The Little Thief

1999 1h 3m FR

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 16

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this French drama, a teenager falls into a life of crime, little realizing the consequences. S. is a moody young man who loses his job at a bakery, and decides to throw in his lot with a group of thieves about the same age as himself. S. and his cronies are strictly small-timers, pulling off second-rate break-ins for an older crime boss, but his willingness to do what he's told helps him rise up the ladder to bigger and more lucrative jobs. However, S. lacks the maturity or experience to deal with the risks, and after a few disastrous mistakes, he finds his fortunes sinking far faster than they rose.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Nicolas Duvauchelle
Esse
Jean-Jérôme Esposito
L'oeil
Martial Bezot
Chacal
Jean-Arnaud Dalomba
Mathias
Jo Prestia
Tony
Ingrid Preynat
Leila
Véronique Balme
Tina
Olivier Gerby
Vampire

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Erick Zonca
Writers: Virginie Wagon, Erick Zonca
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 63-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Erick Zonca, shot by Pierre Milon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jean-Robert Thomann shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Nicolas Duvauchelle and Jean-Jérôme Esposito and Martial Bezot carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0184115 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 16 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Erick Zonca directs. Pierre Milon behind the camera. Jean-Robert Thomann cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 63-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Erick Zonca, shot by Pierre Milon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Jean-Robert Thomann shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Nicolas Duvauchelle and Jean-Jérôme Esposito and Martial Bezot carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0184115 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 16 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.