15 Best Heist Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Summary

• Rififi (1955)
• Snatch (2000)
• How To Steal A Million (1966)

The best heist movies fuse elements of many different genres. They encompass a broad range of stories and filmmaking styles because they are so adaptable. As long as a team of characters is all working together to steal something, then it falls under the category of a heist movie. The genre isn’t restricted to any tone, time period, or particular style. Of course, the heist genre has more than its fair share of stereotypes, but the best filmmakers know how to use these to their benefit.

The heist genre has produced some of cinema’s most gripping thrillers and some of its funniest comedies. Violence features frequently, like in Snatch and Point Break, but it isn’t a necessity. Other movies use a heist as the perfect excuse to craft a slick mystery, with the criminals outsmarting their victims without them ever knowing they were there. Whichever approach a heist movie decides to take, some stand out above the competition.

15 American Animals (2018)

A True-Crime Story Of Young Amateur Art Thieves

Most heists target large stacks of cash or priceless jewels. Thefts involving rare illustrations of birds, as in American Animals, are less common. The movie stars Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan as Warren Lipka and Spencer Reinhard, the aspiring thieves who are initially very hard to take seriously. They come off as normal young men who get swept up in an idea and it is almost shocking when they are actually in the midst of the job. It is as if they were people who watched too many heist movies and suddenly found themselves in the middle of one.

The film blends fact with fiction, as actors appear alongside the real people their characters are based on. There are elements of true crime that punctuate the action, such as retrospective interviews. This results in a peculiar and engaging drama with real heft. American Animals innovates within the heist genre. The presence of hard facts within the movie relates the crime back to the victims and the morality of theft. Heist films often invite audiences to support a gang of criminals, but American Animals questions this enthusiasm.

14 Point Break (1991)

An FBI Agent Targets A Group Of Thrill-Seeking Bank Robbers

Combining crime and surfing requires a convincing cast and an airtight script. Luckily, Point Break has both in abundance. Keanu Reeves made a career-defining role out of Johnny Utah, a young FBI agent who goes undercover in the surfing community to infiltrate a gang of bank robbers headed by the charismatic Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Point Break‘s heist elements are so fun because the surfers engage in them with such thrill-seeking enthusiasm.

While the premise of Reeves as an undercover surfer might sound a little goofy, director Kathryn Bigelow crafts a grounded and surprisingly gritty crime-action movie with some spectacular sequences. While the heists themselves don’t get as much attention as audiences might expect, the movie does deliver one of cinema’s best foot chase scenes as Reeves pursues Swayze after a robbery. The bank robbers’ use of masks depicting former Presidents of the United States is also an iconic touch that has been referenced and parodied many times.

A
Point Break
remake was released in 2015, with Luke Bracey as Johnny Utah and Édgar Ramirez as Bodhi, though it received negative reviews and didn’t have nearly the pop culture impact of the original.

13 Logan Lucky (2017)

Two Brothers Plan To Rob A Racing Event

North Carolina provides an unorthodox setting for Steven Soderbergh’s heist film Logan Lucky, but its characters grow so organically from the landscape that it seems a natural choice. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver pair seamlessly as Jimmy and Clyde Logan, two brothers looking for a big score as they plan to rob a NASCAR event. They are helped along the way by Daniel Craig’s hilarious explosives expert, Joe Bang. The movie also stars the likes of Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, and Seth MacFarlane.

Similar to American Animals, the men at the center of the heist do not come across as expert criminals but rather desperate men who get the idea that they could pull this off. However, these characters, even Craig’s incarcerated bomb expert, are likable thieves who are easy to root for. The movie mixes the intrigue of the heist with light-hearted humor, but as fun as it is to see how the team pulls off the heist, the climax of the movie is even more crowd-pleasing as the audience sees the steps taken to ensure they won’t be caught.

12 Baby Driver (2017)

A Getaway Driver Uses Music Behind The Wheel

Edgar Wright’s punchy direction and wry humor shine through in Baby Driver, the British director’s first movie set on American soil. The title character (Ansel Elgort) is pressured into a life of crime, but he still shows a natural flair and pride in his work as a getaway driver. Using his own personalized playlist for his driving, he proves himself to be the most skilled wheelman while also having a big heart. The Baby Driver soundtrack oozes cool, as do the performances of Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx as unstable thieves.

Interestingly, the actual heists in the movie aren’t the focal point as the camera stays with Baby sitting outside in the car. However, the lack of action in the heists is made up for with the getaway sequences. Baby Driver utilizes all of Wright’s familiar camera tricks to portray some of the most thrilling chase scenes in recent memory. Away from the action, the movie also benefits from a genuine warmth, stemming from Baby’s relationships with his new girlfriend and his foster father.

