The Good Thief is a 2002 crime thriller film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Nick Nolte. It is a remake of a classic 1956 French Film Noir, Bob Le Flambeur by Jean-Pierre Melville.
Bob (Nolte) is an aging but Loveable Rogue who lives on the French Riviera and shambles through life by indulging his twin addictions, gambling and heroin, with a little thievery on the side. His lifestyle has got him into plenty of trouble, but even the cop who keeps putting him behind bars can't help but like the guy.
One day he takes under his protection Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze), a young prostitute from Eastern Europe who swiftly develops a crush on him. Having gambled away the last of his money, he accepts to do One Last Job with a group of fellow thieves: stealing the priceless paintings held in the vault of a casino in Monaco, while pretending to be after the casino's money as a diversion.
Contains examples of:
- The Cameo: One of the thieves is played by filmmaker/actor Emir Kusturica.
- Friendly Enemy: Roger, the cop played by Tchéky Karyo, is this to Bob - he will arrest him, but doesn't want to.
- Going Cold Turkey: Bob overcomes his heroin addiction by chaining himself to a bed and forcing himself into a withdrawal phase. Ironically, he remains addicted to tobacco.
- Guile Hero: Bob is a cunning thief.
- Implied Death Threat: Tony Angel gives one of these to Bob and Anne at one point.Tony: If I don't get my money back by Monday, what I do to both of your faces will definitely be cubist!
- Loony Fan: One of Bob's accomplices completely idolizes him and seeks to emulate him in every way, to an extent that Bob finds embarrassing. His infatuation eventually causes him to kill a man he thought was double-crossing Bob.
- Loveable Rogue: Bob. As the reviewer of the Austin Chronicle puts it, "Bob could be called a lower-echelon crook, but that would be missing the point; he's a gentleman gambler, wastrel, and sage protector of fallen women."
- One Last Job: The casino heist so Bob can provide better for Anne.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The thieves are a motley crew that includes a transgender bodybuilder.
- The Remake: The original dates from 1955.
- Sexy Backless Outfit: Anne's evening dress when she and Bob go to the casino.
- Take That!: In-Universe - Bob rags on how the French never got rock-n-roll, and points to Johnny Hallyday as proof, to which Roger responds, "Don't knock Johnny Hallyday."
- Title Drop: Bob explains to Roger, his policeman nemesis, the Biblical story of the Good Thief while in a church.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Philippa, the aforementioned transgender bodybuilder, is afraid of spiders.
- You Must Be Cold: While they are out at night, Bob puts his jacket on Anne's shoulders.
