:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/best-heist-movies-082126-468728e1a31342a99e5efda5fbd6b51c.jpg "The 30 best heist movies of all time, ranked")
From meticulously planned robberies to spectacularly botched jobs, these are the greatest capers ever put on screen. The 30 best heist movies of all time, ranked From meticulously planned robberies to spectacularly botched jobs, these are the greatest capers ever put on screen. By Declan Gallagher on September 3, 2026 6:35 p.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/bestheistmovies082126468728e1a31342a99e5efda5fbd6b51c.jpg) Danny Ocean, Jackie Brown, and Sonny Wortzik. Credit: Ah, the heist picture. That beloved form that lets us live out our collective desire to lead a life of debonair thievery.
From meticulously planned robberies to spectacularly botched jobs, these are the greatest capers ever put on screen.
The 30 best heist movies of all time, ranked
From meticulously planned robberies to spectacularly botched jobs, these are the greatest capers ever put on screen.
By Declan Gallagher
on September 3, 2026 6:35 p.m. ET
Danny Ocean, Jackie Brown, and Sonny Wortzik. Credit:
Ah, the heist picture. That beloved form that lets us live out our collective desire to lead a life of debonair thievery. It was popularized by John Huston’s *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950) — which, while not technically the first heist film, did establish an influential template. The proliferation of crime pictures that arrived in cinemas over the following decade owes a debt to Huston’s classic, whose meticulous planning, execution, and aftermath would become hallmarks of the genre.
As the years went on, a litany of canonized directors memorably followed in those footsteps. Jules Dassin’s *Rififi* (1955) and Stanley Kubrick’s *The Killing* (1956) further refined the formula, while a number of decidedly sillier capers in the ’60s both parodied and advanced the genre, helping set the stage for the modern *Ocean’s* movies. By the ’70s and into the ’80s, filmmakers were again taking the heist seriously, often turning the form into procedural explorations of crime, professionalism, and masculinity.
The formula has proven remarkably durable. In recent years, filmmakers have continued to mash the heist picture together with other genres, from the superhero-inflected *Ant-Man* (2015) to the zombie-plagued *Army of the Dead* (2021). And in the near future, Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper will headline a brand-new prequel in the suddenly sprawling *Ocean’s* franchise.
With no end to the genre’s popularity in sight, ** has ranked the 30 best heist movies of all time.
The Score (2001)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/THE-SCORE-082126-817796e87d834118a400cde650b24f75.jpg)
Two Vito Corleones and a secret Tyler Durden walk into a bar...
An all-star cast (Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and Marlon Brando, in his final film role) leads this refreshingly old-fashioned caper about a hardened career criminal (De Niro) who joins forces with a brash young con (Norton) at the behest of his longtime friend and fence (Brando) to pull off, all together now, one last big job.
*The Score* is helmed by comedy icon (and voice of Miss Piggy) Frank Oz. He brings a bounciness to this classically structured thriller that another director might have missed. The film is most effective for its placement of character over action. It would be tempting to have firearms do the third-act heavy lifting. Yet *The Score* never devolves into pyrotechnic theatrics; it’s a thoughtful, tricky little thriller right until the final credit.
Where to watch *The Score*: Paramount+
Gambit (1966)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GAMBIT-082126-8a6af37d244f445f97dc35225764bd49.jpg)
Michael Caine trying to find a head statue with the exact right “bash someone over the head but don’t kill them” weight ratio.
Michael Caine stars as a cat burglar out to steal a priceless piece of art from the world’s wealthiest businessman (Herbert Lom). Showgirl Nicole (Shirley MacLaine) assists by carrying out the elaborate robbery, but when the heist goes poorly, the two are left to cover their tracks at any cost.
This is a delightfully witty and stylish comic caper with plenty of swinging ’60s atmosphere to spare. Ronald Neame’s romp goes down smoothly, no matter how many times you watch it. Caine and MacLaine make for an eminently likable pair, imbuing both characters with more sympathy than you thought you might have for a couple of crooks.
Where to watch *Gambit*: Pluto TV
How to Steal a Million (1966)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/HOW-TO-STEAL-A-MILLION-082126-7d1cddcb32cb4c77ac39ffba7c624b7e.jpg)
Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn work out the finer details of a very well-intentioned caper.
