Director Michael Mann's first movie was this, the often-overlooked Thief (before his stint on Miami Vice), about a professional safecracker (Caan) and his biggest job ever... and the gangsters that he finds himself working for.

Essentially remade as Heat in 1995, Thief doesn't just focus on the job, it focuses also on the man. Caan's criminal is complex and troubled, with a sterile wife (Weld) and a dying friend (Nelson) he wants to remember. Good guys and bad guys have never been harder to peg, which is why Thief is so much fun, filled with nuance and subtlety not often found among caper flicks.

Highly recommended.