Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

John Woo's twenty-first feature Once a Thief (1991) was reviewed by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov over fifteen years ago. Svet wrote about Kam & Ronson Enterprises' BD-25. To read Svet's opinions of the film and his critical assessment of this Hong Kong Blu-ray's a/v presentations and extras, please refer to the link above.

A birthday toast.

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This year's Hong Kong Cinema Classics release of Once a Thief arrives as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray combo that comes with a slipcover. In 2022 L'Immagine Ritrovata scanned the original film elements. A 4K scan of the original camera negative was processed for the recent restoration and issued on UHD just over a year ago in China by Disk Kino. Shout!'s 4K transfer is presumably based on the same scan.

I don't own the HK BD that Svet reviewed but understand that it was struck from a dated master and uprezzed to 1080p. I own a letterboxed LaserDisc that was initially issued in HK by Golden Cinema City Video Distribution in the early '90s and later released in the US by Tai Seng Entertainment. Shout!'s transfers on the two discs are highly impressive in their own right. When stacked alongside the first home video edition, they blow the LD transfer out of the water. An international theatrical print was sourced for the LD and appears pretty battered. It boasts tramlines, scratches, speckles, flecks, and other artifacts that are almost entirely absent on the Shout! I have assembled a graphical comparison of a half-dozen screen captures between the 4K and LD. The image is overly bright on the SD transfer with the contrasts blown out. For a blue-tinted shot, notice the presence of a photochemical spot (#29 on the LD) that's fortunately absent on the Shout! discs. I only noticed a couple very minor scrapes on the new master during the opening credits. In analyzing it shot by shot, I could only pick out one shot that reveals a few light, nearly imperceptible scratches (see Screenshot #17). For the castle interiors on the Côte d'Azur, the cinematographers must have employed a smoke machine (see frame grab #14).

In comparing the UHD directly with the Blu-ray, better color balance is evident on the 4K presentation. The UHD has been placed on a triple-layered disc (feature size: 77.0 GB) and delivers a mean video bitrate of 89.4 Mbps for the feature. The whole disc carries an overall bitrate of a whopping 102 Mbps. The MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 sports a rough average video bitrate of 27996 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40 = Shout! Studios 2026 4K Ultra HD BD-100 (downscaled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, & 39 = Golden Cinema City Video & Tai Seng Entertainment LaserDisc (resized to 720p)
Screenshot #s 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = Shout! Studios 2026 Blu-ray BD-50 (from a 4K restoration)

Shout! has provided eight chapter stops that are accessible only via remote.

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! has supplied the original Cantonese track, which is encoded as a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono (1567 kbps, 24-bit). It has also provided an English dubbed track with the same audio codec, a DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono (1581 kbps, 24-bit). The Kam & Ronson Enterprises disc up-mixed the mono to 7.1. The LD I have put the Cantonese mono on Digital Track 1 and a Mandarin dub on Digital Track 2. The native mono mix on the Shout! discs sounds virtually flawless without any egregious signs of noise management. This is definitely a proper remaster. Dialogue is crisply delivered. It also boasts terrific dynamic range for the gun battles and fight scenes. Parts of composer Violet Lam's music remind me of Nino Rota's scores. She employs an accordion that plays up some bouncy rhythms. The score has some nice bass that the lossless mono track accents well. Lam also supplies a lot of synth orchestrations as underscore.

Optional English subtitles accompany the feature (see Screenshot #s 18, 20, 22, and 24). I have included some comparisons with the LD, which has dual Chinese and English subtitles. Shout!'s subs are broken up more for the lines delivered so there's not as much text displayed at once.