One of a pair of terrific comedy-heist pictures from 1966, this one is directed by Oscar-winning veteran William Wyler. Audrey Hepburn stars as the daughter of an art forger (Hugh Griffith) who reluctantly pairs up with a gentleman thief (Peter O’Toole) to steal a forged sculpture from a high-end Paris museum. The intentions are noble, in their way: She simply wants to prevent the ruse being discovered and thus keep Dad out of prison. (Falling in love with the handsome burglar in the process of pulling off the caper is, well, just an added bonus.)
Wyler directs this serpentine, amiable comedy with a deft hand, intricately drawing out the fine details that make the whole heist operation tick. They really don’t make out-and-out farces like this anymore.
Where to watch *How to Steal a Million*: Prime Video (to rent)
Widows (2018)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/viola-davis-widows-2018-041125-924af0dfef314dcdb228fdd876cb5c53.jpg)
“I’m putting together a team... no, not that one... no, Killer Croc’s not on this one.... no, Harley Quinn’s not either...”.
Merrick Morton/Fox
Steve McQueen’s rollicking remake of the 1983 ITV series stars Liam Neeson as a master thief who, after his death in the opening minutes, leaves his wife (Viola Davis) to deal with the crime boss (Brian Tyree Henry) whose money his crew stole. She recruits the widows of Neeson’s fallen comrades to pull off a grand heist that will get the bad guys off their backs and earn themselves a hefty payday.
McQueen proves himself a masterful stylist of the modern blockbuster with this energetic action-thriller. The only criticism you could earnestly make is that it could be longer. The screenplay (by McQueen and Gillian Flynn) ultimately introduces twists both ludicrous and perverse, but the movie never topples under their weight.
Where to watch *Widows*: Prime Video (to rent)
Small Time Crooks (2000)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SMALL-TIMECROOKS-082126-e0d825fb32984d9186cdb85e4ec7fa9d.jpg)
Tracey Ullman and Woody Allen as... not-exactly-professional criminals.
One of Woody Allen’s last great comedies stars Allen and Tracey Ullman as longtime married couple Ray and Frenchy. He’s an ex-con with dreams of one last score while she’s a “retired exotic dancer.” They decide to get rich by robbing a bank, opening a cookie shop as a front while Ray and his cohorts tunnel toward the vault.
*Small Time Crooks* is an old-fashioned farce with likable characters and a jocular pace. Its keen script often reinvents itself, morphing into something just left of what you expect. It’s also probably the last movie from the director’s catalogue to represent anything close to the real New York.
Hugh Grant, as a cad who romances Frenchy, and Elaine May, as her daffy cousin, are bright spots in an eccentric supporting cast.
Where to watch *Small Time Crooks*: Netflix
The Bank Job (2008)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/THE-BANK-JOB-082126-9c5f9feb930d4e41b0d5563867e1249c.jpg)
Like every Jason Statham movie, ‘The Bank Job’ is based on a true story.
This uncommonly thoughtful Jason Statham vehicle is based on a real 1971 heist. The Stathe stars as a car dealer with a criminal past whose girlfriend (Saffron Burrows) presents him with an opportunity to burgle the safe deposit boxes of the wealthy clients of a Lloyds Bank branch on London’s Baker Street.
This is a cracking thriller that has just about everything you’d want from the genre. It has the oddballs-doing-a-robbery comedy of something like *The Ladykillers* or *Small Time Crooks*, plus a healthy dose of political intrigue and a dollop of the head-crunching action we expect from a Statham movie. *The Bank Job* is a bit more layered, though, and features some nice dramatic work from the entire cast.
Where to watch *The Bank Job*: Prime Video (to rent)
Triple Frontier (2019)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/netflix-movies-2-2000-45bd04e0ea494e31a76b90ac2e83c093.jpg)
Yo I got a wicked idea, we can get wicked rich, it’ll be wicked easy, it’s wicked smaht. Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix
Another damn fine Affleck heist thriller. This one was cowritten by Mark Boal and director J.C. Chandor, who brings an exhaustive realism to this story of former Special Forces ops executing a daring robbery in South America. It’s hardly a spoiler to say that things do not go as planned.
