Heist movies that really could be possible

by TheSeeker7 | created - 25 Jan 2015 | updated - 30 Jan 2015 | Public

Which of these movies has a heist that has the best chance of actually working successfully in the real world?

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1. The Killing (1956)

Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

91 Metascore

Crook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen

Votes: 97,379

2. The Sting (1973)

PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

83 Metascore

Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.

Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning

Votes: 279,590 | Gross: $159.60M

3. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

68 Metascore

Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo

Votes: 35,628 | Gross: $2.49M

4. Rififi (1955)

Not Rated | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

97 Metascore

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: 36,814 | Gross: $0.06M

5. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar

Votes: 272,842 | Gross: $50.00M

6. Thief (1981)

R | 123 min | Action, Crime, Drama

78 Metascore

An ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi

Votes: 38,844 | Gross: $11.49M

7. Die Hard (1988)

R | 132 min | Action, Thriller

72 Metascore

A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson

Votes: 944,330 | Gross: $83.01M

8. Point Break (1991)

R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

59 Metascore

An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty

Votes: 201,936 | Gross: $43.22M

9. Heat (1995)

R | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama

76 Metascore

A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight

Votes: 718,427 | Gross: $67.44M

(Stealing the bearer bonds from the armored truck in opening sequence)

10. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

58 Metascore

John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene

Votes: 407,834 | Gross: $100.01M

11. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller

81 Metascore

When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn

Votes: 1,087,060 | Gross: $2.83M

12. Mission: Impossible (1996)

PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

59 Metascore

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny

Votes: 469,832 | Gross: $180.98M

(Downloading a copy of the NOC list from CIA headquarters in Langley)

13. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

R | 113 min | Crime, Romance, Thriller

72 Metascore

A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara

Votes: 100,378 | Gross: $69.30M

(Stealing painting after using the 4 man crew as diversion in opening sequence)

14. The Score (2001)

R | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama

71 Metascore

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: 133,989 | Gross: $71.07M

15. Ocean's Eleven (2001)

PG-13 | 116 min | Crime, Thriller

74 Metascore

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: 618,431 | Gross: $183.42M

16. The Italian Job (2003)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

68 Metascore

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: 388,213 | Gross: $106.13M

17. Inside Man (2006)

R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

76 Metascore

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: 397,399 | Gross: $88.51M

18. The Dark Knight (2008)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama

84 Metascore

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Votes: 2,867,075 | Gross: $534.86M

(The Joker's robbing of the mob bank in opening sequence)

19. Heist (2001)

R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama

66 Metascore

A career jewel thief finds himself at tense odds with his longtime partner, a crime boss who sends his nephew to keep watch.

Director: David Mamet | Stars: Gene Hackman, Rebecca Pidgeon, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo

Votes: 39,033 | Gross: $0.05M

20. The Town (2010)

R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

74 Metascore

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: 415,262 | Gross: $92.19M

(Stealing Fenway Park cash deposit in the 3rd act)

21. The Italian Job (1969)

G | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

70 Metascore

A comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.

Director: Peter Collinson | Stars: Michael Caine, Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone

Votes: 50,287



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