Thief
Michael Mann is the man! One of the great films of the 80s, it perfectly captures and utilizes the aesthetics of its time through its neon lights, visual style, and impeccable soundtrack. The way Mann captures the city is noteworthy.
In terms of narrative, its quality remains high; the proposal to delve into the nature of a thief is very well executed. Mann, like few others, seems to perfectly understand how it works and what its consequences are. His vision even seems compassionate, as he manages to see the possibility of good manifesting in such a figure and, why not, somehow change him for the better.
Frank only cared about himself and his possessions, attributing the meaninglessness of things to his reason for living; his dreams were all contained in a mere image made of cutouts. At a certain point, all of this is put to the test. In order to fulfill his dreams and give Jessie what he promised her, he delves deeper into his criminal nature, a nature that takes control of him and subsequently his entire life through the figure of a crime boss.
The resolution to this conflict is a complete break with his former self. Frank chooses to abandon everything he has—his possessions, his love for his wife and son, his properties—all for the sake of his family. He sacrifices himself, reducing himself to a nobody so that they can move forward without their lives being put in danger. He burns everything, exacts his revenge, and from the ashes, starts all over again.
PS: It's amazing how similar Drive(2011) is to this movie lol even the structure of both is quite similar, including the characters, themes and aesthetics, but I believe Thief comes out better overall.