Heist films are always a good watch, and there have been several good ones in the 2020s. FromAmbulancetoThe Pickup,the goodies have kept on coming. Movies in the genre tend to revolve around the planning, execution, and aftermath of a major robbery. Some (likeReservoir DogsandThe Italian Job) focus on one of these aspects while glossing over the rest. A major trope includes the failure of the heist due to bad luck, the strength of the protagonists, or the stupidity and arrogance of the robbers.
This trend of criminals being unsuccessful started during the Motion Picture Production Code, which prohibited criminals from getting away with their crime, as a way to prevent the glorification of bad deeds. Even after the disappearance of the code, the trope remains. The genre itself stretches as far back as the early 1900s whenThe Great Train Robberywas made, but it only became popular in the ‘40s and ‘50s, thanks to movies likeThe Asphalt Jungleand Stanley Kubrick’sThe Killing.
At the moment, fans are familiar with all the major productions in the franchise, but below everyHeatandOcean’s 11is an equally obscure but great movie you should check out. Here are the 10 best heist movies you’ve probably never heard of.
10’The Burnt Orange Heresy' (2019)
While in Italy,art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang) finds himself surrendering to the fangs of temptationwhen he is invited to the estate of art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) andoffered the chance to steal a painting from the legendary artist Jerome Debney(Donald Sutherland). Everything seems straightforward at first, but the heist soon spirals into betrayal and murder. Who will still be standing whenThe Burnt Orange Heresyends?
A Misguided, Temporary Career Change
Director Giuseppe Capotondi’s elegantly complex crime thriller, beautifully shot near Lake Como, Italy, isa fine showcase for Claes Bang, always great at playing men with a fascinating, hidden aspect. His scenes with the gorgeous Elizabeth Debicki are as affecting and spellbinding as his more tumultuous interactions with Donald Sutherland and Mick Jagger. Comicality and some sexual frisson permeate the air, but the subtle look at greed is just as edgy, andthe motion picture looks as marvelous as art itself.
9’How To Steal a Million' (1966)
Charles (Hugh Griffith) fromHow to Steal a Millionhasbuilt a fortune by forging paintings and statues. When he lends a fake Cellini Venus to a museum, hereceives word that its authenticity will soon be tested, risking exposure. To save him, his daughter Nicole Bonnet (Audrey Hepburn)hires expert burglar Simon Dermott (Peter O’Toole) to steal the statue back.
Criminally Underrated Gem Featuring Hollywood Legends
Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole have some of the best chemistryever seen on screen. Their witticisms are everything.Hepburn also looks fashionably gorgeous, passing off as someone who truly belongs to the art world. Even better, there isa major twist linked to Simon. He is not who he appears to be, and the truth will shock both Nicole and the audience to the core. Enjoy thewatertight plot and the ‘60s Parisian setting. Also, watch out for Elli Wallach in a supporting role.
8’Dragged Across Concrete' (2018)
Video evidence of wrongdoing causes veteran detective Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and his capricious younger partner Anthony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) to be suspended early inDragged Across Concrete. Desperate and cash-strapped, they opt toshadow a heist crew, hoping to grab and keep the loot for themselves. Bad idea!
Robbing the Robbers
Featuringgreat performances from Vince Vaughn and Michael Jai White,Dragged Across Concreteisan ambitious, profound chronicle of greed, selfishness, regret, and mistakes that often characterize any attempt to get lots of money easily. You’ll be awed by how the intense film examines the inevitable disintegration of what first appears like a stable, promising plan to get money, then tracks the ensuing disappointment and evolving chaos among the characters.
7’Big Deal on Madonna Street' (1958)
In Rome, some maladroit small-time crooks — led by the recently paroled Cosimo (Memmo Carotenuto), and later the shambling Peppe (Vittorio Gassman) — believe their safecracking heist plan to be foolproof.Their eyes are on a pawnshop filled with valuables. It can be accessed by tunneling through a nearby building, but don’t expect them to walk away with the loot.Big Deal on Madonna Streetis a propercrime-gone-wrong film.
Wrong Ideas All Around
Long and demanding, but handsomely rewarding,the Italian film’s impact lies less in its depiction of a doomed, stagnating heist than in the nuanced nature of the robbers’ interactions before everything goes wrong. A Mario Monicelli peak,Big Deal on Madonna Street,will crack you up and anger you at the same time. Believe it or not, the film was shot with an entirely unprofessional cast, with dialogue dubbed during post-production.
