The Thieves (Dodookdeul)

This is a movie to be enjoyed with a tub of popcorn on a weekend at the cinemas, not at a Film Festival.

The biggest box-office success in South Korean history (as of 2012), The Thieves is a multi-starrer, big-budget heist movie that follows the tradition of Hollywood movies like Ocean’s 11 and The Italian Job, but with a good measure of action. The movie, mostly set in Macau, is about two teams of thieves, one Korean and another Chinese, who unite under Macau Park — the mastermind of the operation. Everyone has their own agendas, and it does not take long before they start crossing and double-crossing each other. The Thieves follows a commercial template; the movie moves at a fast pace, glamourizes its stars and provides for a good dose of humour to keep things light. At 135 minutes, the movie does feel long and the excitement gets exhausting. The Thieves is a movie to be enjoyed with a tub of popcorn on a weekend at the cinemas, not at a Film Festival.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

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About Shariq Madani

Shariq is a social, talkative, fun-loving guy who enjoys books, food and a long drive. But his real joy is in the comfortable darkness of a cinema, watching a good movie, and later spending hours discussing it.