Thief is a 1965 crime film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Alain Delon, Ann-Margret, Van Heflin and Jack Palance.
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