Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Once a Thief 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 25, 2026

John Woo's "Once a Thief" (1991) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with John Woo; new program with screenwriter Clifton Ko; new program with cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang; new program with producer Terence Chang; archival interviews; vintage promotional materials for the film; and a lot more. In Cantonese and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The thieves

Note: The text below was previously used in our review of Hong Kong label Kam & Ronson Enterprises' first release of Once a Thief in 2010.

Joe (Chow Yun-Fat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Jim (Leslie Cheung, Happy Together) and Cherie (Cherie Chung, An Autumn's Tale) are professional thieves with a terrific record. They were trained to become thieves by their adopted 'father', Chow (Kenneth Tsang, A Better Tomorrow II), a shady character connected to the triads, and are protected by their 'godfather', Chu (Chu Kong, The Killer), an honest cop.

While visiting the French Riviera, Joe, Jim and Cherie are offered a lucrative job. If they steal a supposedly cursed painting from a well-guarded castle, they would be paid more than they have made during their entire career. Joe and Cherie are intrigued by the offer but think that it is time to retire and enjoy their lives. Jim, however, disagrees.

Without telling his partners, Jim enters the castle. Shortly after, Joe joins him. The two manage to steal the painting, but on the way out of the castle things go wrong — Jim is seriously injured, Joe crashes his car into a luxury boat, and the painting gets stolen by opportunistic criminals. Assuming that Joe has died, Jim and Cherie then head back to Hong Kong.

Soon after, Jim and Cherie decide that it is time to settle down, perhaps even have a baby. When Joe suddenly reappears in a wheelchair, they change their plan and agree to do one last job.

I have revisited quite a few of Woo’s early films over the last couple of years and concluded that for the most part they have aged very well. In fact, some of the best — A Better Tomorrow (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), The Killer (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990), and Hard Boiled (1992) — still have a unique flavor that cannot be found in contemporary Hong Kong films. Sure, at the moment Hong Kong action cinema is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, but there isn’t a single director whose films are as influential as Woo’s films were in the early ‘90s. For the most part, everyone seems to be rehashing ideas and tricks.

I have also revisited some of Woo’s Hollywood films and found them to be borderline unwatchable, except for Face/Off, which has bits of the unique flavor I mentioned above. I know that Red Cliff and Red Cliff II have given some of Woo’s older fans the confidence to speculate that he is returning to his Asian roots, but I am not yet a believer. These films are more Hollywood-esque than they are Hong Kong-esque.

What exactly is this unique flavor? It is a special blend of high-quality, often over-the-top action, light comedy, and unpretentious romance, all three of which are present in Once A Thief. If you like Woo’s early action films but have never before seen Once A Thief, you should. Though some may disagree, I think that it is one of Woo’s most enjoyable films. Its simplicity is very charming, and its action, while lacking truly memorable fireworks, makes it very easy to understand why many consider Woo a master director.

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

Imprint Films' release of Once a Thief is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are both Region-Free.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided downscaled screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release presents a new 4K restoration of Once a Thief, sourced from the original camera. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. I also viewed the 4K restoration in its entirety on Blu-ray.

I have only one other release of Once a Thief in my library. It is this Blu-ray release, produced by Hong Kong label Kam & Ronson Enterprises, which we reviewed in 2010. I pulled it out and sampled only a couple of areas to refresh my memory.

The new 4K restoration is a humongous upgrade in quality. Also, it is equally impressive in native 4K and 1080p. Delineation, clarity, and depth are so much better that in many areas there is simply more to see now. The dynamic range of all visuals, bright and dark, is also vastly superior. The portions of the old presentation that I sampled, which were bright and dark, looked almost like upscaled material on my system. Color reproduction and balance are very convincing. There is one area where I felt that primary blue could have been managed slightly better, but the sudden cool shift is also reproduced in the old presentation of the film. (An example can be seen here). The Dolby Vision grade is convincing. However, the 4K restoration is so strong, so convincing that the expanded color gamut, for instance, does not make the native 4K presentation notably better. On my system, the 1080p presentation looked equally striking. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless.