6’Bottle Rocket' (1996)
Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson make their acting debuts inBottle Rocketas friendsplanning to conduct a series of heists across Texas. They first do a practice robbery, and once they are convinced they are ready, they target a bookstore. But we can tell nothing will go right in the comedy heist film, which was also Wes Anderson’s directorial debut.
Exemplary Work From the Wilsons
Funny but gray and graphic in places,Blue Rocketimpressively tells the story of gifted individuals who are applying their skills in the wrong place. Both Wilsons are convincing, butJames Caan stands out as landscape and part-time criminal Mr. Henry: the embodiment of unregulated sadistic evil. So enjoyable is the film that Martin Scorsese named it oneof his favorite worksthat came out in the 1990s.
5’Charley Varrick' (1973)
Charley Varrick’s titular character (portrayed by Walter Matthau) is a small-time crop-duster and former stunt pilot in need of more dollars, so hesets up a crew and robs a rural New Mexico bank. Unfortunately, they don’t get as much money as they hoped. Just $750,000. Worse still, thatmoney belongs to the mob, and you bet they’ll send someone to recover it. With the police also on their trail, what will these criminals do?
Wrong Move
One of directorDon Siegel’s grittiest, engaging works,Charley Varrickconstitutes mandatory viewing. The legendary filmmakerdemanded painstaking authenticity, and seemingly achieved it in various ways, such as shooting the film in northern Nevada and hiring some of the most underrated actors in the business. This might not be as popular as Siegel’sDirty HarryorEscape from Alcatraz,but it delivers the same punch.
4’Ruben Brandt, Collector' (2018)
Psychotherapist Ruben Brandt (Iván Kamarás) has a major headache inRuben Brandt, Collector. He isplagued by regular nightmares in which famous paintings violently attack him. Convinced he must acquire these classics to end the torment, hefinds out which of his patients has a criminal past and hires four of them to steal the paintings from museums. Enter Detective Mike Kowalski (Csaba “Kor” Márto)!
Collector Vs. Lawman
The fun inRuben Brandt, Collectorlies in watching the balance of power tiltfrom Brandt to Kowalski, and then back again. Spirited performances all around also help impart the distinctive layered plots to the screen. Watching it, you’re able to’t tell that this is only the first feature film of Slovenian director Milorad Krstić. And has there ever been a better analysis of the intersection of art and the mind?Dreamlike visuals make this more than a heist movie. It’s a psychological peregrination.
3’Polite Society' (2023)
Polite Societycenters on Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a British-Pakistani teen in London who aspires to be a stuntwoman. She idolizes her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya), so whenshe starts suspecting that the family of her sibling’s fiancé is up to no good, she comes up with an elaborate plan to rob the wedding.
No Weddings Allowed
Nida Manzoor’s directorial debut isone of the goofier (and often cynical) satires on overprotectiveness,a world in which people must preserve their bonds with others, even if it means preventing anyone else from entering into the picture. The film alsoexcels by examining the clash between career and social lifeand by expounding on little-known aspects of Asian culture. There are someincredible martial arts sequences, too.
2’Thief' (1981)
Years beforeHeat, Michael Mann madeThief, tapping into theone-last-jobtrope. Here,master safecracker Frank (James Caan) intends to quit and start a familywith his girlfriend Jessie (Tuesday Weld). Hemakes a deal with crime boss Leo (Robert Prosky) for a final scorethat will secure his future, only for things to turn out the opposite of what he expected.
Trapped in Crime
With a screenplay inspired by the memoirThe Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar, by former cat burglar Frank Hohime, Mann’s uncompromisingThiefportrays the criminal underworld as a dysfunctional system of lies, unchecked cruelty, false hope, and aggression. Caan is by turns sympathetic and menacing as Frank, who has already scaled his way up and now has to look for a way out by muscling foes and thumbing his nose at the sadistic and callous individuals who hold the keys to his future.
Adapted from the Thai film of the same name,Bad Geniusis a thrilling heist film set in the unique grounds of a school. Lynn Kang (Callina Liang), is an intelligent Chinese-American student attending an elite Seattle prep school, thanks to a scholarship and the sacrifices of her immigrant father (portrayed by Benedict Wong). She sooncomes up with a scheme to steal and supply exam answers to elite dumb students at a fee.
Excellence at Whatever Cost
It’s fun watching the ethical lines blur and the loyalties fade inBad Genius.Like the original, the American remakeboasts of all the proper heist ingredients, including up-to-the-second timing, clear masterminds, crews, and targets, rehearsal, and flawless execution under high pressure. Apart from Lian, Jabari Banks (best known forBel Air)is also excellent as a bushy-haired sidekick whose occasional cocky attitude infuriates Lynn.
