I always love watching a plan come together and go off without any problems. Watching all the pieces fall into their proper place is so satisfying. Judging by the participants of an online forum, I’m not the only one who thinks that way, either. So, here are 24 movies with some incredible heists.
1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
It would be a shame to my house and family if I didn’t mention the Ocean movies. However, to give other films a chance, there will only be one listed here (still go watch all three, though). In this incredibly clever film, you’ll be kept on your toes on what’s part of the plan and why as Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney, and his group of skilled criminals plan a multi-leveled heist on a Vegas casino.
2. Heat (1995)
Al Pachino and heist films go very well together. Regardless, this movie was mentioned numerous times by different people. Robert De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a master criminal organizing one last heist before he retires and keeps his men in line, all while Al Pacino’s Lieutenant Hanna works to hunt him down.
3. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One commenter said this about one of this movie’s actors: “John Cazale – five films in seven years, and every one of those films nominated for Best Picture.” Others agreed with their statement, and I must say that the admiration is contagious. The movie centers around Sonny Wortzik, played by Al Pachino (yes, he’s back so soon), and his accomplice in a bank robbery gone wrong. The robbery turns into a hostage situation, and tensions continue to grow until Sonny’s motivation behind the crime is revealed.
4. The Town (2010)
Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay in this crime thriller. He is the leader of a group of bank robbers and has no real attachments. Everything changes when James (Jeremy Renner), the only person Doug can be considered close to, takes a hostage, a bank employee named Claire Keesey, who turns out to be from the group’s neighborhood. Doug and Claire begin to develop feelings for each other, causing him to want out of his criminal lifestyle.
5. Inside Man (2006)
Inside Man is another film that was mentioned several times within the forum. The story is centered around a detective, played by Denzel Washington, and a bank robber, played by Clive Owen. The two clash in a challenge of wits during a hostage situation.
6. The Killing (1956)
An oldie but goody directed by the one and only Stanley Kubrick. The career criminal, Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden), is planning one last job on a racetrack before he goes on the straight and narrow to marry his fiancee. However, a betting teller at the track tells his wife, and she creates a plan of her own.
7. Rififi (1955)
One individual called this heist their all-time favorite. Tony (Jean Servais), the recently released jewel thief, finds his girlfriend has started dating the local gangster. Tony turns his friend’s quick smash-and-grab into a proper jewel heist. The group seems to get away until their actions after the job start risking everyone involved.
8. Baby Driver (2017)
Ansel Elgort plays Baby, an orphan and talented getaway driver for the heist mastermind, Doc. Though capable, he has no intentions of making getaways his life-long career. Instead, Baby wants to do one last job before he leaves with the woman he loves.
9. The Italian Job (2003)
Edward Norton’s Steve has betrayed the group he’s a part of in a Venise heist and steals all the gold for himself. The rest of the group seeks revenge for his betrayal and the loss of their safecracker and makes a plan to make Steve pay and get back the gold.
10. Thief (1981)
Skilled jewel thief Frank (James Caan) searches for a way to leave his line of work and settle down. To do so, Frank agrees to one last job from the gangster Leo (Robert Prosky), only to find that Leo doesn’t want to let him go. This results in a final showdown between the two.
11. Point Break (1991)
When the FBI believes their main suspects in a bank robbery are a gang of surfers, an agent infiltrates their group to try and gather information about the robberies the FBI is investigating.
12. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Le Cercle Rouge, aka The Red Circle, stars Alain Delon as the French criminal Corey after he’s been released from prison and vows never to return. Unfortunately, Corey’s dragged back under when a convicted murderer escapes and plans a jewel heist with him and a former police officer. However, the commissioner who let Vogel, the escaped murderer played by Gian Maria Volonte, slip is determined to find him again.
13. Logan Lucky (2017)
Channing Tatum plays Jimmy Logan, a family man in West Virginia. He, along with his brother and sister, fashioned a plan to steal money from the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Problems start when a mishap causes the heist to occur during a NASCAR race.
14. King of Thieves (2018)
Based on the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015, this film isn’t as extravagant as those of fiction, but it is still fascinating to watch. A collection of retired criminals decide to heist the jewelry district of London to feel nostalgic for their good ol’ days. There’s just one teeny issue: greed starts to consume them, and everything becomes a nightmare.
