Once a Thief (1965)

Although it has been six years since "Eddie Pedak" (Alain Delon) has been released from prison, a police detective named "Inspector Mike Vedo" (Van Heflin) still believes that he is somehow involved in criminal activity. So every time something suspicious happens Inspector Vedo's first hunch is that Eddie had something to do with it. The harassment instituted by Inspector Vedo eventually results in Eddie losing his job causing his wife, "Kristine" (Ann-Margret) to get a job as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet. If that wasn't bad enough, Eddie's big brother "Walter" (Jack Palance) is planning a daring robbery and wants Eddie to help him out. Although Eddie wants to stay straight and doesn't particularly care for the men Walter has working for him, as his financial situation becomes worse Eddie begins to rethink his position—and Inspector Vedo is waiting for him to get out of line. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had some good talent to work with but the story was much too slow developing. Additionally, with his constant outbursts and fits of violence it was hard to have any concern for the lead character as well. Again, this movie had some good talent but the director (Ralph Nelson) didn't really take advantage of it. Because of that I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.

Gosh he was so handsome. I wish I liked his movies better. "Once a Thief" from 1965 was another disappointment, despite a good cast. It's a crime flick starring Delon, Ann-Margret, Jack Palance, Van Heflin, and John Davis Chandler.Heflin is a cop dying to get something on former criminal Delon, who intends to go straight. But Heflin's harassment loses him his job, and he can't get another to support his wife (Ann-Margret) and daughter. So he agrees to go in with his brother (Palance) and his brother's scary friend (Chandler) and commit a crime that will give him a big payday.Depressing with an uneven script, though the performances were good. Hard to picture Delon and Palance as brothers, though. Maybe they had different mothers.Ann-Margret did not have much to do except look sexy serving cocktails, cry, and scream. Delon was a huge star everywhere but in the U.S. He was effective in many films. But he never had an American affect or was the right kind of leading man for U.S. audiences, any more than Jean Gabin was.Had he appeared in a widely distributed film directed with a foreign sensibility he might have done better. Directors like Anton Corbijn, M. Night Shyalaman, Wes Anderson would have been better for him. Alas that ship sailed as he is now retired and overseeing the production of all the products that bear his name.A downer. Not great, not awful.

Alain Delon has a record as a thief, despite the fact the police do not have enough against him to keep him in stir. So Alain lives and works and struggles like other people with a wife, played by Ann-Margret and a daughter. But a robbery gone bad (or did it!) implicates Alain, with one person dead. When the law goes to his work to question him, he loses his job and has to find another one. Jack Palance is good as his ex-con brother and has one last heist to retire on, and he needs Alain to pull it off. Alain won't do it. He comes to find out that his own brother was framing him for that robbery/murder just so he would help him. What a brother! When Alain can't find another job, he resorts to what he said he would never do again. Van Heflin is also good as a police detective, who has his agenda in putting Alain away. It seems Alain shot him years ago during a robbery, but the circumstantial evidence wasn't good enough; but Van Heflin knew Alain did it. What starts as a promising and interesting film with Alain and Ann-Margret's chemistry culminates to a very depressing end. In fact, I liked the film on the whole up until the last 5 or so minutes. Granted, any film about ex-cons or people on the run never has a "good ending." But some are better than others. It could have had an ending with integrity and a hope for a better day. But no! You've been warned. Some people just exist and…..

I suppose I like the cast better than the film, itself. Heflin, Palance, Ann-Margret, Chandler, and Delon are all watchable. This may very well be Chandler's finest performance (and he was always good at playing bad guys). The story is one we've all seen before, many times, yet the cast makes it worth watching. Ann-Margret might not have been as good as she could have been, but she's not really that bad. Even the scenes involving the little girl work well, and the chemistry between she and Delon is exceptional. The surprise ending is tense and exciting. Too bad there's no DVD of this film. I'd buy it.Johnboy