The 15 Best Modern Heist Movies

There’s a reason we keep coming back to the heist movie genre, again and again and again. That’s because although most movies would have you believe that committing crimes is bad, we can’t help but respect a character who does it well. Robbing a little old lady on the street is unforgivable, sure, but robbing a wealthy old lady who keeps her hoard of ill-gotten money in an impenetrable vault surrounded by lasers and mercenaries? You gotta respect the moxie of anybody who even tries. And if they succeed, well dang, good for them. It sounds like they earned every penny.

There’s no shortage of classic heist movies, but with income inequality on our minds, and billionaires actively destroying everything decent about this planet every single day, the genre seems particularly alluring in the 21st century. Maybe that’s why we’ve had so many classic and cult classic heist movies in the last 25 years. And these are the very best of them.

Heist (2001)

Writer/director David Mamet made so many twisty-turny crime thrillers that he’s practically his own subgenre. By the time “Heist” came out in 2001 his audiences already thought they knew the score, so they were on the lookout for a big shocking twist that would no doubt strike in the film’s final minutes. But “Heist” is Mamet at his conniving best, telling a story with so many reversals and betrayals that there’s a huge Mametian shocker every few scenes, keeping you on your toes the entire time. Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pigeon and Ricky Jay are master criminals roped into a daring airline heist by their scuzzy fence, played by Danny DeVito, who forces them to include his untrustworthy nephew, played by Sam Rockwell. Bracingly intelligent, exciting storytelling from start to finish, with dialogue you’ll quote for years afterwards. (“Everybody needs money! That’s why they call it money!”)

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

There was only one Rat Pack, but there’s more than one “Ocean’s Eleven.” The original heist movie classic starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawton, Joey Bishop and Angie Dickinson — and holy cow, that list goes on — but it’s a laid back affair that puts most of its weight on that star power. Steven Soderbergh’s smooth and stylish remake has George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Julia Roberts — and that list goes on too — but this time you’re not expected to simply marvel that they’re all in the same room together. It’s a crackerjack Las Vegas heist thriller about robbing an impenetrable casino, as carefully crafted by the filmmakers as it is by those dashing criminals. The sequels are fun (and the sparkling spin-off “Ocean’s Eight” deserves a lot more respect) but this remake is “Ocean’s” at its best.

Sugar & Spice (2001)

There’s one teen movie about cheerleaders that everyone remembers from the early 2000s, and “Sugar & Spice” ain’t it. But although “Bring It On” is a bubbly slumber party classic that spawned a slew of straight-to-video sequels, “Sugar & Spice” has just as much razzle-dazzle and even more laughs. Also, it has heists! Marley Shelton stars as a cheerleader whose handsome dolt boyfriend, played by a hilarious James Marsden, gets her pregnant. So her squad decides to help them out by studying a bunch of heist movies and using their gymnastic skills to rob their way into a happy ending. Smart and slightly twisted — with a few jokes that admittedly haven’t aged well — “Sugar & Spice” is a cult classic waiting to find its audience. (Come on, “Drop Dead Gorgeous” squad! Rally behind this one too!)

Bad Santa (2003)

Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox have a good thing going. Every year they install themselves as a shopping mall Santa Claus and elf, they case the joint for weeks, and then they rob it silly on Christmas Eve. The only problem is, Thornton’s Willie T. Soke is a sad-sack, sex-obsessed, depressive and potty-mouthed alcoholic who can’t stand kids. Terry Zwigoff’s dark heist comedy is just the right film for the Christmas doldrums, wallowing in yuletide misery and discomfort until finally, kinda, going somewhere kinda nice with it, when Soke begrudgingly learns… well, maybe “the true meaning of Christmas” is pushing it. Let’s just say by the time the credits roll he might have remembered how to give a crap.

