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The Horse Thief

Original title: Dao ma zei
  • 19861986
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,590
3,389
The Horse Thief (1986)
Drama
A Tibetan man struggles to provide for his family.A Tibetan man struggles to provide for his family.A Tibetan man struggles to provide for his family.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,590
3,389
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Zhuangzhuang Tian
      • Peicheng Pan
    • Writer
      • Rui Zhang
    • Stars
      • Rigzin Tseshang
      • Jiji Dan
      • Daiba
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Zhuangzhuang Tian
      • Peicheng Pan
    • Writer
      • Rui Zhang
    • Stars
      • Rigzin Tseshang
      • Jiji Dan
      • Daiba
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos309

    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)
    The Horse Thief (1986)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rigzin Tseshang
    • Norbu
    Jiji Dan
    • Dolma Norbu's wife
    Daiba
    • Granny
    Drashi
    • Grandfather
    Gaoba
    • Nowre
    Jamco Jayang
    • Tashi, son
    • Directors
      • Zhuangzhuang Tian
      • Peicheng Pan
    • Writer
      • Rui Zhang
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Number 1 on Martin Scorsese's top 10 movies of the 90s list, which he presented on a special episode of At the Movies with Roger Ebert. Even though the movie was made and released in the 80s, it gain traction in the US during the 90s.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Best of the '90s (2000)

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    He stole more than horses
    I'm not Martin Scorsese, I'm not a film student, I'm just a guy who likes movies. I saw this film tonight and found myself a little mystified over all the praise. I'm also not the Summer Blockbuster guy either so that's not my justification for not gushing about this film.

    I will remember the primitiveness and brutality of life in Tibet. I will remember the colorful and confusing religious rituals. I'm sure they'd say the same thing about Catholicism. The landscape is beautiful, but that kind of sells itself. Why does the director take credit for that?

    As stated on other reviews there are several scenes of sheep abuse which are less than politically correct. OK yeah, I get it, it's a different culture. Doesn't make it easier to watch.

    Working with a group of non-actors is a major hurdle to overcome and I salute Tian for overcoming this.

    I kept thinking it a bit odd that Norbu's wife had no idea what he did for a living. I also found it a bit odd that she had no recrimination for him after getting banished. Further more I'd have thought she'd really see red when their son dies, probably as a result of their standard of living after being banished. Perhaps this is a cultural difference. I understand the director is making a political statement in this film, but ultimately it seems fairly universal, not a product of Chinese society specifically.

    To sum up the dubbing was awful, the sound quality in general was very poor, character development was fairly minimal and the one scene of violence (people on people) was not very convincing. I'm sure I would need to go to film school to find out why this film was called the best of the decade, but if you need that much education to appreciate something is it really worth it in the end?
    helpful•16
    17
    • ibush
    • Dec 7, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 6, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • China
    • Official site
      • International Film Circuit
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • Tibetan
    • Also known as
      • Hästtjuven
    • Filming locations
      • Xian Province, China
    • Production company
      • Xi'an Film Studio
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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