Once a Thief (1996): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1996, Once a Thief is an action, thriller, crime and tv movie film directed by John Woo, running about 96 minutes.

What it’s about. Set in Hong Kong and Vancouver, the story follows Mac Ramsey and Li Ann Tsei, lovers and professional thieves who are separated while fleeing the powerful Hong Kong underworld crime lord who raised and trained them. After being imprisoned in Hong Kong, Mac is forcefully recruited into a clandestine international crime-fighting unit by a hard-nosed, menacing Director. He is teamed in Vancouver with Li Ann, who thought Mac was dead, and her new fiancé Victor Mansfield, an ex-cop who is attracted to the unorthodox methods of the agency. Conflict flares between Mac and Victor as the trio take on their assignment. They soon learn that their principal target is their foster brother Michael Tang, who had been given Li Ann as his future wife and who has vowed to hunt down the pair for their disloyalty to the "family".

Who’s in it. Once a Thief stars Sandrine Holt as Li Ann Tsei, Ivan Sergei as Mac Ramsey, Nicholas Lea as Victor Mansfield and Robert Ito as The Godfather, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.5/10, Once a Thief has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Once a Thief page.

If you liked it. Fans of Once a Thief tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.