Once a Thief (4K Restored Version)

After resigning from his position as General Manager at Film Workshop, Terence Chang partnered with John Woo and Linda Kuk to establish Milestone Pictures. Their debut feature was Once a Thief. With continued support from Golden Princess Film Production, an all-star cast of Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung was secured as well as the premium Chinese New Year slot. The film was shot in France and Hong Kong but, due to time constraints, some French scenes were handled by Second Unit Director Patrick Leung Pak-kin, while the Hong Kong scenes were assisted by the all-star crew of Clifton Ko Chi-sum, Philip Kwok and David Wu. With such a collective effort, Milestone Pictures got its ‘milestone picture’.

Inspired by Francois Truffaut’s Jules and Jim (1962), this is a love story between two men and a woman, who happen to be jewel thieves. Joe (Chow Yun-fat), James (Leslie Cheung) and Cherie (Cherie Chung) are orphans who grow up together to become master thieves, groomed by their foster father (Kenneth Tsang Kong). A love triangle inevitably develops, further complicated when the foster father intrudes into their professional endeavours…Woo suspends his signature style of heroic violence for the film, venturing instead into a relaxed mix of gangster ethos, life-style romanticism and tender melancholy, sprinkled with touches of gentle comedy. With refreshing performances by the three stars at the peak of their illuminance, this is a delightful jewel-theft film that combines French romanticism with Hong Kong action and humour.

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