Best Pure Robbery / Heist Movies
by aliaksar2000 | created - 27 Sep 2011 | updated - 19 Nov 2017 | PublicTo see more detailed list go to: http://bestrobberyheistmovies.blogspot.com/
The most important issue when making a listing for a genre is trying to separate apples from oranges. The genre subject to this listings, heist movies is a sub genre of crime movies. Even though it is already a sub genre, if you put all of them in same listing, you will be ending up with this apples-oranges problem.
Where to put a great heist movie intended to be a comedy, sometimes a kind of fantasy among the first class job serious heist movies? Or how can you decide if a heist movie like Inside Man is better than a Dog Day Afternoon, while the second one's concerns are completely different? Does grifting / fraud movies fall to the genre? Can we count the movies for this listing which are simply about stealing but not organized heist? What about the movies whose main action is burglary? And the ones is about trying to get a ransom by committing a kidnapping, but very well organized and told? What about the movies where the stealing action never takes place, but the characters are after already stolen (or lost while stealing) loot?
That's why I tried to divide the genre into 3 main categories to be fair at least to my cinema view. And, of course, I applied my own criteria to judge what movie falls into what group. And even that method was sometimes not enough, so I sub-grouped them with the type of the theft committed. At the end I could call all those movies as 'theft movies' without being have to skip any of them without mentioning. First group is called 'Pure Robbery / Heist Movies'. To me, they are the movies basically:
a. Their plots are serious and
b. Can happen in real life although sometimes they are pretty fantasy like and
c. And their story concentrates on -generally organized- theft, where we see at least one of first two acts in a satisfactory dose.
(Act 1: Introduction/Preparation, Act 2: Stealing, Act 3: Aftermath)
Second group is Caper Movies. They are the movies:
a. No matter what acts of the movies is told/presented in what dose, they are intended to be a comedy in first place. and
b. Their plots are humorous and what happens in the movie can't happen in real life or too coincidental to happen.
And the third group is called 'Alternative Robbery / Heist Movies'. Meaning that:
a. Although the movie is most of time absolutely about theft and thieves, it concentrates other matters more than the theft act, therefore falls other genres like drama, adventure, biography before it falls to heist genre or
b. Concentrates the thieves more than the theft, so most of the time, they are character studies or even sometimes biographies or
c. Separate themselves from other heist / theft movies by having radically different nature or a different grammar or
d. Solely concentrates on Act 1 (Preparation) or solely on Act 3 (Aftermath) or concentrates one of these acts much more than other other two acts.
In that point of view, although some movies are considered as caper (like The Sting, Ocean's Eleven) in general, to me they were Pure Robbery / Heist Movies. Or although Quick Change is a comedy heist, since it is as organized as the serious heist movies, and a heist could happen in real life, it isn't a caper movie in my opinion.
My other listings:
Best Robbery / Heist Movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls055508041/
Best Alternative Robbery / Heist Movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003144920/
Best Caper Movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003144958/
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1. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,549,382 | Gross: $292.58M
2. Inside Man (2006)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 397,700 | Gross: $88.51M
3. Nine Queens (2000)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps (the "nine queens").
Director: Fabián Bielinsky | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Graciela Tenenbaum, María Mercedes Villagra
Votes: 57,098 | Gross: $1.22M
4. Now You See Me (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances, and reward their audiences with the money.
Director: Louis Leterrier | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Common, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 708,060 | Gross: $117.72M
5. The Sting (1973)
PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
Votes: 279,763 | Gross: $159.60M
6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
PG-13 | 116 min | Crime, Thriller
Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon
Votes: 618,858 | Gross: $183.42M
7. The Italian Job (2003)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron
Votes: 388,359 | Gross: $106.13M
8. The Art of the Steal (2013)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Crunch Calhoun, a semi-reformed art thief, agrees to get his old gang back together to pull off one last heist.
