Heist Movies: Essential Films

Other Watch Lists:
1950 - 201934 Films66h 46m4.2 Average

The heist film has captivated audiences since The Asphalt Jungle nearly single-handedly popularized the genre for mainstream cinema in 1950. This watch list spans the genre's evolution from film noir roots through the influential French crime classics, the gritty 1970s, and into the slick modern era of elaborate ensemble pieces.

You'll find foundational works like Rififi with its legendary silent heist sequence, Kubrick's fractured-timeline The Killing, and the French masterworks of Melville. The list celebrates both serious crime dramas like Heat and Dog Day Afternoon alongside stylish entertainment like Ocean's Eleven and Baby Driver. From desperate bank jobs to impossible casino scores, these essential films showcase why the heist remains such an enduring and versatile genre.

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List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)

1
The Asphalt Jungle poster

The Asphalt Jungle

19501h 52m4.4
Director: John Huston
Cast: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore

A legendary burglar assembles a crew of veteran criminals for an ambitious jewel heist in this classic film noir about crime, loyalty, and the inevitable consequences of a life outside the law.

CrimeDrama
2
Rififi poster

Rififi

19551h 58m4.7
Original Title: Du rififi chez les hommes
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel, Janine Darcey, Pierre Grasset

After being released from prison, jewel thief Tony discovers his girlfriend has taken up with a gangster and decides to pull off an elaborate heist with his crew. Their seemingly perfect crime becomes complicated when their post-heist actions put everyone in danger.

CrimeThrillerDrama
3
The Killing poster

The Killing

19561h 25m4.6
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Ted de Corsia

Career criminal Johnny Clay assembles a crew for one final heist at a racetrack before retiring, but the plan begins to unravel when one member's wife learns of the scheme.

CrimeThriller
4
Bob le Flambeur poster

Bob le Flambeur

19561h 43m4.2
Original Title: Bob le flambeur
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Cast: Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, Gérard Buhr, Guy Decomble

In Paris, the charming and well-liked gambler Bob Montagne finds his legendary luck turning sour, leading him to plan a desperate heist of the Deauville casino during Grand Prix weekend when the vaults are at their fullest.

DramaActionCrime
5
The League of Gentlemen poster

The League of Gentlemen

19601h 56m4
Director: Basil Dearden
Cast: Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey, Richard Attenborough, Bryan Forbes

A retired colonel recruits seven disgruntled ex-servicemen to pull off a meticulously planned bank robbery using military precision and discipline. Each man brings specialized skills to the operation while harboring secrets from their past.

ComedyCrime
6
Topkapi poster

Topkapi

19641h 59m3.6
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Jess Hahn

A small-time crook in Greece becomes entangled with a sophisticated gentleman thief planning an elaborate heist to steal a priceless emerald-encrusted dagger from Istanbul's famous Topkapi Museum.

ComedyCrimeAdventure
7
The Italian Job poster

The Italian Job

19691h 39m4
Director: Peter Collinson
Cast: Michael Caine, Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Margaret Blye, Raf Vallone

After his friend's failed heist attempt in Turin, Charlie assembles a crew to steal a fortune in gold using Mini Coopers and careful planning to create chaos in the Italian city. This classic British caper film follows their elaborate scheme to pull off the ultimate getaway.

ActionCrimeComedyThriller
8
Le Cercle Rouge poster

Le Cercle Rouge

19702h 20m4.5
Original Title: Le Cercle rouge
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Cast: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté, Yves Montand, François Périer

A recently released criminal teams up with an escaped murderer and a disgraced ex-cop to pull off an elaborate jewel heist, while a determined police commissioner pursues them in this stylish French crime thriller.

CrimeThriller
9
The Sting poster

The Sting

19732h 9m4.9
Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston

A young grifter teams up with a legendary con artist to pull off an elaborate revenge scheme against the powerful mobster who killed their friend.