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: 4K Ultra HD

• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge - Mudge is a film producer, festival programmer, and the Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks. An early part of his commentary needlessly regurgitates the professional and personal friction that occurred between John Woo and Tsui Hark while making A Better Tomorrow II. Mudge has already covered this topic in considerable depth in his other commentaries for HKCC titles. When he eventually focuses on Once a Thief, he unpacks the implications of characters' decisions and their motives. Mudge raises a valid point that Leslie Cheung is underused in the films directed by Woo. More, Mudge explains why action is a more popular genre in Hong Kong than comedy, romance, and drama. He makes an interesting comment that Woo was considering a musical while working in Hollywood. Mudge exhaustively goes through the cast and crew members' filmographies. He brings up two provocative observations, but because he proceeds at a rapid clip, he doesn't devote ample time to explain them so the viewer can better absorb their meaning. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge - Mudge is a film producer, festival programmer, and the Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks. An early part of his commentary needlessly regurgitates the professional and personal friction that occurred between John Woo and Tsui Hark while making A Better Tomorrow II. Mudge has already covered this topic in considerable depth in his other commentaries for HKCC titles. When he eventually focuses on Once a Thief, he unpacks the implications of characters' decisions and their motives. Mudge raises a valid point that Leslie Cheung is underused in the films directed by Woo. More, Mudge explains why action is a more popular genre in Hong Kong than comedy, romance, and drama. He makes an interesting comment that Woo was considering a musical while working in Hollywood. Mudge exhaustively goes through the cast and crew members' filmographies. He brings up two provocative observations, but because he proceeds at a rapid clip, he doesn't devote ample time to explain them so the viewer can better absorb their meaning. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Handling a Heist: An Interview with Director John Woo (23:53, 1080p) - Woo tells a story about how the boss at Golden Princess reacted to seeing Bullet in the Head and that film's commercial reception. Woo discusses the locales of Once a Thief and how audiences received it. The director also explains the actors' hairstyles and who he drew inspiration from. He speaks about Cherie Chung's personalty traits and acting ability. Woo spends a chunk of the interview extrapolating on how he directs actors. He gives anecdotes about the Face/Off shoot. He also mentions the TV production of Once a Thief (1996). Entirely in English, not subtitled.

• NEW Thoughts About Thievery: An Interview with Screenwriter Clifton Ko (21:24, 1080p) - Ko recollects the time producer Amy Chin called him to pen a Chinese New Year picture for John Woo. Ko describes the screenwriting process for Once a Thief and how he exchanged ideas with Woo. He spends some time talking about Woo's style, the martial arts films he made in the '70s, and comedies he directed in the '80s. More, Ko tells of some of the roles Chow Yun Fat had in TV shows as well as the early films he appeared in. Ko additionally delves into his working relationship with Leslie Cheung and the song he performed for the film. The writer shares some humorous stories he experienced on the set of Once a Thief. Ko also vividly remembers how John Woo was feeling before he was hired to direct A Better Tomorrow. He reveals how Woo spent his days coping with where he was in his country's film industry. In Cantonese or Mandarin, subtitled in English.

• NEW Stealing Some Shots: Interview with Cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang (27:10, 1080p) - in this longest interview on the disc, DP Poon Hang-Sang recollects first meeting John Woo while working on a Shaw Brothers promotional short. He also speaks here about director Chang Cheh. Poon also remembers being around Woo and Tsui Hark during production of A Better Tomorrow. Poon gives a lengthy synopsis of location scouting for Once a Thief. He explains why Woo wanted to shoot the picture in Paris, Nice, and Cannes. In addition, Poon talks about Casablanca being an inspiration to Woo when he made this film. More, Poon compares and contrasts the logistical challenges of filming in Hong Kong versus those in France. He explains how he views the tropes of comedies and action films. He provides examples of each genre and his experiences working in them. He recalls filming the chase sequences in France, the museum scene in Nice, and the gun battles. Poon had already collaborated with Cherie Chung and Leslie Cheung; he shares his observations of each actor. Poon also gives his impressions of Woo and Chow Yun Fat as well as their personalities. In Cantonese or Mandarin, subtitled in English.