Director: Jonathan Sobol | Stars: Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, Katheryn Winnick, Chris Diamantopoulos
Votes: 26,045 | Gross: $0.06M
9. Maverick (1994)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene
Votes: 119,002 | Gross: $101.63M
10. The Great Train Robbery (1978)
PG | 110 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
England, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.
Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, Alan Webb
Votes: 19,547 | Gross: $13.03M
11. Man on a Ledge (2012)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.
Director: Asger Leth | Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Mandy Gonzalez
Votes: 158,520 | Gross: $18.62M
12. Now You See Me 2 (2016)
PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Four Horsemen resurface, and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco
Votes: 321,080 | Gross: $65.08M
13. Quick Change (1990)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Crime
Three thieves successfully rob a New York City bank, but making the escape from the city proves to be almost impossible.
Directors: Howard Franklin, Bill Murray | Stars: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Dale Grand
Votes: 22,191 | Gross: $15.26M
14. Rififi (1955)
Not Rated | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel, Janine Darcey
Votes: 36,831 | Gross: $0.06M
15. Firewall (2006)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A security specialist is forced into robbing the bank that he's protecting, as a bid to pay off his family's ransom.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen, Paul Bettany, Carly Schroeder
Votes: 59,615 | Gross: $48.75M
16. The Score (2001)
R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth with his lover when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist that comes with a large payout.
Director: Frank Oz | Stars: Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando, Angela Bassett
Votes: 134,057 | Gross: $71.07M
17. Ultimate Heist (2009)
R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The Malakian clan, a family of ruthless gangsters, controls the underworld of Southern France.
Director: Laurent Tuel | Stars: Jean Reno, Gaspard Ulliel, Vahina Giocante, Sami Bouajila
Votes: 3,568
18. Entrapment (1999)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Crime, Romance
An insurance agent is sent by her employer to track down and help capture an art thief.
Director: Jon Amiel | Stars: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ving Rhames, Will Patton
Votes: 123,886 | Gross: $87.70M
19. The Town (2010)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 415,544 | Gross: $92.19M
20. Le dernier tunnel (2004)
109 min | Crime, Drama
Based on a true story: a recently released convict dreams of one last heist with his old gang before retiring. Posing as electrical workers, they dig a tunnel deep under a bank vault. ... See full summary »
Director: Erik Canuel | Stars: Michel Côté, Jean Lapointe, Christopher Heyerdahl, Nicolas Canuel
Votes: 753
21. Seven Thieves (1960)
Approved | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A motley crew of professional thieves plans the robbery of a Monte Carlo casino vault.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joan Collins, Eli Wallach
Votes: 1,752
22. Ocean's Eleven (1960)
Approved | 127 min | Comedy, Crime, Music
Danny Ocean gathers a group of his World War II compatriots to pull off the ultimate Las Vegas heist. Together the eleven friends plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night.
Director: Lewis Milestone | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford
Votes: 25,192 | Gross: $12.32M
23. Ronin (1998)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A freelancing former U.S. Intelligence Agent tries to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by the Irish and the Russians.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 195,060 | Gross: $41.62M
24. The Red Circle (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand
Votes: 28,138 | Gross: $0.37M
25. Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
PG-13 | 122 min | Crime, Thriller
Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Michael Mantell
Votes: 367,277 | Gross: $117.15M
26. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Passed | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore
Votes: 29,928
27. Trespass (2011)
R | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As they're held for ransom, a husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Cam Gigandet, Ben Mendelsohn
Votes: 45,541 | Gross: $0.02M
28. Ocean's Twelve (2004)
PG-13 | 125 min | Crime, Thriller
Daniel Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001).
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Votes: 413,921 | Gross: $125.54M
29. The Con Artist (2010)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An ex-con finds his plan to go straight foiled by a loan shark who manipulates his target into taking on one last heist.
Director: Risa Bramon Garcia | Stars: Rossif Sutherland, Sarah Roemer, Greg Germann, Russell Peters
Votes: 994
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