Movies - TV
James Caan's Favorite James Caan Movie Is The Right Choice
By MIKE SHUTT
In his almost 60-year filmography, James Caan picked Michael Mann’s “Thief” as his favorite film that he starred in. While some may be surprised that he didn’t pick the iconic “The Godfather,” Caan had a supporting role in that movie, while “Thief” was a movie that he was the lead in and that he even helped get made.
“Thief” came at a point in Caan’s career when both he and the industry knew he was a huge star. In an interview, the actor revealed, “[A]t the time I was a big shot, and whatever I wanted to do, they did. I said I wanted to do this. Jerry Bruckheimer and my brother produced [...] And Michael — this little Napoleonic workaholic. This guy was nuts. But I liked it, that film, and that character. It's one of my fondest memories.”
By using his influence, Caan was able to give huge opportunities to both the relatively inexperienced director and writer. At that time, Mann was an up-and-coming director with no theatrical films released, and the writer only had one television movie, called “The Jericho Mile,” to his credit.
Caan was at his finest when he played a character that was confident and emotionally raw at the same time, and “Thief” provides the perfect example. The audience is drawn to Caan’s Frank, a safecracker who keeps getting pulled back into the painful and troublesome heist business that he is trying to quit after one last job.