The 15 Best Heist Movies Ever Made
Heist Movies are one of my favorite genres in film. They’re fun, gripping, and speak to that part of ourselves that wishes we could pull off a heist and live out the rest of our days on an island with a huge estate, exotic cars, and everything else we’ve ever dreamed of.
Here are my picks for the “Top 15 Best Heist Movies Of All Time”.
Ant-Man (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Critic Rating | 85% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Forced out of his own company by former protégé Darren Cross, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruits the talents of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a master thief just released from prison. Lang becomes Ant-Man, trained by Pym and armed with a suit that allows him to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength, and control an army of ants. The miniature hero must use his new skills to prevent Cross, also known as Yellowjacket, from perfecting the same technology and using it as a weapon for evil.
Author’s Note
“Ant-Man” is the MCU’s first heist movie and is easily one of the most fun entries of the franchise.
Paul Rudd was the perfect casting choice for Scott Lang and I was beyond impressed with how Peyton Reed and the team at Marvel Studios brought Ant-Man to life.
Inside Man (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Critic Rating | 85% Audience Rating
Synopsis
A tough detective (Denzel Washington) matches wits with a cunning bank robber (Clive Owen), as a tense hostage crisis is unfolding. Into the volatile situation comes a woman named Madaline (Jodie Foster), a mysterious power broker who has a hidden agenda and threatens to push a tense situation past the breaking point.
Author’s Note
Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” is a fun ride filled with twists and turns as the police try to unravel the perfect robbery executed by Dalton Russel (Clive Owen) and his crew.
Jodie Foster steals every single scene that she’s in and Denzel Washington and Clive Owen play really well off of each other as the brilliant detective facing off against the criminal mastermind.
Fast Five (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% Critic Rating | 83% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Ever since ex-cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Torretto (Jordana Brewster) broke her brother Dom (Vin Diesel) out of custody, they've traveled border to border to evade authorities. In Rio de Janeiro, they must do one final job before they can gain their freedom for good. Assembling their elite team of car racers, Brian and Dom know they must confront the corrupt businessman who wants them dead before the federal agent (Dwayne Johnson) on their trail finds them.
Author’s Note
“Fast Five” is my favorite Fast & Furious movie to date and has earned its spot on this list with the epic chase scene with the bank vault on the streets of Rio.
This was also the first film to feature the team as we know it today and introduced one of the best characters in the franchise with Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs.
The Italian Job (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% Critic Rating | 80% Audience Rating
Synopsis
After a heist in Venice, Steve (Edward Norton) turns on his partners in crime, killing safecracker John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) and keeping all the gold for himself. The rest of the team, including leader Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), driver Handsome Rob (Jason Statham), explosives man Left Ear (Mos Def), and tech geek Lyle (Seth Green), vows revenge. They enlist the help of Bridger's daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), and plot to recover the gold from Steve's Los Angeles mansion.
Author’s Note
While both versions of “The Italian Job” are great, F. Gary Gray’s 2003 remake is easily my favorite of the two and I had to add it to the list.
The film is a blast from beginning to end, and it was great to watch the crew get the gold and get revenge on Steve (Edward Norton) for killing John (Donald Sutherland) and trying to kill them.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Critic Rating | 96% Audience Rating
Synopsis
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," says con man Kint (Kevin Spacey), drawing a comparison to the most enigmatic criminal of all time, Keyser Soze. Kint attempts to convince the feds that the mythic crime lord not only exists but is also responsible for drawing Kint and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro Harbor - leaving few survivors.
Author’s Note
“The Usual Suspects” has one of the most iconic movie twists of all time. It’s really well written, and well directed and once you’ve seen it for the first time you’ll want to watch it again immediately after to see all of the clues you missed the first time around.
Hell or High Water (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Critic Rating | 88% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Toby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life for his son. His brother Tanner is an ex-convict with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch. Standing in their way is Marcus, a Texas Ranger who's only weeks away from retirement. As the siblings plot their final robbery, they must also prepare for a showdown with a crafty lawman who's not ready to ride off into the sunset.
Author’s Note
Chris Pine and Ben Foster are absolutely magnetic on screen and Jeff Bridges continues to prove that he’s one of the best actors in the world. It has high stakes, it's gritty, and it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Critic Rating | 76% Audience Rating
Synopsis
West Virginia family man Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) teams up with his one-armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver) and sister Mellie to steal money from the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Jimmy also recruits demolition expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) to help them break into the track's underground system. Complications arise when a mix-up forces the crew to pull off the heist during a popular NASCAR race while also trying to dodge a relentless FBI agent.