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

There are four standard audio tracks on this release: Cantonese LPCM 2.0, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English LPCM 2.0 (with portions of French). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I chose to view the entire 4K restoration with the Cantonese LPCM 2.0 track. However, I switched to the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track in several different areas. Both tracks are very healthy, so they are good options for those who wish to stay with the original Cantonese soundtrack. However, their dynamic range is very different. Indeed, the 7.1 is definitely not going to please purists because in the action-heavy material I tested it can be pretty intense. I also sampled the English dub track. It is very generic, but this is should not surprise anyone.

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

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic James Mudge. Some of the more interesting observations address the distribution history of Once a Thief in the West/the United Kingdom, its placement in John Woo's body of work, and its reception and popularity in Hong Kong. Mudge also shares good information about the characters that typically populate Woo's films, as well as some of Woo's frequent collaborators.

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored trailer for Once a Thief. With music and English text. (2 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic James Mudge. Some of the more interesting observations address the distribution history of Once a Thief in the West/the United Kingdom, its placement in John Woo's body of work, and its reception and popularity in Hong Kong. Mudge also shares good information about the characters that typically populate Woo's films, as well as some of Woo's frequent collaborators.

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored trailer for Once a Thief. With music and English text. (2 min).

• Handling a Heist - in this new program, John Woo reveals that all the drama that surrounded the production and reception of Bullet in the Head inspired him to direct Once a Thief, a drastically different, lighter film, and that key elements of its narrative pay tribute to Jules and Jim. Woo also comments on the surprising reception of Once a Thief in Hong Kong and China. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Thoughts About Thievery - in this new program, screenwriter Clifton Ko reveals how he was approached with an offer to collaborate with John Woo on Once a Thief. Apparently, Ko submitted two versions of the original screenplay to Woo, both with plenty of action material, but because of a production house in France that specialized in art films, the majority of this action material was cut. As a result, Once a Thief ended up with far more romance. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (22 min).

• Stealing Some Shots - in this new program, cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang recalls his first encounter with John Woo in the early 1970s and discusses their work on Once a Thief. Later in the program, there are some very interesting comments about the importance of body language in action films, and some of the very particular ways in which the stars of Once a Thief were filmed before, during, and after the heist. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (28 min).

• Heists and Lows - in this new program, producer Terence Chang comments on the difficult and risky production history of Once a Thief, which was completed in two months. Chang also recalls a conversation with people from Twentieth Century Fox who wanted John Woo to direct in America. In English. (8 min).

• Art of the Steal - in this new program, editor David Wu discusses several particular decisions that were made to give Once a Thief a very specific appearance and personality that very big Hong Kong productions had at the time. Wu also comments on John Woo's working methods and style. In English. (11 min).

• Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Once a Thief - in this new program, author and critic Grady Hendrix discusses the production history and unique qualities of Once a Thief. In English. (9 min).

• Once a Star, Always an Icon - in this new program, critic Frank Djeng discusses the career and legacy of actor Leslie Cheung. In English. (18 min).

• Brothers in Arms - in this archival program, producer Terence Chang reveals when his professional relationship with John Woo started and comments on some of the films they made together. Chang also reveals when and how Once a Thief came to exist. (The film was made to be released on time for the Chinese New Year). In English. (12 min).

• Up Close and Personal - in this archival program, John Woo explains how Bullet in the Head, and specifically its disastrous performance at the box office, made it possible for him to direct Once a Thief. Woo also comments on some of the challenges he faced while shooting Once a Thief in France, as well as his admiration for classic French cinema and some ideas he borrowed from Jules and Jim. In English. (36 min).

• Kenneth Tsang - in this archival program, actor Kennet Tsang recalls his involvement with Once a Thief and explains why each of its characters has a unique personality and faces unique challenges. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (7 min).

• Image Gallery - presented here is a large collection of promotional and production materials for Once a Thief. Silent. (6 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - an exclusive 60-page hardcover booklet featuring production stills and brand new essays by critics Sean Gilman and Brian Tallerico.

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

Had Bullet in the Head not become a commercial disaster for its producers, John Woo would not have directed Once a Thief. It is this simple. Apparently, Francois Truffaut's Jules and Jim was a major inspiration for Once a Thief. However, the folks who love Woo's film do not cite the supposedly obvious similarities between the two as a major magnet. They like its simplicity and warmth, the chemistry between its stars, and, of course, its attractive action. This lavish combo pack release brings an outstanding new 4K restoration of it, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, with a great selection of new and archival bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.