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20 Best Movies About Robbing and Heists
Whenever we talk about crime dramas, action-themed films, and psychological thrillers, we cannot fail to mention heist movies. They have a knack for putting you on the edge of your seat all the while siding with the bad guys of the story. This subgenre predates the many umbrellas it exists under, among which include ‘The Great Train Robbery,’ a movie depicting a group of bandits that hold up an American locomotive in the Old West. All in all, this genre of movies is one that has many tropes and that is what makes it interesting and watchable. Thanks to these movies, phrases like, ‘one last job,’ and ‘ragtag group of low lives,’ are common and catchy. So, what are some of the best movies about robbing and heists? Let’s have a look.
1. Rififi (1955)
This 1955 movie is the most referenced sequence movie in heist movie history (especially the second half of it). It is the work of the American director, Jules Dassin, whose bitter experience of being blacklisted by McCarthyite made him perfect for this story of very disparate characters backed into a corner. The tough-guy dialogue (鈥業 liked you, Macaroni, but you know the rules鈥�) especially, makes the movie all the more interesting because of how often it has been quoted. The comedy edge also makes it watchable and gives you mixed feelings of being curious about what will happen next and still managing to laugh your heart out.
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
To be fair, the 90s era began with so many gangsters always somehow talking about Madonna while in a diner. This Quentin Tarantino movie is hands down a masterpiece especially because he revolutionised and decided to take the heist genre that features characters who think, talk and act like himself. The heist itself in this movie is perfectly done and every Tarantino film that was made afterwards became bigger and louder although anyway, this particular one remains to be a singular piece of cool even as it has borrowed from other older masterpieces like Kubrick’s ‘The Killing.’
3. Out of Sight (1998)
In this heist movie, Clooney did a hell of a job with his role as a charismatic bank robber, known as Jack Foley. He is a true leading man whose role is layered up with roguish charm, enough to make the US Marshal, role played by Jeniffer Lopez, charged with bringing him to justice, find it hard to resist his charm. Of course, there is a romantic chemistry that sparks between them and the movie becomes a wickedly entertaining cat-and-mouse game.
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
‘The Asphalt Jungle,’ is a true classic with John Huston, having set the template for decades of crime movies, still managing to blow the minds of audiences with this one too. Telling the story of an ex-con fresh from prison, the movie revolves around the story of Sterling Hayden who assembles a crew for a jewelry store robbery in an unnamed Midwestern town. Even more impressive, Marilyn Monroe has a role in this movie, although small, that is outsized by her already off-the-charts seductive charisma.
5. The Italian Job (1969)
This 1969 movie ended up inspiring many other flashy and fast-paced heist films, including two remakes. However, none can top this Peter Collinson’s original because of Michael Caine, playing the role of Charlie Croker. Croker is a womanizing criminal who has just finished up a three-year prison sentence when he hatches up a plan to rob an armored vehicle that is transporting gold worth millions of dollars. With this movie, it’s not even about the robbery itself, but the brilliant and smart way he goes about it and the brilliant ending the movie adopts.
6. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Produced by Harry Belafonte and ghostwritten by Abraham Polonsky who used his friend’s name, John O Killens to avoid being blacklisted, this is another heist movie that is hands down impressive! The movie stars Belafonte himself, who plays the role of a jazz musician and is a gambling addict. He is roped into helping with a bank robbery by a corrupt ex-cop and that is where all the drama begins. The major themes of the movies are racism and moral decay and the film does an amazing job in exploring them, given the fact that these were some of the bleakest themes of the time. With the jazzy score and cinematography, the darkly stylish aura of the movie makes it worth watching.
7. Die Hard (1998)
When all is said and done, ‘Die Hard,’ has to be one of the greatest action movies to ever be made although it doesn’t explore much into the heist theme. This is mostly because the story is told from the perspective of a guy who is trying to stop crime and remains so cool while at it. The heist is also done pretty smoothly, with plastic explosives, hostages, and a terrorism smokescreen giving it colour and the kind of energy that keep you at the edge of your seat.
8. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
This 1970 heist movie is one of John Woo’s favourite gangster movies. However, if you need a reason to track down this movie directed by Jean-Pierre, then consider it. It is a timeless team-up of gurus like Alain Delon and Yves Montand who are the masterminds behind a high-concept theft of a 麻豆APPian jeweller. The break in itself is even more mindblowing because of the silent, skillfull escapede. It has an amazing portrait of honour-bound but quietly desperate criminals, which makes it one of the best kinds of heist movies.
9. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Released in 1975, ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ is a heist movie that takes an interesting turn because the heist goes sideways before it even begins. The botched robbery occurs at a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn and the hostage situation and media circus get out of hand so fast; more than it was anticipated. It is a 70s classic that frames its episode as a tragicomedy and gives the legendary Al Pacino space to get truly unhinged and show us what a great and gifted actor he is. This movie may not be a great heist, but it is definitely a great movie!
10. The Killing (1956)
This movie has brilliantly taken the basic idea of a bunch of criminal low-lives who are plotting a major robbery. Given how shady the characters in this movie are, you get to know from the word go that the heist attempt will not be pulled off without a hitch. However, don’t get it twisted. Kubrick twists the narrative by fracturing the timeline and visual language with very brilliant long takes.
11. Heat (1995)
Released in 1995, ‘Heat,’ represents the epitome of the American crime film. Al Pacino and Robert de Niro do a chase, have a shoot out, and later on have a sit down for coffee with each other for three hours. A lot of credit should go to Michael Mann who blows up the cops vs robbers formula and twists complicated subplots to next-level action scenes including an enshrined bank robbery that leads into one of the most captivating shootouts in cinema history.
12. Inception (2010)
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
14. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
15. Dead Presidents (1995)
Set in the 1970s era, the movie follows the story of a middle-class kid from the Bronx to Vietnam and back again while showing the toll the war took especially on African-American communities. Curtis falls back in cahoots with some old criminal elements from his neighbourhood and decides to rob an armored car. It is not only a heist movie but looks into other themes especially of social inequality and the societal problems that can push one into crime.
16. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
This 1999 movie is a remake of the 1968 movie by Steve McQueen- Faye, ‘Dunaway Vehicle.’ Directed by John McTiernan, he swaps Pierce Brosnan as the self-made billionaire and art thief and Rene Russo as the insurance investigator who is heavily ensnared by his charms. It is much more sleeker than the original mostly because of the onscreen chemistry between Brosnan and Russo and the choreographed and smartly done swipe of a Monet painting from the great Metropolitan Museum of Art.
17. Jackie Brown (1997)
18. Drive (2011)
19. Widows (2018)
20. Raising Arizona (1987)
Always save the best for last! This Coen brothers’ heist film is brilliantly done especially as they attempt to alternate between the modes of existential dread and pure silliness that are frequently laced with dread. Starring the legendary Nicholas Cage, you can be sure this is one movie that will impress you. Not only because of the brilliantly done heist but also the comic edge it has taken.
Heist-themed movies are just amazing as they can keep you glued and waiting till the end.
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