Thief-the real deal

I am not too sure how many people out there even read any of this, and from the lack of any interaction I have my doubts. As Mann has said over and over again this story was inspired by real life events. Any idea exactly which man was really protraied in this film? I am pretty sure I know and I am quite sure I have met the wife and child, who just so happens to be an adult now. Kind of funny how people who saw the film felt a tweek in their hearts for the woman and child, however in reality the real players turned their backs without hesitation and never looked back. I have posted this on a few different forums in different ways over the last month. Almost 4,000 people have read and paid attention to this daily, and I thank them. Yet there has not been one brave or truthful soul that has attempted to say I was totally wrong and crazy nor has any of the above come to the aid or rescue of the family.....pretty damn sad. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, on them!!!!!!!

I don't know whether Frank's wife and child have a basis in reality, but Frank's mentality--the way he describes himself to Jessie in the diner--is taken from a real person. In the DVD commentary, Mann and Caan say Frank's mentality ("nothin' means nothin" and the piece of paper that shows what his ideal life would be) were taken from a story John Santucci told about another guy.

Personally, I think the wife and child are plot devices and haven't been taken from actual events.

Also, I think that if thief were an entirely/mostly true story, Mann and Caan would've said so in the commentary. They say so much else ("This character was based on X" or "This scene is based on a story told by Y"), I think they probably would've said whether or not Frank's breakdown was based on a true story.

Just my .02.

Why do you keep posting this horsesh!t? "Thief" was loosely based on the book titled "The Home Invaders," by Frank Hohimer who was an AMERICAN (where in the holy hell do you come up with this German crap?).

Much of the dialogue comes straight from the book (the conversation between Frank and Jessie in the car, the exchange between Frank and Urizzi in the police station, the exchange between Frank and Joe Gags, etc.).

Much of the story was interwoven between the book and various anectdotes provided by John Santucci and other "former" thieves.

Please don't bother replying unless you plan on posting something factual.

I dont want to be involved in this nasty and messy thread, but the film is loosely based on career criminal Frank Hohimer. And I was lucky enough to have read the original script that contained a few scenes that never made it on the big screen: in the beginning Frank spies on his wife, Vi, who is having an affair and with whom they already have a child (April); in the end Frank does reunite with Josie and the TWO kids (April and David).

Duh.