A premium cast including Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, and Garrett Hedlund elevates this deceptively simple procedural. The film is beautifully shot, making terrific use of frames both expansive and intimate. It’s a shame that the movie, produced by Netflix, didn’t have a notable theatrical release, as it seems tailor-made for the big-screen experience.
Where to watch *Triple Frontier*: Netflix
The Town (2010)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mcdtown_ec013-2000-287e5f9c4097416ea70f0512e548f7bf.jpg)
Yo I got a wicked idea, we can get wicked rich, it’ll be wicked easy, it’s wicked smaht. Everett Collection
In Ben Affleck’s riff on *Heat*, he stars as the leader of a skilled Charlestown bank-robbing crew. He falls for the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) he terrorized in a robbery while planning a Fenway Park job that might be his mythical “last big score.” Jon Hamm plays the proverbial dogged FBI agent, with Jeremy Renner as Affleck’s unhinged triggerman.
Though it chickens out at the end — an original, darker ending was a better fit — *The Town* is a hard-edged, gripping thriller with a handful of anxious set pieces. A car chase through the city’s North End is a popular highlight, the camera perfectly capturing the whiplash-inducing turns; but a smaller late moment, featuring a manic Renner pursuing Hamm through a parking lot, is one of the most viscerally terrifying action beats in recent memory.
Where to watch *The Town*: HBO Max
The 30 most suspenseful crime thrillers of all time, ranked
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/thrillers-4739c362cdcd41ca930dfe5bc361c97f.jpg)
The 30 best detective shows of all time, ranked
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/best-detective-shows-082026-25dc98a6d37b4a85858ce5d3439be948.jpg)
Fast Five (2011)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Paul-Walker-Vin-Diesel-111925-0609bfcc47ad42aeb5e1d1b61daa3e97.jpg)
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel in ‘Fast Five’ pulling off literally their most plausible stunt of the franchise.
Jaimie Trueblood/Universal Pictures/Courtesy of Everett Collection
The *Fast* family rejuvenated their franchise with this smartly overhauled fifth installment. It’s honestly not worth explaining the plot, because you’ve either seen this 13 times or vowed to never go near it. Our heroes decide to pull off a massive heist in Brazil, stealing $100 million from a powerful crime lord in hopes of securing their freedom, all while being hunted by federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).
After a solid three entries that played fast and loose with linear continuity, *Fast Five* brilliantly reinvented the franchise with what remains the best installment. Justin Lin finds the perfect combination of brains and brawn — and the addition of Johnson is nothing short of revelatory. Without him, this series doesn’t seem like itself.
Where to watch *Fast Five*: Netflix
Good Time (2017)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/good-times1-2000-bf1f5fbf48134d0fbf55a1c1d9f330b0.jpg)
Robert Pattinson in the midst of a very bad night.
Before *Uncut Gems *(2019), the Safdie Brothers cut their panic-attack-inducing teeth on this thriller, featuring Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie as brothers entangled in a bank robbery gone spectacularly wrong.
*Good Time* takes the genre’s “elaborate design and preparation” expectation and upends it. Heist movies are meticulous, careful, and perfectly timed. This one is improvisational and reactive. There’s hardly a “plan” at all — just bad decisions made in fits of desperation. It’s a movie of running, chasing, escaping, doubling back, retracing steps, darting from one not-so-safe refuge to another. It’s urgent and jittery and scary because, in real life, heists are a bad idea.
As Pattinson spends a long night trying to rescue his brother, the Safdies weave a nightmarish, impressionistic vision of New York that ranks among the most unsettling cinematic depictions of the city.
Where to watch *Good Time*: Tubi
Sexy Beast (2000)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/best-crime-movies-sexy-beast-102523-dffe1ba3f1f84109bf3d2e07d89a1f01.jpg)
Ben Kingsley scaring the s*** out of himself. 20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett
Jonathan Glazer’s first film is this pared-down, ultra-creepy comic thriller starring Ray Winstone as a retired safecracker and Ben Kingsley as his wild-eyed, acid-tongued former associate, who arrives at Winstone’s oceanside retirement manse to talk him into one last score.
