Once a Thief
“They only stop to reload.”
Three orphans grow up to become art thieves under the tutelage of a crime boss. Romance complicates matters when the trio are double-crossed.
Where to watch
Criterion Channel
Stream
Shout! Factory TV
Stream
Kanopy
Free
YouTube Free
Free with ads
Plex
Free with ads
Plex Channel
Free with ads
Your rating
Your review
Cast
19 people
Chow Yun-Fat
Red Bean Puddin / Joe
Known for
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Dragonball Evolution
Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing
James / Jim
Known for
Happy Together
Farewell My Concubine
Cherie Chung Cho-Hung
Red Bean / Cherie
Known for
An Autumn's Tale
Winners & Sinners
Paul Chu Kong
Chu / Godfather
Known for
The Killer
The Legend
Kenneth Tsang
Chow / Dad
Known for
Rush Hour 2
Die Another Day
Woo Fung
Mr. Cheung
Known for
Double Impact
Police Story
Pierre Yves Burton
Mr. Burton
Also in
Farewell Fred
John Tang Yat-kwan
Young Red Bean Pudding / Young Joe
Also in
Where the Legend Begins
The Legendary Four Aces
Bowie Woo Fung
Stanley Wu
Tong Ka-Fai
Young James / Young Jim
Also in
The Hidden Enforcers
Troublesome Night 14
Patrick Hon
Hitman
Leila Tong
Young Red Bean / Young Cherie
Known for
The Bride with White Hair
John Woo Director · Janet Chun Siu-Chun Writer Clifton Ko Chi-Sum Writer
Worldwide gross $4.3M · United States release January 14, 1994 · Produced in Hong Kong SAR China
Box office
Worldwide gross
$4,303,351
Production
Golden Princess Film Productions
Production
John Woo Film Production
Production
Milestone Pictures
Production
Golden Princess Film Production Limited
Production
Milestone Productions
Production
Hong Kong SAR China
Produced in
Languages
Original title
縱橫四海
Original language
Cantonese
Spoken on screen
Cantonese · Chinese · English · French · Japanese
Release dates
Hong Kong SAR China · February 2, 1991
Theatrical
United States · January 14, 1994
Theatrical
China
May 3, 2026 · Theatrical
Germany
August 19, 2022 · Physical
South Korea
February 14, 1991 · Theatrical
Some details come from TheTVDB.