Once a Thief
Once a Thief
| 29 September 1996 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
    Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
    Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
    Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
    leilagato I saw this film some time a go, and I really enjoyed it. It has some problems with the plot, but do what it should which is entertain.I used to watch the series they made from the film and it was not bad at all, is even better than some that we (do not) have the pleasure to see on TV nowadays. Is not the best we get from John Woo:Face Off( this is the big one). The action sequences are really great, and the actors although almost unknown do their job properly and without any major ambitious. So now that is summer and you do not have anything to do at all see Once a thief, you will not loose anything, I assure you. The film starts with a dance contest really interesting, than things go bad to the family Tang(big family of thieves), Li Ann escapes and Mac his lover and adopted son of the family is arrested.18 months later a lady just called The director, reunites them and another man Vic now Li Ann's fianceé to fight bad people, now they are secret cops...although they are not very use to be on the right side of law... So it seems good stuff, and I just told almost all of the story but there is a lot more...want to find?
    xanton159 John Woo's Once a Thief is one of the most interesting television which I have the pleasure of watching again and again. With a thick La Femme Nikita-like story-line and John Woo's unparalleled action scenes, Once a Thief is an action-comedy you do not want to miss.
    TooCynicalToSpeak On contrary to the previous comment, I think that this series is brilliant. It's fast, interesting and appealing. The writing is funny and cleverly bizarre... it is just simply clever. The action sequences are directed perfectly. But you don't have to be an action lover to be captured by John Woo's "Once A Thief", because it has so many more elements that make this show one of the best in television, and one I definitely recommend to TV lovers out there.
    D'Amico This series didn't have even three original episodes. Everything was taken from something else, which explains in part why it failed so badly. Putting John Woo's name on the show didn't help -- especially when anyone who knew his style could tell he had nothing to do with it.Canadian series' are typically low-budget, low-viewership dives, but "John Woo's Once a Thief" had potential. The two starring cast members, Ivan Sergei and Sandrine Holt, are both semi-talented individuals with a history of stealing the screen. Unfortunately, the non-existent plots and ridiculous story lines and dialogue helped kill this series pretty early. Supporting actors Nicholas Lea and Jennifer Dale both deserved better than filler time, and supporting cast member Vicky Pratt certainly deserved a spot in the opening credits, since her character was not only more interesting than BOTH the stars, she, unlike Lea and Dale, was given a storyline.Anyone thinking of starting a series in Canada should take note of OAT's ending. This show was so low-rated, it barely finished the year intact. Only a few fervent Nicholas Lea fans (which is precisely why they hired him for the show), who followed him from FOX's soap "The X Files", managed to keep this show on the air long enough to finish the season.