Released in 1968, The Thomas Crown Affair is a stylish blend of thriller, romance, and detective story, directed by Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night) and penned by Alan Trustman. Featuring iconic performances by Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, this elegant heist classic becomes available on Netflix and Prime Video starting February 1, 2026.
In Boston, Thomas Crown is a wealthy, divorced banker who has lost his appetite for success. Craving a thrill, he masterminds a meticulously planned heist: without getting his hands dirty, he recruits accomplices who don’t know each other and orchestrates a robbery designed to leave the police with no clear leads.
The heist unfolds with remarkable precision, and Crown heads out to secure his loot. However, the incident catches the attention of the bank’s insurance investigator, known for her relentless determination—Vicky Anderson. What begins as a simple investigation quickly evolves into a high-stakes game of wits, with the confident criminal and the resolute investigator locked in a tense battle of minds, where desire and suspicion are equally at play.
Without revealing its twists and turns, the film builds a unique sense of tension: the crime plot unfolds alongside a more intimate showdown, filled with provocations, tests, and false pretenses. Thomas Crown isn’t just trying to escape justice; he’s also testing the limits of his own game, even if it means facing an opponent who might beat him at his own game.
Directed in the late 1960s, The Thomas Crown Affair has become a milestone of the “chic” heist film genre, with a style that emphasizes elegance, glances, and clever tactics rather than straightforward action. Several scenes have become iconic, notably the chess match between McQueen and Dunaway, often praised for how it captures both the power struggle and seduction through a single, composed sequence.
The film is also defined by its music: Michel Legrand wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1969 for “The Windmills of Your Mind,” which has since become a standard. His score weaves through the story like a melancholic counterpoint to the hero’s apparent mastery. Behind the scenes, Jewison initially considered Anouk Aimée for the role of Vicky Anderson before settling on Faye Dunaway, whose career skyrocketed after Bonnie and Clyde.
The feature film also holds a key place in the history of American cinema as a pivotal crossroads: Hal Ashby appears in the credits as the editor before becoming one of the leading directors of New Hollywood, and Walter Hill worked as the second assistant director, later directing classics like Driver and 48 Hrs. Another often highlighted detail is the iconic kissing scene between McQueen and Dunaway, shot over several days, which helped cement the film’s status as a benchmark in romantic thrillers.
This film is aimed at fans of sophisticated thrillers, where tension hinges not only on the mechanics of the heist but also on the complex psychological interplay between characters. In spirit, it aligns more with a subtle game of deception than a typical action flick. Its sense of style and “conceptual” approach to the heist evoke modern heist stories—like Ocean’s Eleven—though without the same fast-paced tempo.
The Thomas Crown Affair
Film | 1968
Released in theaters: October 11, 1968
Available on Netflix and Prime Video on February 1, 2026
Crime, romance, thriller | Runtime: 1h42
Directed by Norman Jewison | Starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke
Original title: The Thomas Crown Affair
Country: United States
The film was rebooted in 1999, directed by John McTiernan and starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. This remake refreshed the classic love duel set against a backdrop of stylish crime, while maintaining the concept of a razor-sharp mental game. The franchise is also set to continue: a new feature film, The Thomas Crown Affair, directed by Michael B. Jordan and slated for 2027, is currently in the works. Its plot centers around a daring heist involving a diamond kept at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
Blending precise heist sequences, tense romantic tension, and the stylish visual flair characteristic of its era, The Thomas Crown Affair remains a benchmark of the “elegant” crime film. Celebrated for its stellar lead duo and its enduring influence on the genre, its addition to Netflix revives this classic within the streaming landscape—at a time when tales of heists and psychological duels continue to inspire modern cinema.
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