11 Widows (2018)

The Widows Of Thieves Must Finish Their Husbands’ Job

The heist genre is disproportionately skewed in favor of male stories. Widows expertly flips this notion on its head and marks a confident departure from the tropes of typical crime movies. Four women are brought together when they discover that their late husbands were all members of a criminal gang. They decide to step out from the shadows and forge their own paths to pay off the debts they are left with. The result is a radically different heist movie fueled by righteous anger and helped by Viola Davis in electric form.

The movie packs an incredible all-star cast that also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell, Carrie Coon, and Liam Neeson among others. Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen approaches the movie in a grounded and gritty way, making it believable that these amateurs could pull off something like this with their determination and rational approach. Hopefully, future heist movies will follow the blueprint set by Widows, and redress the genre’s gender imbalance.

10 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Two Simple Bank Robbers Find Themselves In A Hostage Situation

While so many heist movies focus on the slick precision of the thieves, one of the genre’s best shows how bank robberies can spiral out of control extremely fast. Based on a true story, Dog Day Afternoon follows a simple heist that devolves into an hours-long siege, reflecting the chaos of New York City in the 1970s. Al Pacino earned an Oscar nomination for his lead performance as Sonny Wortzik, and the movie cemented his co-star John Cazale’s indelible legacy.

Sonny is a deeply sympathetic and relatable hero. He may have chosen to rob a bank, but beyond that crime, he’s just a good guy having a terrible day. His care for the hostages and his humorous communications with the police distinguish him from the typical ideas one might associate with a bank robber. He’s an intensely watchable but flawed hero. The movie almost seems like one long scene which adds to the tension of the standoff as it becomes more and more apparent that Sonny is not going to get his happy ending.

9 Rififi (1955)

Four Criminals Assemble For An Impossible Job

The French movie Rififi essentially created the heist genre. The film follows four criminals who come together in order to pull off a seemingly impossible jewelry heist. So many of the story beats and character templates that have become traditions in heist movies can trace their roots back to Rififi. There’s the recently released prisoner, the safe-cracking specialist, and the love interest who turns out to be the true object of the protagonist’s desires.

While a movie consisting of these elements would appear to be a tired rehash if it were produced today, the originality of Rififi lends it a captivating level of suspense. The entirely wordless heist scene remains one of the greatest ever put to film, more than half a century later. The sequence plays out as a long-extended set piece that expertly builds tension with the audience on the edge of their seats.

8 Snatch (2000)

Colorful Characters Collide While Looking For A Stolen Diamond

Guy Ritchie’s intricately woven gangster movie introduces a dizzying assortment of unscrupulous characters all chasing after a stolen diamond. Interestingly, the heist itself takes place in the first scene with the rest of the movie following the various colorful characters who want to get their hands on the priceless goods. This includes low-level boxing promoters, an American gangster, a Russian killer, and a bare-knuckle boxer.

Brad Pitt’s Mickey O’Neil steals the show, but Snatch‘s ensemble cast works together to create an immersive vision of a brutal London underworld. Ritchie’s fingerprints are all over the movie, from the thrilling storylines to the unique quips that only he can so regularly produce. Jason Statham shows off his comedy chops as Turkish, bringing a jovial sharpness that elevates a movie that could otherwise drift toward overt brutality. Each character in the complex web of crime serves a carefully defined purpose, and they coalesce into a propulsive story.

7 How To Steal A Million (1966)

An Art Thief And The Daughter Of A Forger Team Up

How to Steal a Million exemplifies the heist genre’s malleability. The heist at the center of the movie, perpetrated so that the daughter of an art forger can destroy her father’s work, provides the perfect backdrop for a seductive romantic comedy. Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole bounce off one another with effortless wit and grace. It’s a pleasure to witness two true movie stars at the top of their game, and this film beckons the audience to root for them in earnest.

The movie has a lot of fun with twisting the heist genre into a funny and charming rom-com. The meet-cute between the two leads takes place in the midst of a heist and the audience gets to watch them fall for each other while pulling off the central robbery of the movie. Even the long sequence when the pair hide out in a closet crackles with intangible movie magic, with the gorgeous orchestral soundtrack adding to a true sense of grandeur.

6 Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)

A Man Hires Thieves To Steal Works Of Art That Are Haunting Him

The Hungarian animated thriller Ruben Brandt, Collector shows that there is still new ground to break in the heist genre. The movie follows a man who is tormented by figures from famous paintings, so he pulls together a skilled crew and tries to steal every artwork for himself. The eye-popping animation underlines the movie’s message that art holds the key to a peaceful soul.

