A Few of the Best Heist Movies of All Time!
The classic heist flick has been a staple genre in Hollywood for decades. A top-notch team of criminals planning to run off with the biggest score of their lives.
One of the earliest defined heist films was ‘The Asphalt Jungle’ which was released in 1950. Since then the genre has grown exponentially!
However, only a select few can be in the conversation for the best heist film of all time. Here are some of the best heist movies to ever hit the big screen!
The Italian Job (2003)
An all-star cast led by Donald Sutherland and Mark Wahlberg steals $35 million in gold from a Venice safe.
However, Edward Norton attempts to murder his team members and makes off with the gold. Unbeknownst to Norton, the crew survives and plots revenge.
The updated version offers plenty of chase scenes and technical savvy. The 1969 version featured Michael Caine and additionally provided comic relief.
Sneakers (1992)
Another star-studded cast features Robert Redford as a computer hacker hired by the NSA to heist a strange black box from a tech company.
Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier lend their professional talents to complete the elaborate mission.
Sneakers is cleverly written and rapidly-paced, which are the perfect ingredients of a heart-pumping heist flick.
Fast Five (2011)
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return, putting together a new “Fast and Furious” crew in the fifth installment of the series that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a DSS agent.
The group mistakenly steals a car from the wrong person and must engage in a series of crimes to absolve themselves of trouble.
The skillful stunt driving in the chase scenes are deemed some of the best in the series and officially transitions the Fast and Furious franchise to the heist genre.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and a familiar cast make up the gang in the film, which is a remake of the 1960 movie made by the “Brat Pack.”
Oceans Eleven features witty dialogue, a mind-blowing plot with smooth acid jazz to guide the viewer on the crews Las Vegas casino pillage.
Oceans 11 ended up being the first of three films, all of which reached critical acclaim.
In 2018, Oceans 8 was released which is both a continuation and a spin-off from Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy.
Inception (2010)
Inception is not only one of the most original films ever created, it forces the viewers to push the boundaries of their minds.
The unique crime drama features Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and other comrades. The group employs mind and alternative reality techniques to steal corporate secrets and invade the mind of a CEO.
The movie concepts takes some time to grasp, but when you understand how it works, the structure of the movie is beautiful.
Heat (1995)
Robert De Niro, Jon Voigt, and Val Kilmer star as bank robbers who slip up, which puts detective Al Pacino hot on their trail. The film balances the characters’ private, criminal, and work lives along the way.
The scenes with De Niro and Pacino are considered stellar. Heat is probably one of the greatest LA movies ever, one of those rare films where the city itself is one of the characters.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Quentin Tarantino’s first film features Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth and others as diamond thieves. The heist goes awry and has the group wounded and trapped in a warehouse trying to determine who among them was a mole.
Writer-director Quentin Tarantino is truly an amazing storyteller. Reservoir Dogs features a great plot with exiting dialogue, aided and abetted by all those colorful guys in on the thing.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Jason Statham, Peter McNicholl, Vinnie Jones and a host of other familiar faces star in director Guy Ritchie’s debut film.
The antics involve different groups of small-time and underworld figures colliding through their personal lives and criminal activities. The British film blends action, comedy and violence.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
The crime comedy features Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin and John Cleese. Four unlikely associates team up to commit a robbery.
However, along the way, they turn on each other in hopes that one might successfully escape with all of the spoils.
Inside Man (2006)
Clive Owen stars in the Spike Lee drama as one of the camouflaged bank robbers who take an institution hostage.
Denzel Washington plays the detective attempting to resolve the situation. The thrilling action also features an unexpected plot twist.
