Having written seven novels, American writer Zekial Marko set his sights on the filmmaking business. His first screenplay, the 1965 crime film Once a Thief, was actually an adaptation of his own novel called Scratch a Thief, the story of an ex-convict trying to lead a normal, crime-free life. The central character’s quest for a simple civilian life is disrupted by his estranged brother as well as a vengeful detective who’s been holding a grudge for the past six years. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” as Pacino would phrase it.
With Alain Delon in the protagonist’s shoes and Ann-Margret, Van Heflin and Jack Palance in the supporting roles, director Ralph Nelson’s Once a Thief is a nice example of a quality genre picture further elevated by a strong scent of realism, mostly stemming out of Marko’s talent for reproducing authentic language and discourse from the criminal milieu. The basic concept of the story might seem familiar, as we’ve all seen a reasonable amount of film characters trying to wipe their slates clean in vain, but it’s the gifted execution of that simple idea that makes the film worth your while.
In 1972 a neophyte Spanish media company created a rare platform for artists to explore classic genre imagery with a sophisticated cinematic sensibility.
After Peter Hyams made a successful TV movie called "Goodnight, My Love", producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler approached him with the desire of...
