Thief Of Hearts

Mickey Davis (Williams) is an interior designer. Her sense of color and style is perfectly attuned to the mid-80s. Her husband Ray (Getz) writes books (albeit childrens' ones). With so much creativity in their respective jobs, you think they might be able to put some interesting spins on their love life. The relationship is a rather vanilla one, unfortunately. Mickey's desires... Her passions... Her sensuality... are all captured in the diaries she writes. This is going to come back to haunt her, though.

Scott Muller (Bauer) is a cat-burglar/drifter. He and his partner Buddy Calamara (Caruso) live in an old warehouse, decorated with the "treasures" they've managed to plunder. Muller has recently broke into the Davis' house. Enraptured by a large portrait of Mickey, he takes down her visages and breaks through doors and drawers to gain her books. He reads them to the letter and makes it his mission to fulfill Mickey's desires to a near-deadly level.

We all know of the major Simpson/Bruckheimer titles of the 80s. We "danced for our lives" to "Flashdance", laughed at "Beverly Hills Cop" and felt "the need for speed" with "Top Gun". These titles have all gained acclaim and been considered classics of 80s cinema (as evidenced by the fact that each of these movies has made it on to at least one AFI list). "Thief Of Hearts" seems to have fallen in-between the cracks, though. I'm trying to figure out why people forgot about this movie and I think it might be this fact:

This movie is a thriller, but it's one that burns slowly. Your typical Simpson/Bruckheimer had a "WHAM!" factor to it. "Flashdance" strikes you with a pounding soundtrack. "Beverly Hills Cop" draws your attention with a car chase. "Top Gun" was sheer force so you couldn't not notice it.

This movie doesn't have a "WHAM!"...It has more of a silent thump, like something you hear in the middle of the night. This is representing by Scott's burglary. The quietness is where the kick lays. When the heavy moving begins, the adrenaline slowly starts pumping. It continues until near the end of the movie when your mind is throttling with wondering what will happen next.

Another aspect of this movie is how the characters don't present themselves as black-and-white caricatures...They define the phrase "shades of grey". Williams' portrayal of Mickey makes her out to be a woman of wanting. Even those who have the moon will ask for the stars and Mickey is no different. She has good money and her mind flows like a river but her life is making the water stagnate. Getz' portrayal of Ray is another complex one. He seems genial enough, but he is emotionally abusive. He has a beautiful wife whom he neglects in favor of his writings. He's built up an emotional wall, but you can see that he left a few bricks out. He still has a love for her, but to exhibit it he'll need reciprocity. Does he get it?

Now we come to Bauer's portrayal of Muller. He reverses himself back and forth. In one sequence he's a thieving sleaze. In the next one he's a hopeless romantic. One wonders where his character will head next. His appearance is that of the chiseled stud that appears on the cover of the romance novels so favored by wanting women. Mentally, though, you get the sense that his sanity has been detered by the fever visions of passion that Mickey's letters engulf him in. With his performance, he comes across as both a woman's best dream and her worst nightmare.

In addition, I would like to say a few words about Caruso's portrayal of Calamara. He manages to look like a brother to both Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols and Ruttheimer from "Daria" (the only worthwhile show to ever air on MTV). His performance carries both the snot-nosed rage of the former and the juveline lechery of the latter. He's a depraved and corrupt man always on the hunt for women...With that description, I also think of him as perhaps reminiscent of this movie's co-producer Don Simpson. Both were rather funny and jovial on the outside, but on the inside their souls were filthy and rotting things that were being corroded by illegal activities.

Fantasy can be a strange thing...