Izzy, the youngest son of a troubled New York family, takes a shine to breaking into people's apartments as a way to get attention.Izzy, the youngest son of a troubled New York family, takes a shine to breaking into people's apartments as a way to get attention.Izzy, the youngest son of a troubled New York family, takes a shine to breaking into people's apartments as a way to get attention.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Redd Shortee
- Big Edwin
- (as Shortee Red)
Bryan Hearne
- Schoolyard Kid
- (as Bryan C. Hearne)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLois Smith had previously costarred with Mary-Louise Parker in "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991).
- ConnectionsFeatures Maury (1991)
- SoundtracksMain Chance
Composed by Andy Parker & W. Parrish
Published by DeWolfe Music, NY
Featured review
It Takes a Thief
Two years ago at Sundance I loved Josh Kornbluth's directing debut-Haiku Tunnel. So I was looking forward to his brother (and frequent collaborator) Jacob's, The Best Thief in the World. This is a drama about a seemingly good kid growing up in a lower-class area of New York. The movie is not without its poignant moments. But at times it is as if Kornbluth is working way too hard to state the obvious: Life can be very difficult for some people. And life isn't fair.
More subtle, and more important, is our understanding that despite all of these somewhat abhorrent cultural underpinnings and the anti-social behavior they may spawn, these characters have no shortage of goodness and humanity. We can recoil at their language and their living conditions, but we are cannot discount their intent. And in fact, their struggles to maintain a family under such adversity has a certain nobility that most of us can barely appreciate. Kornbluth grew up in this neighborhood, and his compassion for the people is evident throughout.
Having said all this, The Best Thief in the World suffers from many painful flaws (including the title). The characters aren't very believable. The writing is uneven. And the plot-line is barely discernible. And for many the most disturbing is that Kornbluth uses two young black boys mimicking gangsta rap between scenes. To each his own: But while I don't question the potential realism of this phenomenon, it pains me to see 5-year-old children mf'ing and talking about having sex with a line-up of women. It's unnecessary shock value and is a forced bit of borrowed interest.
More subtle, and more important, is our understanding that despite all of these somewhat abhorrent cultural underpinnings and the anti-social behavior they may spawn, these characters have no shortage of goodness and humanity. We can recoil at their language and their living conditions, but we are cannot discount their intent. And in fact, their struggles to maintain a family under such adversity has a certain nobility that most of us can barely appreciate. Kornbluth grew up in this neighborhood, and his compassion for the people is evident throughout.
Having said all this, The Best Thief in the World suffers from many painful flaws (including the title). The characters aren't very believable. The writing is uneven. And the plot-line is barely discernible. And for many the most disturbing is that Kornbluth uses two young black boys mimicking gangsta rap between scenes. To each his own: But while I don't question the potential realism of this phenomenon, it pains me to see 5-year-old children mf'ing and talking about having sex with a line-up of women. It's unnecessary shock value and is a forced bit of borrowed interest.
helpful•1610
- baho2
- Jan 16, 2004
Details
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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Top Gap
By what name was The Best Thief in the World (2004) officially released in Canada in English?
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