Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

MartinHafer "I Am a Thief" is a film with some nice actors and lovely settings, but it ultimately turns out to be very talky and the plot amazingly contrived and unsatisfying.The film begins in Paris and the police have been frustrated by a series of high-end jewel robberies. So, they plan on pulling out all the stops to catch the members of this gang.In the next scene, Pierre (Ricardo Cortez) is buying some hugely expensive diamonds at an auction. Two others, Odette (Mary Astor) and Colonel Jackson (Dudley Diggs) are also very interested in the stones. Eventually, the three end up, not accidentally, on a train bound for Istanbul--during the course of which, the stones are stolen and the police question everyone....a procedure that takes up a huge chunk of the film. In the end, the members of the gang reveal themselves and someone does something a bit heroic.This film is way too mannered and talky. Everyone acts so calm, sophisticated and civilized through much of the film--so much so that it's a bit irritating. It's also irritating that there really doesn't seem to be any way for the audience to have clues as to who the crooks really are--and the ending seems very random. All in all, the film lacked energy and just became a tad tedious after a while--a shame as the actors seemed better than the material. And, speaking of the actors, there is a bit of a coincidence in the casting. All three played "The Maltese Falcon"--Cortez and Diggs in the 1931 version and Astor in the more famous 1941 version.

blanche-2 Diamond thieves seem to abound in "I Am A Thief," a 1934 film starring Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez. Cortez buys the famous "Karenina diamonds" at auction, winning them from Astor. The two wind up on the Istanbul Express, where Cortez is hounded by an American who insists on buying the jewels from him. The story continues with murder, secret identities, mysterious telegrams, a paste copy of the jewels, and the jewels themselves.Fast-moving story, like the train the characters ride, as the jewels change hands and different people are implicated.Astor is radiantly beautiful and charming in the role of a flirt who has another agenda, and Cortez is elegant and suspect both.Short at 1 hour plus, it's a delightful film.

David (Handlinghandel) Mary Astor never gave a bad performance. From ingénues to the understanding romantic friend in the great "Dodsworth" to her supreme triumph in "The Great Lie" ... To -- Well, "The Matese Falcon" is not far from this movie's story. Then she became Judy Garland's mother in "Meet Me In St. Louis" and went on to play older-woman roles through the 1950s.She is elegant and a little shady here. Ricardo Cortez was never a major star but he was always good to watch, as well. Together, they make this movie.Now, if you want a truly sublime movie about jewel thieves, I direct you to "Desire." Marlene is her usual bawdy self and Cary Cooper shows a surprising and delightful gift for comedy.This one will do, though. The supporting cast is a little lackluster. The stars have to keep it going on their own. But it's a romantic mystery. And the mystery keeps us wondering till the end.

bailodhia I never heard of this movie until I caught it today by accident on TCM. It was a total surprise - once I began watching, I couldn't leave til the finish. A short film (an hour), very fast paced and exciting. Extremely well-done. The plot was exceptionally clever - it really kept you guessing for moment to moment who the true criminals were. The second unit location photography in Paris, Laussane, and the Balkans was superb and so generously dispersed throughout the film that you really felt you were there. Robert Florey is a master of this type of movie, and his direction added a very elegant and sinister tone. Watch it - you'll love it. I hope it gets remake someday.