''Once a Thief'' is a 1965
crime film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by
Ralph Nelson
Ralph Nelson (August 12, 1916 – December 21, 1987) was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and actor. He was best known for directing '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963), '' Father Goose'' (1964), and '' Charly'' (1968 ...
and starring
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...
,
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret.
She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...
,
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...
and
Jack Palance
Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...
. It was written by
Zekial Marko, based on his 1961 novel ''Scratch a Thief''. The movie was known in France as ''Les tueurs de San Francisco''.
Nelson won the OCIC award at the 1965
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...
for the film.
Plot
Ex-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. Much to his chagrin, he also has a vengeful police detective (Heflin) and estranged brother (Palance) complicating his life.
The detective, Mike Vido, remains bitter over being shot six years ago during an unsolved robbery. Despite only having seen the shooter's eyes, he is sure that it was Eddie. Since Eddie's release from prison, Vido has harassed him and gotten him fired from numerous jobs. When a shopkeeper is killed in a robbery, he is convinced it is again Eddie, but the witness insists otherwise. Eddie nonetheless loses his job because of the arrest.
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 refuses, but he is unable to secure another job or collect unemployment, prompting Kristine to begin working as a waitress. Walter drops by and informs him that Kristine's job is really at a sleazy nightclub, where Eddie finds her, to his fury. 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. It becomes evident that Sargatanas and Shoenstein, other members of Walter's gang, framed Eddie for the shopkeeper's murder, and mistrust grows. After doing his own investigating, Vido approaches Eddie and tells him he knows that he was framed for the murder. He gives Eddie the chance to come clean before the heist, but Eddie turns him down.
The thieves get away with $1 million in platinum. After Sargatanas kills another member of the gang, Eddie and Walter take off with the loot and hide in a truck. Sargatanas and Shoenstein find and kill Walter, and abduct Eddie's daughter in order to trade her for the platinum.
Eddie finds Vido, and tells him about the kidnapping. Vido agrees to help him in exchange for his confession and the return of the stolen platinum. After Eddie finally admits that he did in fact shoot Vido years ago, Vido is surprised to find that he no longer feels vindictive. Eddie and Vido make their way to the arranged meetup, where the remaining thieves and the loot are, as well as his daughter. After his daughter is released, Eddie brings them to the truck containing the platinum. Sargatanas suddenly kills Shoenstein, initiating a shootout that results in the wounding of Eddie and Vido. After a struggle with Eddie over the gun, Sargatanas dies. With the gun in his grasp, Eddie staggers triumphantly toward Vido. Vido’s partner arrives on the scene. He quickly and incorrectly assesses the situation and kills Eddie, to Vido's dismay.
Cast
*
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...
as Eddie Pedak
*
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret.
She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...
as Kristine Pedak
*
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...
as Mike Vido
*
Jack Palance
Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...
as Walter Pedak
*
John Davis Chandler
John Davis Chandler (January 28, 1935 – February 16, 2010) was an American actor.
Life
Chandler was born in Hinton, West Virginia. He died at age 75 in Toluca Lake, California from cancer.
Career
In two films in 1961, he portrayed the gang ...
as Sargatanas
*
Tony Musante
Anthony Peter Musante Jr. (June 30, 1936 – November 26, 2013) was an American actor, best known for the TV series '' Toma'' as Detective David Toma, Nino Schibetta in '' Oz'' (1997), and Joe D'Angelo in ''As the World Turns'' (2000-2003). In m ...
as Shoenstein
*
Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.
Life and career
Corey attended New Utrecht Hig ...
as Lt. Kebner
* Steve Mitchell as Frank Kane
Production
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. ''Once a Thief'' was based on Marko's novel ''Scratch a Thief'' and this was his first screenplay. Marko had a small role in the film and spent time in jail on criminal charges during the shoot.
Critical reception
A. H. Weiler of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that the film was not as good as similar genre pictures, but praised the accuracy of its gangster dialogue:
The film was not a success at the box office.
See also
*
List of American films of 1965
A list of American films released in 1965.
''The Sound of Music'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A–D
E–I
J–R
S–Z
See also
* 1965 in the United States
Notes
References
*
External links
*1965 filmsat the Inter ...
*
List of hood films
This is a list of hood films – films focusing on the culture and life of African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and/or in some cases, Asian Americans living in segregated, low-income urban communities, as well as comparably deprived and crime- ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Ralph Nelson
1965 films
1965 crime drama films
1960s crime thriller films
1960s heist films
American crime drama films
French crime drama films
American crime thriller films
French crime thriller films
American heist films
French heist films
1960s English-language films
Films about brothers
Films based on American novels
Films based on crime novels
Films directed by Ralph Nelson
Films scored by Lalo Schifrin
Films set in San Francisco
Films shot in San Francisco
1960s Italian-language films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
French neo-noir films
English-language French films
American neo-noir films
1960s multilingual films
American multilingual films
French multilingual films
1960s American films
1960s French films