Each frame is so lovingly drawn that they drip with hidden meaning and subtle humor that could easily go unnoticed. Heist movies run the risk of falling into the same familiar patterns, but Ruben Brandt, Collector proudly showcases something completely innovative. It is one of the most interesting motivations for a heist at the center of the story. Indeed, the complicated narrative will not be for everyone, but there is no denying the alluring nature of the movie’s animation.

5 Gambit (1966)

A Cat Burglar Sees His Plan Fall Apart

Nobody loves a good old-fashioned heist more than Michael Caine. He famously got behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper in The Italian Job, but he also starred in Harry and Walter Go to New York, Going in Style, and Now You See Me to name a few. However, his finest heist movie is the 1966 classic Gambit. Caine plays Harry, a suave cat burglar who seeks the help of a dancer to pull off a foolproof heist only for things to unravel.

The comedy is buoyed by the charm of Shirley MacLaine, whose unsavory Nicole ensures that nothing goes according to plan. Gambit pioneered the now-widespread heist movie trope of concealing information from the audience, or downright lying. Yet it does so with such roguish impudence that it’s hard not to fall for it. The movie’s approach of showing the heist going off without a hitch only to then play out the reality of the crime and every detail that doesn’t go according to plan is an expert way to build unbearable tension.

4 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

A Chicken-Stealing Fox Balances Family And A Life Of Crime

It is rare to find a heist movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family, but Wes Anderson pulled it off. Anderson takes the framework of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox and liberally fills in the gaps with his own idiosyncratic flair. The gorgeous stop-motion animation adds to the movie’s playful feeling, but it can’t hide Mr. Fox’s (George Clooney) conflicted psyche as a former chicken thief who is drawn back in after years of quiet family life.

Fantastic Mr. Fox looks like a children’s movie, but the protagonist is a career criminal with a deep-seated fear of endangering his family. Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson are a perfect match. They both combine levity and tragedy into stylized little packages, and they refuse to talk down to their audiences no matter their age. Anderson finds a sweet and funny way to tackle the familiar story of a career criminal who cannot deny his lust for excitement.

3 A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Double-Crossing Thieves And A Mild-Mannered Barrister Collide

Monty Python legends John Cleese and Michael Palin reunite in A Fish Called Wanda for the hilarious story of a heist gone wrong, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis in top form plus Kevin Kline in an Oscar-winning supporting role. The movie’s dysfunctional characters reap a lot of laughs with their idiotic attempts to double-cross one another. By throwing together British and American characters, A Fish Called Wanda also manages to lampoon both cultures simultaneously. The British characters cling too tightly to their notions of proper behavior, and the Americans are far too brash and self-interested.

Similar to Snatch, the movie is mostly focused on the aftermath of the heist and has a lot of fun with the notion of “no honor among thieves”. The backstabbing and changing allegiances might have been darker in another movie, but A Fish Called Wanda maintains its terrific sense of humor throughout, becoming a laugh-out-loud crime comedy.

2 Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

A Career Criminal Organizes A Team For An Ambitious Casino Job

Danny Ocean was originally played by Frank Sinatra in the 1960 original, but George Clooney pulls off a magic trick by somehow making the character even more suave and debonair. Ocean is a career criminal just out of prison who quickly assembles a large team to pull off an ambitious heist of three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. The starry team of thieves includes Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle.

Ocean’s Eleven has such an irresistible swagger and effortless coolness that make it such a joy to spend time in this world. The movie delights in playing games with its audience. It’s a puzzle that begs to be solved, but the team is always one step ahead. The entirety of the movie is focused on building the team and planning the heist, but seeing how the job was finally pulled off makes for a crowd-pleasing climax. The Ocean‘s franchise has produced some fine sequels, but none that live up to this endlessly fun ride.

1 Heat (1995)

A Disciplined Thief Is Hunted By A Determined Cop

Michael Mann’s Heat has become the heist movie that all others in the genre are compared to. The obsessive cat-and-mouse game between Detective Vincent Hanna and criminal Neil McCauley is so engaging thanks to the incredible chemistry between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. At its core, Heat is a wonderfully constructed contest between two men who will stop at nothing. It is further elevated by Mann’s brilliant direction and the iconic way he photographs the eeriness of Los Angeles.

While movies like Ocean’s Eleven have a lot of fun showing the cleverness behind the heists, Heat is even more thrilling in its grounded look at bank robbers. The heists are not elaborate but are gripping to watch as it all comes down to the incredible discipline of the thieves, getting in and out with as much efficiency as possible. Of course, this leads to the moment they are finally cornered which makes for one of the best movie shootouts of all time.