It's the 25th anniversary of the Crime/Heist film classic "Heat" starring Al Pacino and Robert Deniro. While thinking about the film, I starred thinking about one of my favorite film genres, heist films. Heist films can be serious gritty crime dramas, or over the top goofy comedies, which is why I enjoy them so much. I also enjoy watching these heist unfold over time and all the deatil they put into them. So I decided to write my top ten heist films. Since I enjoy heist movies so much, I had to include some honorable mentions before digging into the list.
Honorable Mentions:
The Town
Baby Driver
Jackie Brown
Tower Heist
Now You See Me
10. Quick Change
Quick Change is a 1990 film starring Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, and Jason Robards. Murrat, Davis, and Quaid play a trio of bank robbers who pull off a successful heist without a hitch. They're next goal of getting out of town isn't as easy, everything that could go wrong does in fact go wrong. The film is a quirky comedy with Jason Robard's detective determined to catch them as they try to get the hell out of town.
9. Fast Five
The film that reinvented the Fast and Furious franchise, and without a doubt the best film in the entire series. Fast Five has Vin Diesel and Paul Walker tapping into their network of friends to steal from a shady Brazillian businessman who has gotten them jammed up. All the while The Rock's federal agent Luke Hobbs and his crew are hot on their tail.The movie does provide callbacks to the four previous films and displays how valuable each team member is to the group. That chase
scene through the streets of Brazil is also top five chase scenes in my opinion.
8. Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino's classic 1992 film directing debut is a benchmark for heist films that followed. It follows eight criminals who rob a jewerly store but it goes entirely horribly wrong. The film intersects between how the heist came together to the fallout from it going wrong. Showing eight guys don't know one another can't trust each other and how the every man for themselve mentality can really cause issues.
7. Inside Man
Starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owens and directed by Spike Lee. This heist film follows Clive and his crew as they rob a Manhattan bank. Denzel Washington play's the hostage negotiator assigned to work with these robbers. Through the process we learn the contents within the bank the robbers are really looking for. It's a smart heist film that you have to watch multiple times to pick up on the many cues.
6. Heat
Heat the epic crime drama starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro starring alongside one another. They both were in The Godfather II but their respective characters lived in different time periods so they never shared the screen. Directed by Michael Mann who later directed Ali, Collateral and Public Enemies. Heat features the typical trope of two men on opposite sides of the law and their personal and professional lives. One of them life is in complete shambles and it's not who you think. The two play a cat and mouse game as De Niro's character plans his next heist, leading to the famous downtown LA shootout scene.
5. Set It Off
The older I get the more I realize how fucked up of a hand was dealt to these four sisters. They all went to work and contributed to society and the system screwed them one way or another. There have been other heist films with all female leads, but none of them took charge like this quartet did in Set It Off. The bank shootout scene is up there with the best of film shootouts, and the fate of characters may have even the strongest folks shed a tear.
4. Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven a remake of the 1960 film starring the Rat Pack, it spawned two sequels and a spin-off. The film follows Danny Ocean played by George Clooney assembling his crew to rob a Las Vegas casino. Danny assembles a motley crew of talent that includes Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan and more. This film highlights the carefully detailed planning into their heist, the code names for the team members respective roles..what the hell is a greaser by the way? It also shows how important teamwork is and that everyone plays their role to perfection. When I use to play GTA: San Andreas the Caligula's casino mission always gave me Ocean's Eleven vibes.
3. Den Of Thieves
This film released in 2018 doesn't get the love it deserves, but I feel in time it will. The film stars Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and Pablo Schrieber. Gerard plays Nick a L.A. Sheriff detective following a group of bank robbers and he thinks he's found his targets. Much like Heat this film plays the cat and mouse game, and show's the personal lives of the men on both sides of the law. This film has some amazing shootouts, including this one in the middle of a traffic jam. The film also has a wild card aspect of a mastermind you wouldn't expect.
2. Inception
Inception the 2011 film starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy was directed by Christopher Nolan. This film is different type of heist film in that what the captors are stealing is in effect someones mind. The whole premise of the film is to infiltrate someones dream and implement an idea into their head. The film truly requires multiple viewings, as the dream world and layout has many rules and concepts you have to pay attention to understand. The unusual heist, graphics, and action is what makes it my 2nd favorite heist film.
1. Point Break
This 1991 film starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Gary Busey follows FBI agent Johnny Utah "Utah get me two!" who goes undercover and hangs with some free spirited surfers led by Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Utah suspects Bodhi's crew is responsible for a series of recent bank robberies, but maybe getting in too deep in the process. Everytime this movie comes on I stop what I'm doing and watch it, the same can't be said for it's 2015 reboot. It may not be as "smart" or drama filled as other heist films, but it is a damn good ride in the process.
