Once a Thief
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Woo
Written by	John Woo Janet Chun Clifton Ko
Produced by	Terence Chang Linda Kuk
Starring	Chow Yun-fat Leslie Cheung Cherie Chung Kenneth Tsang
Cinematography	Poon Hang-sang William Yim
Edited by	David Wu
Music by	Violet Lam
Production companies	Golden Princess Film Production Milestone Films
Distributed by	Golden Princess Amusement
Release dates	2 February 1991 (1991-02-02) (Hong Kong) 14 January 1994 (1994-01-14) (US)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese English French
Box office	HK$33,397,149

Once a Thief (Chinese: 縱橫四海; Literal Title: Criss-Cross Over Four Seas) is a 1991 Hong Kong heist comedy film directed by John Woo, who also wrote the screenplay with Janet Chun and Clifton Ko. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang and Paul Chu. The film was released on 2 February 1991, before the lucrative Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season.

Plot

The story is about three orphans and their two father figures. They are taken in by both a wealthy crime boss which leads to their close friendship, and a kind police officer. Nevertheless, the trio grows up learning high-tech methods of theft and specialise in stealing treasured paintings. After a heist in France goes awry, Red Bean Pudding is thought to be dead and James takes his place as Red Bean's lover. However, Pudding returns in a wheelchair, and the group begins planning their next heist for themselves, fall out of favour with Chow, and various complications and gun battles ensue.

Cast

• Chow Yun-fat as Red Bean Pudding/Joey
• Leslie Cheung as James
• Cherie Chung as Red Bean/Cheri
• Kenneth Tsang as Chow
• Paul Chu as Godfather
• Bowie Wu as Stanley Wu
• John Tang Yat-gwan as Young Red Bean Pudding
• Tong Ka-fai as Young James
• Leila Tong as Young Red Bean
• Declan Wong as Magician Henchman
• David Wu as Auctioneer
• Pierre-Yves Burton as Mr Le Bond, a Frenchman who hires Joey, and James to steal a painting, but later betrays them. Le Bond is later murdered by Chow's henchmen as a loose end.

Release

The film grossed HK$33,397,149 in Hong Kong.^{[citation needed]}

Columbia Tri-Star released it on DVD in the United States on 22 April 2003. It included no special features beyond trailers.^[1] On 27 December 2004, Hong Kong Legends released a DVD in the United Kingdom.^[2] Eight months later, on 5 September 2005, the John Woo Collection, a four-disc DVD set, was released. It includes the two action films Bullet in the Head and The Killer.

Reception

Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club wrote that Woo's style makes up for the film's implausibility and lack of logic.^[3] Kevin Lee DVD Verdict wrote that the film has "a lack of focus and an uneven tone".^[4] Chris Gould of DVDactive.com rated the film 5/10 and wrote that there was too much slapstick.^[2] J. Doyle Wallis of DVD Talk rated it 2.5/5 stars and called it "an odd and annoyingly silly entry during [John Woo's] most creative period".^[1]

Accolades