• NEW Heists and Lows: Producing Once a Thief (7:55, 1080p) - in this interview, producer Terence Chang remembers when Woo was a comedy director at Golden Harvest. Chang also recalls the treatment he wrote for Once a Thief. During this period, Chang was a business partner of Woo's and tells a story of meeting executive Tom Jacobson at 20th Century Fox. Chang and Woo later also had many meetings in Los Angeles at Universal about doing a movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Chang briefly goes into the details. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Art of the Steal: Editing Once a Thief (10:03, 1080p) - in this interview, editor David Wu discusses the differences between Bullet in the Head and Once a Thief. Wu also talks briefly about the four roles he performed on Once a Thief: film editor, music editor, second unit director, and actor. He describes editing a scene heavy on sound effects along with some score. Wu cites the scenes he directed. He gives a nice overview of the shoot. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Once a Thief with Grady Hendrix (8:14, 1080p) - Hendrix briefly goes over the production and reception of Bullet in the Head. He then segues into Once a Thief and John Woo's initial script, which was like Jules and Jim. Hendrix gives an overview of Chinese New Year movies. He covers the production of Once a Thief. Hendrix specifies who filmed each section. He discusses the three leads in some detail. He delves into Leslie Cheung's singing and acting career during this period. Hendrix frames this piece as an introduction which the lay viewer can watch before the feature. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Once a Star, Always an Icon: Film Critic Frank Djeng on Actor Leslie Cheung (17:08, 1080p) - Film historian Frank Djeng delivers a tribute to Cheung's singing and acting career. Djeng traces his record career back when Cheung signed with Polydor and later with a prominent label in Hong Kong. Djeng also discusses his acting on TV shows as well. Djeng saw live concert performances that Cheung gave and recalls stories associated with them. In addition, he describes Cheung's performances in a wide variety of films from the '80s to the early 2000s. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Interview with Actor Kenneth Tsang (7:00, upscaled to 1080i) - this interview first appeared on Hong Kong label IVL's DVD. Tsang discusses the various attributes of his character Chow, including his methods of teaching the three orphans that he adopted. He also speaks about Chow Yun Fat's acting ability and the added responsibilities John Woo gave him while filming Once a Thief. In Cantonese or Mandarin, subtitled in English.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:22, 1080p) - Golden Harvest's official trailer for Once a Thief presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is actually a teaser trailer; it has been fully restored. The sound track contains excerpts from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. In Cantonese, subtitled in English.

• Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan - this feature-length track is much more screen specific than Mudge's commentary. Logan was very well prepared. He states that Once a Thief holds a soft spot in his heart. He compares it favorably to Jackie Chan's Armour of God (1986). Logan does a great job of examining, and not just describing, each scene as it unfolds. He draws lots of salient comparisons with other films and explains their direct or indirect connection with this Woo picture. In English, not subtitled.

• Walking Through the Shadows: A Tribute to Leslie Cheung by Bey Logan (10:01, 576i) - a video interview with Logan shot at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The Asian film historian examines Cheung's acting and singing career. Logan accentuates his versatility on the silver screen. He also critiques some scenes from Once a Thief. In English, not subtitled.

• Brother in Arms: An Interview with Producer Terence Chang (10:48, 576i) - Chang says Woo and him were supposed to make a film called Long Time No See but it got cancelled days before principal photography was to begin. Woo first developed Once a Thief at the Film Workshop. Chang speaks about the tonal and genre changes that Golden Princess wanted for the film. The producer describes the hectic shooting schedule in France. Chang talks about the three lead actors and supporting players. He makes a surprising observation about Chow Yun Fat's acting strengths in various genres. In English, not subtitled.

• Up Close and Personal: An Interview with Director John Woo (33:57, 576i) - Woo's English is easier to understand than the recent interview on the Shout! disc. He discusses Once a Thief (1991) at greater length here. Woo delves into the shoots in both France and Hong Kong. He shares some production anecdotes that are not on the Shout! Blu-ray. He tells some very personal anecdotes about Chow Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung. In English, not subtitled.

• Hong Kong Legends Trailer (1:55, 576i) - this is a trailer for Once a Thief that Contender Entertainment put together for its DVD.

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Woo gave an interview to Robert K. Elder in 2004 (printed in John Woo: Interviews [2005, University Press of Mississippi] in which he said: " [Once a Thief (1991)] was shot without a script. We wrote and shot at the same time. Chow Yun-Fat and I came up with the idea." Considering that Woo and his cast/crew only had two-and-a-half to three months to film and edit the picture, they pulled off a minor miracle at the very least. I realize that critics of the film feel it has inconsistency in tone. While it's essentially two movies in one, it's still enormously entertaining and a very fun romp. (There's a major twist that I didn't see coming.) Shout! has served up a magnificent 4K transfer to go with a practically impeccable restoration of the original Cantonese mono. Supplements are solid. (If you own the Hong Kong Legends DVD, definitely hold on to it for the valuable extras.) Once a Thief has high replay value. A VERY STRONG RECOMMENDATION!