One from the Irish Master

The Good Thief

Director: Neil Jordan

Cast: Nick Nolte, Ralph Fiennes, Tcheky Karyo, Said Taghmaoui, Nutsa Kukhianidze

Cert: 15.

Hats off; Jordan is back with a bang!

Dubliner Jordan has taken an l955 heist story and turned it into a slick and stylishly enjoyable film in which Nolte shines as a low-life criminal on the fringes of the low-life criminal world of Nice. He's seen it all before and isn't too impressed with what the world is offering him. In traditional fashion, after a gambling run goes wrong he is forced into the well-known last big job, the robbery of a casino.

Once again, it is the playing, which turns the film into a winner. Nolte is excellent as the battered loser, made the more so with the help of a script that is gritty, witty, and suitable hard-edged. It's a brilliantly paced thriller with a complex, twisting plot that carries the viewer along; on a high of expectation.

It's a lucky 13 for Jordan, whose brilliance has always been his ability to create characters that, however flawed, are still strong enough to enlist our sympathy.

Star Rating: 5/5