4K UHD release: ‘Once a Thief’
By Phil Mills | Jun 7, 2026
Arrow Video will release the 1991 Hong Kong action-comedy ‘Once a Thief’ (縱橫四海) on Limited Edition 4K UHD in the UK on August 3, 2026.
Directed by John Woo, the film follows three former thieves whose attempt to leave their criminal past behind is disrupted by a dangerous art-heist scheme. The cast includes Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang, and Paul Chu Kong.
Synopsis: Raised together by a crime boss and trained as expert thieves, Joe, Jim, and Cherie form an inseparable trio whose daring heists have made them legends in the underworld. After a mission goes disastrously wrong, they attempt to build new lives away from crime, only to find themselves drawn into another high-stakes scheme involving a priceless work of art. As the scheme begins to unravel, the trio find themselves caught up in a dangerous game of double-crosses and competing interests.
Features:
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless Cantonese and English mono audio, plus alternate mono mixes for both languages
- Optional English subtitles for the Cantonese soundtrack and English SDH subtitles for the English soundtrack
- Audio commentary by James Mudge
- ‘Handling a Heist’ interview with John Woo
- ‘Heists and Lows’ interview with Terence Chang
- ‘Thoughts About Thievery’ interview with Clifton Ko
- ‘Stealing Some Shots’ interview with Poon Hang-Sang
- ‘Art of the Steal’ interview with David Wu
- ‘Hong Kong Confidential’ appreciation by Grady Hendrix
- ‘Once a Star, Always an Icon’ appreciation of Leslie Cheung by Frank Djeng
- Archival interviews with John Woo, Terence Chang, and Kenneth Tsang
- Original theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Priscilla Page
- Region: Free
‘Once a Thief’ is available to pre-order now from Amazon UK.




