The casting for this film was pretty weird. French actor Alain Delon plays an Italian and Jack Palance(!) plays his brother! The two look and sound nothing like brothers and I suppose they chose Delon since apparently Sidney Poitier was not available!! Delon is an ex-con who is married to lovely but often hysterical Ann-Margaret. They have a young daughter but are struggling economically--partly because it's hard for a hot-headed idiot like Delon to keep a job. In fact, there are just way too many scenes where he barks and gesticulates and broods so much you'd swear he's off his meds. Because he acts like a moody jerk through much of the film it's hardly possible to care about him--and this is a major problem with the film. Most caper films, to a degree, you like the crooks and even want to see them get away with the crime---such as in good caper films like "Rififi" or "Bob le Flambeur". With this film, however, you just want it to end. There's more to the plot and there's a parole officer played by Van Heflin, but frankly...who cares?! In addition to Delon's acting, while Ann-Margaret is also a decent actress, you might not think so seeing this film. In particular, pay attention to her at about the 53 and 86 minute marks as she goes off on a bizarre tirade that just seems way overdone. Where was the director? Did they actually WANT this sort of terrible performance?! And, for that matter, who wrote this dialog?! After all, even a film novice might find that scene extremely silly.So what did I like about this film? Well, not much, since I'd seen so many better and less shrill caper films. However, the blond psycho in the gang was a pretty cool character and Palance wasn't bad at all--and was good as a heavy throughout the 50s and 60s. These, however, are not enough to make the movie worth seeing.

Any semi-serious movie buff or even casual viewer should be able to see that this film practically screams "Coen Brothers," 30 years before their time. The creepy blond character in "Fargo" is a dead ringer for the creepy blond bad guy in "Once a Thief," right down to the hairstyle. And the general ambiance of many scenes, as well as the ironic plot twists near the end, indicate that this movie was a big influence on the Coen bros, and to some extent, "where they went to school." It should also be noted that though this is film noir, it's also "hip" film noir, a rare breed that includes Larry Moyer's "The Moving Finger" and precious few others of the time. In fact, both these movies were too hip for their time.

Even when it was first released ONCE A THIEF was one of those movies whose cack-handed attempts at hip-ness doomed it to be badly dated within a few years of its release. The opening scene, over which the credits stutter and blink, is set in a jazz nightclub in which a black musician plays a manic drum solo. We are made privy to snatches of conversation that bear no relevance to the plot, held between characters that are never seen again. In many ways this jarring opening sequence is all too symptomatic of the film failings as a whole. The narrative falters badly as an already thin plot is stretched to breaking point to fill 105 minutes of screen time. It's inevitable, therefore, that the story becomes hopelessly bogged down and tedious. Characters such as Luke, Eddie Pedak's (Delon) jailbird buddy (played by screenwriter Zekial Marko) serve little purpose other than to pad out the running time and provide ‘symbolic' signposts to anti-hero Eddie Pedak's downfall and (partial) redemption. Pedak himself is not particularly likeable: he sulks, yells at his small daughter, and repeatedly assaults his wife when the going gets tough. Director Nelson seems to be trying to combine ‘gritty' noir with domestic drama, a strange marriage for anyone to enter into, and ends up making a total hash of both. To be fair, his efforts aren't assisted by an amateurish performance from poor Ann-Margret who is hopelessly out of her depth, her big emotional scene (when hubby Delon returns to a life of crime) is truly excruciating to watch. Alain Delon also struggles to do justice to a dramatic role that proves too complex for his heavily accented English. There are a couple of jewels in the mud, however. The employment office scene holds up well, and John Davis Chandler is agreeably chilling as Sargatanas, possible paedophile and albino henchman to Jack Palance, Pedak's criminal brother. Palance, too, puts in a typically professional performance. Unfortunately, such rare highlights are not enough to hold the viewer's interest, and the movie labours towards its inevitable conclusion with minimal style and zero substance. It is all too sad and obvious from this effort why Nelson, who once showed so much promise (check out REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT and FATE IS THE HUNTER), ended his career directing TV movies.

The premiss of the movie was very intense with the music. The love that this man had for his wife and little girl was honest and heart taking. The acting was great by all. The little girl's acting was very powerful. Alain Delon and Ann-Margret are great!!! Truly a timeless movie. Very emotionally impacting. Definetly one of the great great old movies. Wish there were more.