Inside Man (2006)

When some filmmakers make a heist movie they focus on how cool the criminals are, or how tough the cops are, or the many superficial thrills you can find in good old-fashioned pulp. When Spike Lee makes a heist movie, he throws all of society’s ills into a pressure cooker and uses an ingenious act of larceny just to stir the pot. Clive Owen takes a bank hostage, Denzel Washington arrives to negotiate, and Jodie Foster meddles at the behest of a banker, played by Christopher Plummer, who will stop at nothing to protect his safe deposit box. Meanwhile, even the smallest moments are charged with post-9/11 anxiety, reminding us that nothing happens in a vacuum. “Inside Man” may be Lee’s most mainstream movie but it’s also politically-charged and damning as all hell.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Sidney Lumet gave us timeless classics like “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Network,” “Serpico,” “The Verdict” and “12 Angry Men,” and for his last cinematic feat he made a heist thriller that belongs in that same vaunted company. “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a businessman who schemes with his loser brother, played by Ethan Hawke, to rob their parents’ jewelry store. It should have been a simple smash-and-grab job but in true heist movie fashion, everything goes horribly, unpredictably wrong. The heist isn’t the centerpiece here, the moral decay is. As the characters endure the disturbing aftermath of their desperate decision, they’re forced to endure the equally desperate consequences. 

Inception (2010)

The whirling dervish technical wizardry and fantastical concept behind Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” sometimes obscure the fact that, at its heart, it’s just an old-fashioned heist movie. It only just happens to be about sneaking into people’s dreams instead of sneaking into a bank vault. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a team of thieves — including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, and Dileep Rao — who specialize in weaseling their way into your subconscious and extracting your secrets, but when they enter the mind of the heir to a corporate fortune, played by Cillian Murphy, they get a lot more than they bargained for. Nolan’s impeccably crafted sci-fi thriller owes a huge debt to Satoshi Kon’s animated classic “Paprika” (in some scenes it’s almost shot-for-shot), but the American filmmaker brings an icy masculinity to the story, highlighting — as he often does — the barely-repressed emotional turmoil hidden behind a consummate professional’s façade.

Sound of Noise (2010)

Is it possible to make a great heist movie where no one steals anything? The Swedish-French crime caper “Sound of Noise” proves the answer is “yes.” This infectiously clever genre mash-up is about a group of mischievous performers who break into banks and hospitals, but not to rob the place. Instead they transform the whole city into catchy, musical, outsider art. Hot on their heels is a detective who will stop at nothing to catch them but he’s at a disadvantage — he can’t understand his melodic quarry because he’s tone deaf. The trappings of the heist genre are turned dazzlingly on their head in “Sound of Noise,” and the whole idea opens itself up, revealing a world of possibilities inside what looks like a narrowly defined set of tropes. (See also: The cheesy and satisfying “Step Up Revolution,” released two years later, which equates high-stakes heists to plucky flash mobs.)

The Town (2010)

Ben Affleck’s second feature film — as a director, that is — is a tough and macho crime drama about bank robbers in Boston, Massachusetts. In the pulse-pounding opening heist, Doug (Affleck) and his unhinged partner Jem (Jeremy Renner, Oscar-nominated and rightly so) take a hostage. They let her go, but Doug forms a relationship with her afterwards, afraid to reveal how they really first met. On their tail is a dogged investigator, played by Jon Hamm, who wants to end their crime wave. The emotionally raw characters, mixed with Affleck’s steely and exceptional direction, make “The Town” a standout in the heist genre, even though the story covers some pretty familiar territory.  

Fast Five (2011)

Who says heist movies have to be gritty? Justin Lin’s “Fast Five,” the fifth film in the blockbuster franchise — the sixth if you count Lin’s unofficial prequel “Better Luck Tomorrow,” which you should — finally brings all the pieces together. The cast of the previous four (five) films are officially united in Brazil, and after a daredevil train heist they’re forced to use their larcenous, high octane skillset to take down a powerful crime lord by robbing him dry. Dwayne Johnson joins the fray as, finally, a match for Vin Diesel’s overwhelming testosterone, and the fantastic car chase finale is, perhaps, the cinema’s finest depiction of safe driving. “Fast Five” is to the “Fast and Furious” series what “Goldfinger” was to the James Bond films, perfecting a satisfying, over the top template for its franchise to embrace for years to come.

Now You See Me (2013)

“Fast Five” isn’t the only ludicrous blockbuster heist movie worth celebrating in the 21st century. What if, instead of underground street racers who became master criminals, the antiheroes were brilliant stage magicians? That’s a wonderfully pulpy conceit and “Now You See Me” milks it for all it’s worth, with absurd sleight of hand, escapist, mesmerist gimmicks galore. Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco play “The Four Horsemen,” superstar illusionists who use their seemingly impossible shows as a cover outright impossible heists — like teleporting a member of the audience into a bank vault in Paris — and Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent are on the case. Louis Letterier’s film smartly embraces its own silliness, and the scene where Dave Franco “magic fights” Mark Ruffalo using playing cards and flash paper is, in particular, an unforgettable delight. (The sequel, “Now You See Me 2,” should have been called “Now You Don’t” but anyway, it’s pretty much more of the same. Hopefully the upcoming third movie will be called “Now You Three Me” and make up for it.)

Logan Lucky (2017)

Steven Soderbergh must really love heist movies. His “Out of Sight” is one of the very best films the genre has ever produced (it came out in 1998, just outside our cutoff zone for “modern” here), he’s made three lucrative all-star “Ocean’s” movies, and his working class comedy “Logan Lucky” is arguably one of his best too. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver play blue collar brothers who scheme to rob a race track in the middle of a jam-packed event. They enlist the aid of Joe Bang, played to the comic nines by Daniel Craig, to use his explosives expertise in the subterranean tunnels beneath the stadium. It’s a terrific film, with an exciting and unpredictable plot, jokes that almost all land, and an inexplicable scene with a bear that will live in your head rent-free forever. (Who was that bear?)

Widows (2018)

When Liam Neeson’s professional heist crew dies in a botched job, it’s up to their widows — played by Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez — to come up with the cash so a crime boss, played by Brian Tyree Henry, can pay for his political campaign. They scheme to rob his opponent, played by Colin Farrell, and they enlist a scene-stealing Cynthia Erivo to round out their crew. It’s an elaborate high-concept but filmmaker Steve McQueen makes even the film’s most flagrant contrivances feel like a natural extension of a corrupt patriarchal system that thrives on inequality. Like Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” McQueen’s film uses the engine of the heist genre to drive some extremely intelligent and frustratingly salient points home, and emerges as one of the most ambitious films in the whole genre.

Army of Thieves (2021)

Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” was a neat idea, combining the zombie genre with the heist genre by sending a team of professional badasses into Las Vegas, overrun with the living dead, to break into a high-tech vault. The execution was a mixed bag to say the least, but somehow the film’s prequel “Army of Thieves” turned out spectacular. It’s the origin story of “Army of the Dead’s” quirky safecracker, Sebastian (Matthias Schweighöfer, who also directed). He gets invited to an underground competition to unlock an impenetrable safe. When he wins, he’s enlisted by a talented thief (Nathalie Emmanuel) to help pull off an international crime spree, cracking the most uncrackable vaults in the world. “Army of Thieves” has the rollicking spirit of a classic Euro heist adventure, with lovable characters and an electric pace. If it didn’t occasionally cut to news footage foreshadowing a zombie outbreak, and a few odd zombie-movie dream sequences, it would be a near-perfect standalone film.

The Bad Guys (2022)

There aren’t enough heist movies for children. Sure, some of those “Despicable Me/Minions” movies qualify, but they can’t hold a candle to Pierre Perifel’s “The Bad Guys.” Sam Rockwell voices Mr. Wolf, an anthropomorphic wolf who leads a crew of scary animals — Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) — that turned to a life of crime because everyone assumed they were evil anyway. When their latest heist goes sour, they make a deal to rehabilitate themselves, thinking it’s all just a con to get out of jail. But then, wouldn’t you know it, they kinda like being “Good Guys.” Perifel’s striking, energetic direction takes most of its cues from famous crime movie classics, and his voice-cast is impeccable. “The Bad Guys” is a great heist movie by any measure, but as a bonus, it’s a great entry point to the genre for younger audiences.

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