Director: John Woo
Script: Glenn Davis, William Laurin
Photography: David Wu
Sound: Eric J. Batut
Music: Amin Bhatia
Production Design: Douglas Higgins
Principal Cast: Sandrine Holt, Ivan Sergei, Nicholas Lea, Michael Wong, Jennifer Dale, Robert Ito
Producer: Wendy Grean
Executive Producers: John Woo, Terence Chang, Glenn Davis, William Laurin
Produced in association with the Canwest Global System.
Distribution: Alliance, France
Contact Germany: ProSieben Media AG
First Broadcast: 29.09.1996, FOX
First Broadcast Germany: Autumn 1997, ProSieben
Selected Filmography John Woo: The Young Dragon, 1973; The dragon Tamers, 1974; Shaolin Men, 1975; Games Gamblers Play, 1975; The Private Eye, 1976; From Riches to Rags, 1977; Money Crazy, 1977; Follow the Stars, 1977; Last Hurrah for Chivalry, 1978; To Hell with the Devil, 1981; City Wolf, 1985; Blast Heroes, 1986; City Wolf II - Abrechnung auf Raten, 1987; The Killer, 1989; Bullet in the Head, 1990; Killer Target, 1991; Mutronics, 1991; Hard-Boile, 1992; Hard Target, 1993; Broken Arrow, 1996.
Mac Ramsey (Ivan Sergei), heir to a Hong Kong underworld empire, rebels against the family's criminal values. He plans to escape with his lover Li Ann Tsei (Sandrine Holt), but both wind up in the hands of the police, each believing the other is dead. Two years later, Li Ann joins a clandestinbe international crime-fighting unit in Vancouver. Eventually, Mac reappers as a new member of the team. Stylish, cutting-edge filmmaking from pre-eminent Hong Kong action director John Woo. His first-ever-made-for-TV movie, "Once a Thief" bears all the common Woo trademarks from slowmotion shot and big explosions to frequent bursts of choreographed violence and irreverent attitude: "John Woo is making the best action films since Sergio Leone. He's reinventing the genre" (Quentin Tarantino).