The Horse Thief

The Horse Thief

1986 · 88 min · ★ 6.6 · Drama

Devout Buddhists, Norbu and Dolma live with their young son Tashi in a clan in Tibet. Norbu is a highwayman. After Norbu is charged with stealing from the temple, he and his family are banished. Impoverished and marginalized, they can do little when their beloved son becomes ill. Tashi dies of a fever. After a second son is born, Norbu focuses his every action on keeping this child alive, seeking re-admission to the clan for his wife and child, then risking all to save them from isolation and starvation in winter.

Directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang · Written by Rui Zhang

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 58m together

The Horse Thief

Rock Kids

Both from Tian Zhuangzhuang.

More from Tian ZhuangzhuangSee all →

The Grand Mansion GateThe Grand Mansion Gate · 2001
The Grand Mansion Gate
★ 8.92001
SeriesDrama
This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Ching dynasty. The affairs of this family of doctors/pharmacists (which in those days were one and the same) are intimately linked with social upheavals of the time such as the encroachment of Christian missionaries and foreign imperialism as well as conflicts that inevitably emerge in a large upper class family. Comparable in scope and production value to such recent titles as "Downton Abbey", the lives and character of both masters and servants intertwine in plot lines that spans more than a generation.
Keep RollingKeep Rolling · 2020
Keep Rolling
★ 8.02020
MovieDocumentary
One of Hong Kong's most influential filmmakers, Ann Hui, becomes a “star” for the first time in Man Lim-chung's directorial debut. A forerunner of the New Wave, Hui’s tumultuous, forty-year career is an unequivocal testimony to her unyielding dedication to filmmaking, and her expedition into the metamorphic city. This biopic probes into the acclaimed director’s idiosyncratic world, where we witness her rashness and goofiness, as well as her humanistic concerns for the everyday nobodies which make her films so moving.
Jasmine WomenJasmine Women · 2004
Jasmine Women
★ 7.62004
MovieDramaFamily
Zhang Ziyi plays the youngest of three generations of women who leads lives in Shanghai. Joan Chen plays the great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. The film recounts this family, the mistakes they make, and a cycle that the granddaughter breaks out of.
Us and ThemUs and Them · 2018
Us and Them
★ 7.62018
MovieDramaRomance
Ten years ago, on a train home during the busy Spring Festival travel period, fate brings Xiaoxiao and Jianqing together. Like many young couples, they meet, fall in love, and strive to make it work, but eventually, the harsh realities of life make them drift apart. Ten years later, they run into each other again. Will they make the most of this second chance and rekindle what they once lost?
Love EducationLove Education · 2017
Love Education
★ 7.52017
MovieDrama
When Huiying hears that her mother's dying wish is to be buried next to her husband, she discovers that his remains are in the countryside and cared for by his first wife. A conflict ensues, and Huiying's daughter, an intrepid reporter, breaks the story as the three women search for proof of love.
Rock KidsRock Kids · 1988
Rock Kids
★ 7.51988
MovieDramaMusic
Realistic portraits of Chinese youth embracing western culture
The Blue KiteThe Blue Kite · 1994
The Blue Kite
★ 7.21994
MovieDrama
A young man recalls his childhood growing up in a poor alley in Beijing during the 1950s and 1960s.
King of the ChildrenKing of the Children · 1987
King of the Children
★ 7.01987
MovieDrama
An unschooled young man, one of the countless victims of Mao's Cultural Revolution, is laboring in the countryside when he is assigned to teach in a nearby school. Gradually, he abandons the Maoist textbook and encourages the barely literate kids to write about their own lives and feelings.
Springtime in a Small TownSpringtime in a Small Town · 2002
Springtime in a Small Town
★ 7.02002
MovieDramaRomance
In a mansion decimated during World War II, a frustrated, bored housewife, Yuwen, is torn between caring for her ailing husband and her longing for a former sweetheart, a doctor who has come to treat her husband.
Shining for One ThingShining for One Thing · 2023
Shining for One Thing
★ 6.82023
MovieRomanceFantasy
Zhang Wansen plans to confess his love to Lin Beixing, a girl he has had a crush on for a long time after the college entrance examination, but the sudden concert accident turned everything into an irreversible tragedy. Helpless Zhang Wansen unexpectedly restarted this summer, and returned to Lin Beixing before the tragedy. The secret of restarting summer seems to be not as simple as imagined...
Knock KnockKnock Knock · 2021
Knock Knock
★ 6.82021
MovieThrillerComedy
In one night, in one room, three strangers–a thief, a retired policeman, and a delivery guy–are all present during the murder of the room's occupant. As the trio tries to figure out this bizarre situation, the stakes are raised when they discover a huge pile of cash. They soon realize that the only way to get out alive is to unravel this mystery. What initially seems like a coincidence, turns out to be destined from the beginning.
The CrossingThe Crossing · 2018
The Crossing
★ 6.72018
MovieDramaCrime
Studying in Hong Kong but living in Shenzhen, Peipei has spent 16 years in her life travelling between these two cities. To realize the dream of seeing snow in Japan with her bestie, Peipei joins a smuggling gang and uses her student identity to smuggle iPhones from Hong Kong to Mainland. Her family life and friendships begin to fall apart. The daily life of Peipei starts to get out of control.
Born to FlyBorn to Fly · 2023
Born to Fly
★ 6.72023
MovieActionDrama
A talented trainee pilot is given the opportunity to virtually test the latest fighter jet, which pushes him to his limits.
The Shadowless TowerThe Shadowless Tower · 2023
The Shadowless Tower
★ 6.72023
MovieDrama
Gu Wentong learns the whereabouts of his father, who lost contact with him more than 40 years ago. Encouraged by new friend, photographer Ouyang Wenhui, Gu Wentong decides to face his father and rebuild the long-lost father-son relationship.
My People, My CountryMy People, My Country · 2019
My People, My Country
★ 6.62019
MovieDramaHistory
Anthology of short films directed by several different directors.
The Go MasterThe Go Master · 2007
The Go Master
★ 6.52007
MovieDrama
The life of Go master Wu Qingyuan from his meteoric rise as a child prodigy to fame and fortune as a revolutionary strategic thinker, as well as the tumultuous conflicts between his homeland of China and his adopted nation of Japan.