Glazer’s movie always zigs when you expect it to zag, never content to do anything by the book. It’s a guns-and-geezers movie that defies the taxing strictures of that subgenre and does something modern. Glazer is a terrifically original filmmaker — he’s never made a movie that’s anything less than astounding — but he seems most at home when trying on the hats of various genres. There’s an unpredictability to *Sexy Beast* that positions it as a solid contender for one of the best thrillers of the millennium.
Where to watch *Sexy Beast*: Prime Video (to rent)
The Sting (1973)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mcdstin_ec035-2000-8797867fd69940c1b76bb14eb18dd3b8.jpg)
Okay, fine MAYBE Newman and Redford look as dapper as the Sutherland/Connery duo, but it’s still unattainable for us. Everett Collection
This seminal caper re-teams *Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid* (1969) costars Robert Redford and Paul Newman in a story of two con men taking revenge on the brutal crime boss (Robert Shaw) who murdered their friend.
To say more about director George Roy Hill’s remarkably gratifying thriller would risk spoiling it. *The Sting* is one of the defining examples of its genre — a movie that filmmakers continue to try to imitate, invariably falling short of the tremendously high mark it set. Redford and Newman build on their *Sundance Kid* chemistry to create a jovial, immersive crime epic with a surprisingly feel-good ending.
Where to watch *The Sting*: Prime Video (to rent)
The Lookout (2007)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/THE-LOOKOUT-082126-9e8a22c860d84e8db17307fb7bc6cb0f.jpg)
Jeff Daniels offers sage wisdom to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘The Lookout’.
Scott Frank — who wrote *Out of Sight* and created *The Queen’s Gambit* — made his directorial debut with this sharp, old-school thriller about a star athlete (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who retreats from society after an accident leaves him with brain damage. He’s recruited by a manipulative former acquaintance (Matthew Goode) and a siren with the improbable name of Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher) to steal a fortune from a local bank.
*The Lookout* is consciously old-fashioned. The story and characters are nothing particularly new, nor is the way Frank shoots it. However, the film’s attention to detail and radical embrace of a bygone filmmaking language elevates it. Like all classic noirs, Frank cultivates a sweaty, visceral realism to the main character’s desire to have a better life at any cost.
Where to watch *The Lookout*: Pluto TV
Bottle Rocket (1996)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Bottle-Rocket-1-061725-331370612e1c481284f38fa883a45d3b.jpg)
The Wilson brothers decide to pull off a heist.
Wes Anderson’s debut remains one of his best works. In a rare trifecta, it stars each of the Wilson brothers — Owen, Luke, and Andrew — in the roles that made them famous. After Anthony (Luke Wilson) leaves a psychiatric hospital, his longtime friend and consummate schemer Dignan (Owen Wilson) ropes him into an elaborate plan for a life of crime. Their misadventures eventually bring them into the orbit of local thief Mr. Henry (James Caan), with predictably disastrous results.
*Bottle Rocket* is interesting because it shows Anderson was close to fully formed, while also being more grounded and less stylized than his later movies. There’s a certain social grittiness to *Bottle Rocket* that the director never really found again. It’s an interesting flourish within his own style, one that makes the eccentricities pop even more.
Where to watch *Bottle Rocket*: Tubi
Inception (2010)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/inception-020624-ea8a058658114774aa8190ec70ed9bc0.jpg)
Yeah it’s still spinning.
Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Christopher Nolan’s smash-hit brain-teaser follows Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team of dream thieves into the subconscious of a businessman (Cillian Murphy) to implant an idea that will benefit his business rival Saito (Ken Watanabe). Complicating matters for our tormented hero is the shrewd protégé (Elliot Page) he’s training for the job, and the haunting specter of his late wife (Marion Cotillard) who keeps popping up in his dreams.
*Inception*, still one of Nolan’s definitive works, solidified his signature blend of heady ideas within a popcorn framework. Part of why *Inception*, and by extension much of the director’s filmography, works so well is that it utterly buys its own line and never winks at the audience.
