Once a Thief
Directed by	John Woo
Produced by	Terence Chang Linda Kuk
Written by	Janet Chun Clifton Ko John Woo
Starring	Chow Yun-Fat Leslie Cheung Cherie Chung Kenneth Tsang
Distributed by	Golden Princess Film Production Limited
Release date(s)	February 2 1991 (Hong Kong) January 14 1994 (USA)
Running time	103 min.
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
|/ IMDb profile

Once a Thief (縱橫四海; Zong heng si hai; literally: Criss-Cross Over Four Seas) is a 1991 Hong Kong film directed and written by John Woo. It stars Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang and Paul Chu Kong in a lighthearted heist themed action-comedy routine. Although the action sequences are quite faithful to Woo's typical choreography, comic relief and the general mood distinguish it from his grittier works, such as his previous film, Bullet in the Head (1990). Fans of the bloodier John Woo movies may find the bizarre mix of Stephen Chow-like mo lei tau rather confusing. Nonetheless, Woo's endeavor to make something lighter amidst his series of heroic bloodshed films translated to somewhat of a box office success in Hong Kong.

The story is of three orphans (Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung) and their two father figures (Kenneth Tsang and Paul Chu). They are taken in by both a wealthy crime boss (Tsang) which leads to their close friendship, and a kind police officer (Chu). Nevertheless, the trio grows up learning high-tech methods of theft and specialize in stealing treasured paintings. After a heist in France goes awry, Chow's character is thought to be dead and Leslie takes Chow's place as Cherie's lover. However, Chow returns in a wheelchair and the group begins planning their next heist for themselves, fall out of favor with Tsang, and various complications and gun battles ensue.

Box Office

The film grossed a stellar $33,397,149 HKD in Hong Kong.

See also

• Once a Thief (1996), a Canadian TV movie remake starring with Nicholas Lea and Ivan Sergei that was later spun-off into a television series of the same name which ran from 1997 to 1998.

•  • [ e] Films directed by John Woo

Fist to Fist (1973) • The Young Dragons (1974) • The Dragon Tamers (1974) • Princess Chang Ping (1975) • Hand of Death (1975) • Money Crazy (1977) • Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1978) • Hello, Late Homecomers (1978) • Follow the Star (1978) • From Riches to Rags (1980) • To Hell with the Devil (1981) • Laughing Times (1981) • Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982) • The Time You Need a Friend (1984) • Run Tiger Run (1985) • Heroes Shed No Tears (1986) • A Better Tomorrow (1986) • A Better Tomorrow II (1987) • The Killer (1989) • Tragic Heroes (1989) • Bullet in the Head (1990) • Once a Thief (1991) • Hard Boiled (1992) • Hard Target (1993) • Broken Arrow (1996) • Once a Thief (1996) • Face/Off (1997) • Blackjack (1998) • (2000) • Windtalkers (2002) • Paycheck (2003) • All the Invisible Children (2005) • Red Cliff (2008)

•  • [ e] Cinema of Hong Kong
	• Action films • Films by year: • • • • • • • • • • • • • Shaw Brothers Studio