Next time Nick Nolte stars in a film as fine as The Good Thief he would do well to keep from publicising it.

Else, it may be the Toronto International Film Festival story all over again. The Neil Jordan directed film, which had its North American premiere at Toronto in September 2002, got noticed more for Nolte's drunken escapades and the claim that he had shot heroin to prepare for the film than for its content.

Forget those incidents and Nolte's subsequent arrest for drunken driving. Enjoy the movie that ranks among Jordan's best like The End Of The Affair (1999) and Crying Game (1992). In lesser hands, the movie might have turned into another heist film. But Jordan, who also wrote the script, digs deep into the minds and hearts of his characters.

This moody, dark and occasionally thrilling film about incorrigible people, friendship and betrayal, guides us sure handedly towards one of the best movie climaxes in recent months.

Jordan has acknowledged his inspiration, the French classic, Bob le Flambeur by Jean-Pierre Melville. But his film is peopled with far more interesting characters, haunting music and glorious visuals than the French film. His larger-than-life characters carry dark legacies and are reluctant to shake off their past. By setting them and their shady world against the glittering background of the French Riviera, Jordan, with the help of his brilliant cinematographer Chris Menges, has made them more fascinating than in other situations.

This is the story of a failed American gambler Bob (Nolte) who tries to rob a casino in the south of France, hoping to end his losing streak.

The often suspenseful film has a towering performance by Nolte. Using a weathered face, raspy voice and a treasure of great expressions, Nolte gives an edgy, angst-filled performance that is his best ever work -- a reflection of a complex, tortured soul with few redemptive features.

Jordan has also extracted beautiful performances from a raft of international artists including several directors like Emir Kusturica who turn up in smaller roles. There is Ralph Fiennes, who has a few minutes on screen as a shady art dealer.

Bob has a long arrest record and has become a heroin addict. He wants to get out of the heist plan when he realises the complexity of robbing the casino.

He also gets caught in complexities of another nature when he saves a young Russian hooker and, despite her advances, tries to match her with his protégé.

As we get to see the more enigmatic side of Bob, we also see him in an interesting relationship with Roger, the detective (Tcheky Kayro) he befriends. The relationship between the two men is one of the most interesting aspects of the movie.

'I'm just a gambler now,' Bob tells Roger a bit warily, even though we see Bob's eyes shining with mischief.

'Since when?' Roger asks.

'Since my last six convictions.'

Watch out for the scene in which Bob is reminiscing about his meeting with Pablo Picasso. They had taken a bet on a bullfight, he says. Pablo lost and paid him with a painting. Pressed if he is telling the truth, Bob produces one of his enigmatic smiles and quotes Picasso: 'I never borrow; I steal.'

Though his life gets increasingly complex, Bob still cannot get out of the challenging heist plan that involves the simultaneous theft of two sets of paintings, a vault full of money and a pair of twins.

As the movie continues, we surrender to the elaborate but clever puzzle Jordan has created for us. As it ends, some of us might want to return to the theatre to savour the movie's wit, performances and colour.

Fox Searchlight, which scored an arthouse hit a few years ago with the Ben Kingsley gangster drama Sexy Beast, has released The Good Thief in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. The movie will add more cities in coming weeks.

With terrific word of mouth and mostly positive reviews, Jordan is bound to have another arthouse hit.