Author’s Note
“Logan Lucky” is the heist movie I never knew I needed. Adam Driver and Channing Tatum play off of each other so well as these brothers trying to pull off the perfect heist during a huge NASCAR race. Daniel Craig is also having the time of his life in this film playing a demolition expert recruited by Jimmy and Clyde.
Baby Driver (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Critic Rating | 86% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Talented getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. After meeting the woman (Lily James) of his dreams, he sees a chance to ditch his shady lifestyle and make a clean break. Coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), Baby must face the music as a doomed heist threatens his life, love, and freedom.
Author’s Note
Edgar Wright is one of my favorite directors of all time. He has a very unique style of filming and mixing that into a heist movie was a match made in heaven for me. The film has brilliant stunt driving, an awesome soundtrack, and Ansel Elgort turns in a really fun performance as Baby.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Critic Rating | 94% Audience Rating
Synopsis
A group of thieves assemble to pull off the perfect diamond heist. It turns into a bloody ambush when one of the men turns out to be a police informer. As the group begins to question each other's guilt, the heightening tensions threaten to explode the situation before the police step in.
Author’s Note
Quentin Tarantino is another one of my favorite directors with a very unique style of filmmaking.
The film is brilliantly written and directed by Tarantino and the film’s non-linear story structure keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to put the pieces together to find out the identity of the undercover cop in their crew.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Critic Rating | 80% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is a man of action. Less than 24 hours into his parole from a New Jersey penitentiary, the wry, charismatic thief is already rolling out his next plan. Following three rules: Don't hurt anybody, don't steal from anyone who doesn't deserve it, and play the game like you've got nothing to lose. Danny orchestrates the most sophisticated, elaborate casino heist in history.
Author’s Note
“Oceans Eleven” is one of the most fun and entertaining heist movies I’ve ever seen. I love the plot, the editing, the music, the pacing, and I had a blast watching Danny Ocean and the crew get revenge against the owner of the casino while stealing all of his money and his girl.
Drive (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Critic Rating | 79% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Author’s Note
I was extremely late to the party with “Drive” and haven’t forgiven myself since. Ryan Gosling turns in one of the best performances of his career in this film as a stunt driver/getaway driver who becomes an engine of vengeance striking out at those that would do harm to the people that he cares about.
The Sting (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Critic Rating | 95% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Following the murder of a mutual friend, aspiring con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) teams up with old pro Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take revenge on the ruthless crime boss responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hooker and Gondorff set about implementing an elaborate scheme, one so crafty that Lonnegan won't even know he's been swindled. As their big con unfolds, however, things don't go according to plan, requiring some last-minute improvisation by the undaunted duo.
Author’s Note
“The Sting” is a true classic in every sense of the word and is still one of the best and most influential heist movies ever made. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are masters at work in this film as they try to pull off the con of their lives and get revenge for their friend’s murder.
Inception (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Critic Rating | 91% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. His skill has made him a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage but has also cost him everything he loves. Cobb gets a chance at redemption when he is offered a seemingly impossible task: Plant an idea in someone's mind. If he succeeds, it will be the perfect crime, but a dangerous enemy anticipates Cobb's every move.
Author’s Note
Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is one of the most unique and ambitious movies ever made and follows a team of thieves that aren’t stealing money or diamonds, but secrets from a person’s subconscious.
I loved the film’s exploration of the danger and complexity of planting an idea in someone’s mind and the potential of not being able to tell the difference between the real world and the dream world.
The Town (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Critic Rating | 85% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) leads a band of ruthless bank robbers and has no real attachments except for James (Jeremy Renner), who -- despite his dangerous temper -- is like a brother. Everything changes for Doug when James briefly takes a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey. Learning that she lives in the gang's neighborhood, Doug seeks her out to discover what she knows, and he falls in love. As the romance deepens, he wants out of his criminal life, but that could threaten Claire.
Author’s Note
“The Town” is a heist movie that I rewatch constantly. Ben’s brilliant direction puts the audience on the streets of Boston as Doug and his crew try to pull off one more score and leave town before the FBI gets too close.
Heat (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Critic Rating | 94% Audience Rating
Synopsis
Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans.
Author’s Note
“Heat” is without a doubt the best and most iconic heist movie ever made and has influenced so many heist movies since its release.
DeNiro, Pacino, and Kilmer turn in incredible performances, and the dinner and shootout scenes are some of the most iconic scenes in movie history.