15. Widows (2018)
The aforementioned widows of this film are Veronica (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), and Belle (Cynthia Erivo). Each of the four women loses their husband in a robbery in Chicago. In order to help pay the debt that each husband has left behind, the women join forces to act out a heist that Veronica’s husband had been planning before his death.
16. Triple 9 (2016)
After getting less than satisfying results on their last bank robbery, Kate Winslet’s Irina Vlaslov orders her men to do another job. As the group plans, they decided to use Casey Affleck’s corrupted cop character, Chris Allen, as the puppet in their scheme.
17. Entrapment (1999)
An insurance investigator decides to go undercover after a Rembrandt painting is stolen. She helps the suspected thief, Robert “Mac” MacDougal (Sean Connery), steal an ancient artifact. After suspicions are thrown her way, Virginia “Gin” Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) claims her job as an insurance investigator is just a cover. To prove this, Gin has to recommend a new target, netting them eight billion dollars.
18. National Treasure (2004)
Though it’s not considered a “traditional heist movie,” National Treasure pulls off quite an impressive feat: stealing the Declaration of Independence. Nicolas Cage is the intelligent, charismatic Ben Gates. For years, he has searched for a lost treasure going back to before the foundation of the United States.
Trouble starts brewing when the next clue points to the Declaration of Independence as holding the key. One team member, Ian Howe, played by Sean Bean, sees the use of illegal means as an acceptable way of getting what he wants, complete with a whole team and lethal weapons. To prevent the treasure, and the Declaration, from falling into the wrong hands, Gates must steal the Declaration first in a race against the clock, with only one other person, Justin Bartha’s witty Riley Poole.
19. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
When I told my mum I was writing this article, she said, “Oh! You need to put that movie on there with the boyfriend from Mrs. Doubtfire!” So, here it is, Mum, just for you! Billionaire, Thomas Crown, is played by Pierce Brosnan (the previously mentioned Mrs. Doubtfire boyfriend).
Bored, Thomas decides the only way to entertain himself is by stealing a Monet painting. After insurance investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) becomes intrigued by Crown, a romantic back-and-forth begins. Eventually, Thomas returns the stolen Monet in an effort to see if Catherine really cares for him and will help him escape after turning himself in.
20. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
In this Quentin Tarantino, six pseudonymized criminals are hired to carry out a robbery. The groups must shoot their way out after being ambushed by the police. After getting to the safe house, what’s left of the group discovers that it was a set-up and that one of them is a traitor.
21. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Mixing up a list with a couple of wild cards is always fun. One of mine is the beautiful Fantastic Mr. Fox. Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney (Hey! Another repeat heister), breaks a 12-year promise to his wife, voiced by Meryl Streep, and raids the farmers of their local humans. As he begins to give in to his animal instincts, his marriage, family, and friends become at risk, forcing them all underground. Now he must utilize the trickery of his name to overcome the opposition.
22. Inception (2010)
Instead of robbing for money, now we’re robbing dreams! Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) has the unique ability to enter dreams which he uses to steal people’s secrets. Regarding corporate espionage, Cobb’s talent becomes a heavily requested product. However, he is given the opportunity to redeem himself when he is tasked with planting an idea in someone’s mind, something that appears impossible. If successful, Dom will have committed the perfect crime. However, nothing is ever easy, and an enemy has anticipated his every move.
23. Army of the Dead (2021)
Ever wonder what it would be like to plan a heist during a zombie apocalypse? Well, wonder no more. An outbreak has hit Las Vegas, and a group of mercenaries decides to put all their cards on the line and enter the quarantine zone. Their mission? To pull off an impossible heist.
24. Masterminds (2016)
David Ghanatt’s (Zach Galifianakis) crush, Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), convinces him to take part in a plan to rob a bank vault. In exchange for the chance at money, love, and excitement, David is willing to risk it all to participate in the scheme.
Source: Reddit
Freelance Journalist
Expertise: Video Games, Movies, Trending Topics, Technicalities, Snark
Degree: Business Management with focus in Digital and Social Media Marketing
Articles throughout Wealth if Geeks and its Associated Works
Molly Locke is a freelance Journalist fresh off the presses. Having been traveling since before she could walk, she’s gained quite a bit of insight on what this world is all about. Movies and video games are her bread and butter, as is being able to talk about their stories, quality, effects, and impact endlessly. You can find Molly on Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn.