The 50 Most Iconic Heist Movies, Ranked - CrimeReads

The 50 Most Iconic Heist Movies, Ranked - CrimeReads's icon

Created by Igor_Brynner.

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Okay gang, let’s get down to business. I’d like to get one thing out of the way right at the beginning… this is a list ranking “heist movies,” not the heists that are in movies or movies that have heists in them (if it were, we’d include the opening of the original The In-Laws, where the big magnet on the crane picks the armored car up off the road and hauls it away to be raided).

I’d like to make this distinction at the outset because, also, some movies which seem to centrally feature heists are not actually “heist films,” but capers, which are ultimately their own genre, despite many similarities. We will be releasing an accompanying list of the Best Capers shortly after this one, so if you don’t see a film with a great heist in it, keep your shirts on, because it’s probably on the other list.

Okay, so what IS a heist movie? Good question! It’s a movie whose plot and theme centers around a large heist, or a series of heists. But “heists” have to play the weightiest roles in their films; a movie in which there are, say, a whole slew of bank robberies, but the whole thing is ultimately about the relationships between fathers and sons, is not a heist movie (in case anyone remembers The Place Beyond the Pines and thinks it belongs on this list, which it doesn’t).

And actually, I should just explain now why you won’t see The Sting or Hustlers on this list: a heist isn’t a con, either, even if it’s a Big Con. Indeed, Merriam-Webster defines “heist” as a straight-up robbery. In case you’re wondering, although we will get to this later, the dictionary defines “Caper” as an “amusing movie or story about… an illegal or questionable act or escapade” which is not necessarily limited to a robbery but probably is a robbery. Heists are action-packed, serious, and while they can be fun and there will certainly be moments of comic relief, these films are frequently on the darker side.

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Indeed, many heist movies are also about failed heists, which begs some further clarification. A movie about a failed heist is a certified heist movie if the “heist” part is the main part. If the movie is mostly about some element surrounding a failed heist, like The Usual Suspects, or uses the setting of the failed heist to tell another kind of story, like Dog Day Afternoon or Goodfellas, it’s not on this list. Also, just to warn you, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is not on this list. It’s not a heist movie. I don’t make the rules.

Most importantly, heist movies frequently feature ensemble casts—these are often movies about working together as team, and splitting the prize. Partially because heists are often too difficult for one person to handle, and partially because the point of the heist is rounding up a crew of motley, misfit criminal savants with disparate skills and connections.

So, without further ado, let’s blow this popsicle stand.

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  1. 1 new

    The Asphalt Jungle

    1950, in 15 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Inside Man

    2006, in 1 top list Check
  3. 3 new

    Ocean's Eleven

    2001, in 6 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    Jackie Brown

    1997, in 5 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Bande à part

    1964 — a.k.a. Band of Outsiders, in 13 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    The Town

    2010, in 0 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Widows

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  8. 8 new

    Le cercle rouge

    1970 — a.k.a. The Red Circle, in 11 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    The Thomas Crown Affair

    1968 — a.k.a. The Crown Caper, in 3 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    Du rififi chez les hommes

    1955 — a.k.a. Rififi, in 18 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Logan Lucky

    2017, in 0 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Bob le flambeur

    1956 — a.k.a. Bob le Flambeur, in 13 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    Criss Cross

    1949, in 6 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    Reservoir Dogs

    1992, in 26 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    Hell or High Water

    2016, in 4 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    The Killing

    1956, in 15 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Thief

    1981, in 5 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Drive

    2011, in 8 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    The Old Man & the Gun

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  20. 20 new

    Tangled

    2010, in 3 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    Charley Varrick

    1973, in 3 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Sexy Beast

    2000, in 8 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    Bottle Rocket

    1996, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Set It Off

    1996, in 0 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    Point Break

    1991, in 9 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Heat

    1995, in 23 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    Baby Driver

    2017, in 3 top lists Check
  28. 28 new

    The Bank Job

    2008, in 0 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    Ronin

    1998, in 1 top list Check
  30. 30 new

    Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

    1998, in 8 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    The Italian Job

    2003, in 1 top list Check
  32. 32 new

    The Good Thief

    2002, in 0 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    The Score

    2001, in 0 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    Ant-Man

    2015, in 2 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    Ocean's Thirteen

    2007, in 2 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Fast Five

    2011, in 2 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Ocean's Twelve

    2004, in 4 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    The Maiden Heist

    2009, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Flawless

    2007, in 0 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    King of Thieves

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  41. 41 new

    The Newton Boys

    1998, in 2 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    Ocean's Eleven

    1960, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    The Ladykillers

    2004, in 0 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    Tower Heist

    2011, in 0 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    The Art of the Steal

    2013, in 0 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Heist

    2015, in 0 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    The Bling Ring

    2013, in 0 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    Now You See Me 2

    2016, in 1 top list Check
  49. 49 new

    Now You See Me

    2013, in 1 top list Check
  50. 50 new

    Ocean's Eight

    2018, in 2 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 2, 2022; source