Search - It Takes a Thief on DVD

Jayne's brilliant acting talent carries this one ... yeah, r

J. Bryce | Toronto, Canada | 10/02/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"So you thought that the advent of DVD would give us beautiful, clear copies and eliminate the trash that was floating around on some of the budget VHS labels? Think again. Don't be fooled by that very slick and professional-looking sleeve art. This is perhaps the poorest quality DVD transfer I've ever seen. Any enjoyment that might have been in the movie is ruined by the atrociously low quality of the sound & picture. It is strictly for die-hard collectors which is the only reason I'd keep a copy of it. It has every appearance of a third generation tape transfer from a TV broadcast or a very bad original print. Both the opening titles and the ending are cut short. Nothing is in focus and the sound is out of sync. The sound quality is simply awful. I can't say for sure, but the film seems to start somewhere well into the plot. Instead of its original 89 minute running time, this version comes in at 78 minutes. 11 minutes is a lot to cut from such a short film. The movie itself is only so-so and just isn't able to get beyond some pretty bad acting from Jayne and her equally untalented co-star, Carl Mohner, though maybe some bad cutting should take much of the blame. A valiant effort by the great Anthony Quayle and a first-rate supporting cast of British character actors just can't save it. There's really nothing to recommend this picture. If you need it to round out a collection then I'd advise you to buy a used copy (a good used copy or a bad used copy - makes no difference here ... a very good clue to the value of this DVD is that there are oodles of new and used copies available for less than $5). BEWARE! (a.k.a "The Challenge")"

Beyond Jaynes opening "leg" shot....

nom-de-nick | United States | 12/15/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There's not much this film can offer, unless its some cool-looking British sedans and OK to decent character actors. Quyale is utterly wasted. Jayne is, well, Jayne, and the plot is pretty weak. As far as the picture & sound quality, let's not even go there...."