More Like This

Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon · 2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
★ 7.42000
MovieAdventureDrama
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Oliver TwistOliver Twist · 2005
Oliver Twist
★ 6.82005
MovieCrimeDrama
An orphan endures a harsh life in a workhouse before fleeing to London, where he falls in with a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the criminal Fagin, and eventually finds a better life, exposing the cruelties of poverty and child labor in Victorian England.
The RiderThe Rider · 2018
The Rider
★ 7.32018
MovieDramaWestern
Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over after a horse crushed his skull at a rodeo. In an attempt to regain control of his own fate, Brady undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of the United States.
Lost HorizonLost Horizon · 1937
Lost Horizon
★ 6.91937
MovieAdventureFantasy
British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, idyllic valley of Shangri-La. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-La provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.
B. MonkeyB. Monkey · 1999
B. Monkey
★ 5.81999
MovieRomanceCrime
When wistful introvert Alan Furnace meets quick-witted bombshell Beatrice, he has no idea of her secret life as "B. Monkey" -- the top thief-for-hire in London's criminal underworld. Charmed by Furnace's innocent and chivalrous ways, Beatrice resolves to reform. But to cash in on her first chance at real love, she must escape her former partner in crime, the ruthless Paul Neville -- and a dark past that seems to haunt her every step.
EntrapmentEntrapment · 1999
Entrapment
★ 6.21999
MovieRomanceDrama
Two thieves, who travel in elegant circles, try to outsmart each other and, in the process, end up falling in love.
Little BuddhaLittle Buddha · 1993
Little Buddha
★ 6.31993
MovieDramaHistory
After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.
No Good DeedNo Good Deed · 2002
No Good Deed
★ 5.42002
MovieActionCrime
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
SeabiscuitSeabiscuit · 2003
Seabiscuit
★ 7.12003
MovieDramaHistory
True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.
Bicycle ThievesBicycle Thieves · 1948
Bicycle Thieves
★ 8.21948
MovieDrama
Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.
The Sand PebblesThe Sand Pebbles · 1966
The Sand Pebbles
★ 7.21966
MovieDramaWar
Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat USS San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution-torn 1926 China. His iconoclasm and cynical nature soon clash with the 'rice-bowl' system which runs the ship and the uneasy symbiosis between Chinese and foreigner on the river. Hostility towards the gunboat's presence reaches a climax when the boat must crash through a river-boom and rescue missionaries upriver at China Light Mission.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter