Director: John Woo (Ng Yu-Sam) Script: John Woo (Ng Yu-Sam) Producer: Terence Chang (Cheung Ka-Chun) Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing, Cherie Chung Cho-Hung, Paul Chu Kong, Kenneth Tsang Kong, John Woo (Ng Yu-Sam) Country: Hong Kong Language: Cantonese  Running Time: 108 min Merit: Nominated, 11th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Picture; Best Director (John Woo); Best Actor (Chow Yun-fat); Best Editing (David Wu Dai-Wai)
Somewhere on the road from his classic Hong Kong "heroic bloodshed" films of the '80s to his Hollywood product of the late '90s, John Woo took a break and made this lighthearted, charming caper film. Once A Thief stars Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung as a trio (and a triangle) of high-tech art thieves who roam about Europe stealing the work of Old Masters; the film turns when Chow is apparently killed in a shootout, only to resurrect years later, now wheelchair-bound and mysterious. If the film occasionally lapses into wild implausibility and dumb humor, it's more than saved by its colorful locations, two charismatic leading men and typically-great John Woo action sequences Reviews ""Once a Thief" is simply pure, unadulterated fun. Once again, John Woo proves that he could teach American cinema a great deal." —Christopher E. Meadows, Rotten Tomatoes/rec.arts.movies.reviews "Very, very slick. "Once a Thief" is one of Woo's more underrated films. It hasn't received the attention it deserves, but if you can get a hold of it, don't hesitate to rent it, or buy it." —James H, CityOnFire.com "The flavour here is light and zesty: it feels like it should come from the sixties, where the good guys are cool, the art is valuable, and the bad guys are buffoons. The film has a flash and bravado that leaves you wanting to dress up in evening clothes and go steal something," —Alison Jobling, Heroic Cinema "A class production in every department." —Andrew Saroch, Dragon's Den UK		.		.
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