Where to watch *Inception*: Prime Video (to rent)
The Great Train Robbery (1978)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-607406572-2000-5e9259df29864413a24dbeea93822b13.jpg)
There’s simply no way you’re ever going to look as dapper or as finely bearded as this, you should stop trying. United Artists/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Michael Crichton directed this taut procedural about a master criminal (Sean Connery) who plots to rob an immense steam train of its gold supply — with, per usual, the help of a ragtag collection of co-conspirators and specialists. As we all know, every good heist needs a good pickpocket (Donald Sutherland).
Crichton’s brainy thriller was based on his own book, itself loosely structured around a real crime committed in 1855. This is an almost impossibly entertaining picture, one which comes together in the most satisfying of ways and fulfills each of the genre’s most coveted tropes. With this and *Westworld *(1973), Crichton proved himself to be a more than capable director of heady popcorn flicks.
Where to watch *The Great Train Robbery*: Pluto TV
The Usual Suspects (1995)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/The-Usual-Suspects-060226-18c6802d1bf34471bfb94539d8d3c4cb.jpg)
The titular suspects in ‘The Usual Suspects’.
An exemplary script and dashes of stylish direction set this ’90s favorite apart from myriad Tarantino imitators. If you don’t know the twist, certainly one of cinema’s most famous, stop reading now and treat yourself to a great night at the movies.
To keep details to a minimum, it features Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint, one part of a makeshift team of cons and thieves. In the aftermath of a job, Verbal unwinds a long, twisted story revolving around the notoriously elusive crime boss, Keyser Söze, who allegedly orchestrated the operation, loquaciously laying out every detail to a very determined detective (Chazz Palminteri). Bryan Singer’s ingenious thriller is both a graceful callback to ’50s potboilers and a savage modernization of them.
Where to watch *The Usual Suspects*: HBO Max
Snatch (2000)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SNATCH-40e7590e5cc8480b8a37c599635e35f9.jpg)
A very young (but still bald) Jason Statham working out how to explain his criminal scheme in rhyming slang. Everett Collection
Guy Ritchie has basically spent the rest of his career chasing the giddy high of this screwball riff about a fight promoter (Jason Statham) who gets into hot water when his bare-knuckle brawler gets knocked out two days before his bout, and his replacement — Irish vagabond Mickey (Brad Pitt) — proves, to say the least, untrustworthy. Cue a litany of tough guys (and wannabe tough guys) coming for their dough — especially a giant, flawless diamond, which repeatedly changes hands (and stomachs) over the course of the film.
*Snatch* is far more clever than many similar ensemble capers, with a real nasty edge that remains comedic rather than nihilistic. Ritchie’s terrific rat-a-tat-tat script remains his best, performed by a cast at the height of their game.
Where to watch *Snatch*: Prime Video (to rent)
Point Break (1991)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/POINT-BREAK-Keanu-Reeves-Patrick-Swayze-121725-5ed5f36acbea468f96b42bc1bdf98da4.jpg)
Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze show us what true bromance is all about.
Kathryn Bigelow’s genre-defining extreme sports thriller follows FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) who goes after a crew of bank robbers led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Johnny’s undercover mission leads to an unexpected bromance as he gets drawn into his target’s world of illicit thrills. He finds himself split between his loyalty (and genuine affection) for Bodhi and his dogged commitment to the job.
Simply one of the most fun films ever made, *Point Break* has earned its status as a pop culture perennial and then some. It’s one of the few films that doesn’t disappoint despite the hype. Bigelow shoots with a clear-eyed ferocity that puts many modern action directors to shame. Reeves and Swayze, meanwhile, turn in two of the best performances of their lives.
Where to watch *Point Break*: Peacock
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/pelham-123-424ccbd5c3ca47a89c0b5815113a2316.jpg)
Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue in ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’.
Joseph Sargent’s gritty classic stars Robert Shaw as the leader of a crew who takes an entire subway car hostage and attempts to milk $1 million from New York City within 60 minutes. In a nifty wrinkle famously aped by Tarantino in *Reservoir Dogs *(1992), the group goes by color-coded aliases. Dealing directly with the mastermind (Mr. Blue) is a disgraced transit officer (Walter Matthau), who must navigate greedy politicians and hot-headed cops to come up with the money.
Flawlessly structured and paced, this is one of the very best ticking-clock thrillers you’ll ever see. It’s clearly an inspiration for *Die Hard* (1988) and countless other actioners. Yet the ground-level realism and authentic New York locales and characters lend *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* an essence that is purely its own.
Where to watch *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three*: Tubi
Set It Off (1996)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/set-it-off-100825-2b18ca7977a143908cbb04d40217f171.jpg)
Queen Latifah, Kimberly Elise, Vivica Fox, and Jada Pinkett hatch a plan in ‘Set It Off’.
New Line Cinema/Getty
Four women (Queen Latifah, Kimberly Elise, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox) struggling to pay the rent decide to begin robbing banks to make ends meet. This initially nets them a tidy fortune and mythical status within the community, but a hard-driving detective (John C. McGinley) sets out to put their escapade to an end.
F. Gary Gray’s tremendous modern thriller, an obvious precursor to Steve McQueen’s *Widows*, manages to be both deeply emotional and unsentimental at once. It boasts great work from the entire cast, as well as a refreshingly complicated point of view regarding what people have to do to secure a comfortable life for themselves and their loved ones.
Where to watch *Set It Off*: Prime Video (to rent)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Dog-Day-Afternoon-101824-2-9bad9a464f344a81908dd90822677e49.jpg)
Al Pacino, trying to remember the name of that prison where that riot happened, in ‘Dog Day Afternoon’.
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett
This landmark crime flick stars Al Pacino as Sonny, a desperate man who undertakes an ill-advised Brooklyn robbery. As the cops and the media congregate outside the bank, what was expected to be a simple smash-and-grab stretches into a simmering day-and-night standoff as Sonny and his naive, nervous accomplice (John Cazale) try to find a way to get out alive and make it safely to, say, Wyoming.
Sidney Lumet’s queasy thriller is a high-water mark for both the heist genre and the New York cinema scene. Inspired by the true story of John Wojtowicz, the film is effective both as entertainment and polemic, having much to say about the way our society continues to treat those it deems less-than.
Where to watch *Dog Day Afternoon*: Prime Video (to rent)
Thief (1981)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mcdthie_ec013_h-2000-43c7085198bb481bacd7a4fba86f9afd.jpg)
James Caan catches up with his old pal Willie Nelson in ‘Thief’. Everett Collection
Frank (James Caan) has made a career of stealing jewels, and he’s always done it on his own terms, as his own boss. But he’s in a tough spot and has found himself in the welcoming arms of an avuncular crime boss (Robert Prosky). He agrees to work for him for one last big score — then he’s out. What Frank wants is an early retirement and a family with Jessie (Tuesday Weld).
Tangerine Dream’s tremendous score elevates Michael Mann’s neo-existential slow burn that works as both a tidy caper and a panic attack about masculine anxiety. Mann delivers a fascinating subversion of the genre, anchored by a riveting Caan performance and some of the most specific set design and camerawork of the director’s career.
Where to watch *Thief*: Tubi
Inside Man (2006)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/chiwetel-ejiofor-denzel-washington-inside-man-041223-1-f16900ed5cee4e428dc6de1cb92480df.jpg)
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Denzel Washington work out an unusually complicated heist in ‘Inside Man’. Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Spike Lee’s labyrinthine thriller stars Denzel Washington as a hostage negotiator and Clive Owen as a bank robber holding customers hostage in a tony Manhattan branch. The fun of *Inside Man* is letting its revelations slowly roll out, so to say more about the plot would risk ruining the experience.
The movie is a Lee film through and through, though it finds the director trying his hand at a much more mainstream approach than his previous efforts. *Inside Man *has much to say about post-9/11 New York City, but Lee seems primarily focused on creating an upmarket adult thriller that would make Sidney Lumet proud.
Jodie Foster, as a fixer, and Christopher Plummer, as the bank’s chairman, turn in scene-stealing supporting roles.
Where to watch *Inside Man*: Netflix
Rififi (1955)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mbdrifi_ec006_h-2000-e12fa37ac21d41bd9af0587623d8cb9d.jpg)
Robert Manuel and Jules Dassin (under a pseudonym) dreaming of a perfect jewel heist in ‘Rififi’. Everett Collection
Recently released from prison after five years, jewel thief Tony (Jean Servais) embarks with an old pal on what should be a quick and easy robbery. Yet when Tony realizes that his former girlfriend is now shacked up with a gangster, he turns the job into a much more complicated heist, threatening the lives of his entire crew.
Jules Dassin’s perfectly pitched noir played a huge role in shaping the modern heist genre as we know it. The film’s central robbery sequence was in fact based on a real 1899 burglary that occurred in France. Dassin brings real tension and realism to that section of the film, honing some of the gritty procedural elements that would come to be employed by directors like Michael Mann.
Where to watch *Rififi*: Not available to stream
The Killing (1956)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mbdkill_ec012-2000-d6689884cc6445c7bd6f7ce39b329616.jpg)
Elisha Cook Jr. and Marie Windsor as eager-to-please husband and hard-to-please wife in ‘The Killing’. Everett Collection
Early in his career, Stanley Kubrick delivered this gleefully deranged, thrilling noir starring Sterling Hayden as a criminal leading a motley crew in an elaborate racetrack heist. When one of the men tells his wife about the scheme, she conspires with her lover to steal the take for themselves.
Kubrick honed his signature style and attention to detail here in a film that’s constantly twisting and turning, intent on knocking its audience off their feet. Kubrick penned the screenplay, with celebrated pulp novelist Jim Thompson contributing dialogue, and though the film’s violence doesn’t get close to what Thompson’s books were known for, the entire film possesses the author’s singular nihilistic point of view. It’s tempered by Kubrick’s love for cinema and knowledge of genre, which pervades every frame.
Where to watch *The Killing*: Prime Video
Jackie Brown (1997)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/jackie-brown-1997-013024-dea1d7774a724f6fb38726134442c61b.jpg)
Pam Grier gets the custom-made role of a lifetime in ‘Jackie Brown’.
Miramax Films/ Courtesy Everett Collection
Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece revolves around the eponymous flight attendant (Pam Grier), who gets caught running money for gun dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). To reverse her fate, she teams with an ATF agent and an LAPD detective (Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen) to set Ordell up in a sting. But Jackie smells a payday; with the help of lovelorn bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster), she goes about deceiving both Ordell and the authorities.
A classic that was overshadowed for years, Tarantino’s low-key heist picture benefits from his keen sense of time and place, and his ear for dialogue (much of it lifted from Elmore Leonard’s source novel, *Rum Punch*). *Jackie Brown* finds him reining in his tawdry impulses. There’s no outrageous violence or unpleasant caricatures, and the 157-minute runtime feels breezy.
Where to watch* Jackie Brown*: Prime Video (to rent)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/oceans-eleven-11-don-cheadle-shaobo-qin-george-clooney-casey-afflek-042825-09e70e18a32f4c41b9691564e905f839.jpg)
George Clooney does it again! This time he has 10 buddies help him.
Bob Marshak/Warner Bros.
This breezy remake of the Rat Pack vehicle stars Clooney as professional thief Danny Ocean, who assembles a murderers’ row of crooked colleagues (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Cheadle among them) to rip off casino boss Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who happens to be dating Ocean’s ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts).
Breathlessly fun and eminently rewatchable, Soderbergh’s stylish caper followed an unusually serious, awards-heavy stretch for the filmmaker that included Oscar-winning dramas *Traffic* (2000) and *Erin Brockovich *(2000). The effervescent fizz of *Ocean’s Eleven* came as a bit of a surprise at the time, though Soderbergh has since established himself as one of the most versatile filmmakers in modern movie history.
Where to watch* Ocean’s Eleven*: Prime Video (to rent)
Out of Sight (1998)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/out-of-sight-george-clooney-best-roles-081623-ff229d43bfcd43a8ad8d84959e98cec3.jpg)
George Clooney robs a bank with nothing but charisma in ‘Out of Sight’. Universal/Everett
In Steven Soderbergh’s crackling adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel, George Clooney plays career crook Jack Foley, who crosses paths with feisty U.S. marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) after escaping the pen. She gets swept up in Foley’s plan to eke out one last score by ripping off a white-collar big shot (Albert Brooks) he met in prison.
There are many things to love about Soderbergh’s masterfully crafted comic thriller. Lopez delivers a sly, perfectly self-aware performance, while the suspense is executed with effortless precision. But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
Michael Keaton even briefly reprises Ray Nicolette, the laid-back federal agent he played in *Jackie Brown*, creating a nifty crossover between the two Leonard adaptations.
Where to watch* Out of Sight*: Prime Video (to rent)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/LE-CERCLE-ROUGE-082126-fb04505648ec48eeb6403c9827d9d70a.jpg)
Alain Delon, Yves Montand, and Gian Maria Volont plan out a heist, very Frenchly.
Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic concerns that old chestnut — an ex-con (Alain Delon) trying to pull off a labyrinthine jewel heist alongside a small crew of fellow ne’er-do-wells. Meanwhile, a dogged police inspector (André Bourvil) is hot on their tails.
Working within the procedural heist tradition exemplified by *Rififi*, Melville pushes the form even further to create a truly immersive crime thriller unlike almost any before or after it. More than most pictures about crooks and the men who chase them, Melville’s movie gets into the heads of its characters and the heart of their wicked deeds with surgical precision. Most of the time — most memorably during the film’s gripping, dialogue-free heist sequence — Melville does this without words at all. The entire picture plays a stunning magic trick.
Where to watch* Le Cercle Rouge*: Prime Video (to rent)
- Movie Reviews & Recommendations
Original Article on Source
Source: "EW Movie"
Read More
Source: Movie
Published: September 4, 2026 at 11:38PM on Source: RED MAG
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle
From meticulously planned robberies to spectacularly botched jobs, these are the greatest capers ever put on screen. The 30 best heist ...
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Ezra-Frech-Daniella-Karagach-090426-0594a5a9ca664137ac9dcdf434d5e9e9.jpg "Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach are most nervous to compete against Guillermo Rodrig...")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Guillermo-Rodriguez-090426-76c14dcd9d7645c082b88c2709f9796f.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Tatyana-Ali-Alfonso-Ribeiro795-09022026-871f52b2fb9c4ed1bbffcc47a2f34bf4.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Giada-De-Laurentiis-Alan-Bersten-Dancing-with-the-Stars-090226-fcb57552b0654deaae7c2efd81fa9adc.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/dwts-Daniella-Karagach-and-Ezra-Frech-9226-1481d6b02bc4460c907d87a06c1a67d2.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/big-brother-s28-4-090326-215cccef60c240c798ac7fd73a56da8e.jpg "Lala blasts Drew and Haley on her way to Big Brother jury house")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Dalton-Ross-author-photo-2e15b12006e2438a99fb06db6d682421.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/big-brother-s28-8-090326-7f3a17c70a4842c78cc4f0b0555ef5aa.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/big-brother-s28-9-090326-92d88a27a5474cf5b221c3749d6a662f.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/big-brother-s28-1-090326-fa41a4df2b544929bfcd9904d77fdeb5.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Haley-Thogmartin-big-brother-01-090126-831dd69b6cc342f4b43d22aa606c759f.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/big-brother-s28-2-090326-93fb76f1f5884cca9ca8a9a1110d04bf.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/New-Girl-Zooey-Deschanel-090426-d64a4d28c9544e118777d9afff1affa5.jpg "Zooey Deschanel says New Girl stars were ‘forced to drive home’ after long shoots: ‘The hours wer...")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Daysia-Tolentino-author-photo-b1c9bf2343cf4cf7b77759eeb9f69e8d.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/jake-johnson-new-girl-couch-011024-b1ee2e07def640eabe385797656b4546.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/new-girl-1-11bdbb9faa204bab93ff157348fec0c5.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/New-Girl-Zooey-Deschanel-Jake-Johnson-090426-d4cb70ac0456492f8730cd502c64d092.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/New-Girl-Max-Greenfield-Hannah-Simone-Zooey-Deschanel-Jake-Johnson-Lamorne-Morris-090426-067a2ca84b054217b3535f691bfb387a.jpg)
