Another vintage performance from Nolte

LIKE a good wine, the performances of Nick Nolte are improving with age.

His latest premium offering is The Good Thief, where he plays six-time convicted thief Bob Mantagnet who is a regular at the local casinos and bars of his adopted France.

His luck has run out, along with his money, and he finds himself playing guardian to wannabe prostitute Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze).

Bob is thrown a lifeline when he hears of a robbery that could set him up for life. He sobers himself up, gets back into shape and puts together a group of suitably-qualified villains to separate a Riviera casino from its priceless collection of paintings.

Writer/director Neil Jordan keeps the story moving along at a healthy pace, yet manages to maintain a narrative haziness indicative of Bob’s still drug-addled mind.

This does wonders for the film’s atmosphere, but coupled with the twisting plot it also invites some confusion.

It all helps to create a sense of suspense as the clock winds down to a dramatic climax where nothing is what it seems.

Action, 15. ***