A World Without Thieves

Two seasoned crooks ride west chasing easy money after pulling off a slick BMW scam on a city businessman. Their plan starts to wobble when they cross paths with a naive, returning home craftsman who is carrying life's savings. The chance encounter forces the pair to rethink what they are willing to risk and who they can trust. As the days unfold, tension tightens around their fragile alliance and the lure of a simpler, almost ordinary life pulls at the edges of their criminal code. The film keeps the heat on without revealing every twist, inviting viewers to weigh greed against protection and luck.

Released in 2004, A World Without Thieves was directed by Feng Xiaogang with a screenplay by Lin Lisheng and Wang Gang, adapting a story that blends brisk action with social commentary.

The film stands out for giving thieves a granular moral texture rather than one-note villains. It helped solidify Feng Xiaogang's reputation for mixing crowd pleasing energy with pointed social reflections and has been cited in discussions of mid 2000s Chinese cinema.

Critics welcomed the lean pacing and strong performances by Andy Lau and Li Bingbing, noting how the story threads greed, trust, and the pull of ordinary life into a tense road movie. The film treats crime as a social choice, not just a personal flaw.