ComedyCrimeDrama
10
Dog Day Afternoon poster

Dog Day Afternoon

19752h 4m4.7
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, James Broderick

Based on a true story, two men attempt to rob a Brooklyn bank but the heist quickly goes wrong, escalating into a tense hostage situation and media spectacle as police surround the building.

CrimeDramaThriller
11
Thief poster

Thief

19812h 3m4.2
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi

A professional safecracker specializing in diamond heists plans to retire from crime and build a legitimate life, but takes on one last big score with a dangerous gangster to accelerate his exit from the criminal world.

CrimeThrillerDrama
12
Heat poster

Heat

19952h 50m4.8
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore

An obsessive master thief and his crew pull off daring heists across Los Angeles while being relentlessly pursued by a determined detective. The two men develop a mutual respect despite knowing their cat-and-mouse game may ultimately end in violence.

CrimeDramaAction
13
Mission: Impossible poster

Mission: Impossible

19961h 51m4
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno

When an elite espionage mission goes wrong, IMF agent Ethan Hunt finds himself framed as a mole and must go rogue to clear his name and uncover the real traitor within the CIA.

AdventureActionThriller
14
Set It Off poster

Set It Off

19962h 3m4.2
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, Blair Underwood

Four inner-city Black women, frustrated by their circumstances and determined to change their lives, decide to rob banks as their way out of poverty and struggle.

CrimeDramaThriller
15
Entrapment poster

Entrapment

19991h 52m3.4
Director: Jon Amiel
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sean Connery, Will Patton, Maury Chaykin, Ving Rhames

A seasoned art thief and an insurance investigator engage in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, but their professional rivalry becomes complicated when romance enters the equation.

RomanceDramaMystery
16
Snatch poster

Snatch

20001h 43m4.7
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina

A priceless stolen diamond becomes the center of a chaotic web involving boxing promoters, gangsters, bookies, and bungling thieves in this darkly comic crime caper.

CrimeComedy
17
Ocean's Eleven poster

Ocean's Eleven

20011h 56m4.4
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts

Charismatic thief Danny Ocean assembles a crew of specialists to pull off an ambitious heist, attempting to steal over $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos in a single night.

ThrillerCrime
18
The Score poster

The Score

20012h 4m3.8
Director: Frank Oz
Cast: Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando, Angela Bassett, Gary Farmer

An aging master thief planning to retire is reluctantly drawn into one final high-stakes heist by a young and ambitious criminal.

ActionCrimeThrillerMysteryDrama
19
Heist poster

Heist

20011h 47m3.5
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon

When veteran thief Joe Moore gets caught on camera during a heist, he finds himself broke and betrayed by his fence. Forced into one last big job, Moore must navigate a web of double-crosses while planning the score that could either set him free or destroy him.

ActionCrimeDramaThriller
20
Femme Fatale poster

Femme Fatale

20021h 54m3.3
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Rebecca Romijn, Antonio Banderas, Peter Coyote, Ériq Ebouaney, Édouard Montoute

A woman who pulled off a million-dollar diamond heist and assumed a new identity as a diplomat's wife finds her carefully constructed life threatened when a photographer's picture exposes her location to dangerous enemies from her past.

MysteryCrimeThriller
21
The Italian Job poster

The Italian Job

20031h 50m3.9
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Seth Green

After being double-crossed during a major heist, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate revenge scheme to steal back their loot. The operation leads to an intense chase through the streets of Los Angeles involving the team and their safecracker ally.

ActionCrime
22
Inside Man poster

Inside Man

20062h 9m4.4
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe

A seasoned detective must negotiate with a cunning bank robber and his crew who have taken hostages in a Manhattan bank, while dealing with his own corruption charges that threaten his career.

CrimeDramaThriller
23
The Lookout poster

The Lookout

20071h 39m3.8
Director: Scott Frank
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino

A former high school athlete whose life was derailed by a tragic accident works as a bank janitor and becomes entangled in a heist plot.

CrimeDramaThriller
24
The Bank Job poster

The Bank Job

20081h 52m3.9
Director: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner

A small-time car dealer is drawn into a dangerous bank robbery scheme by a beautiful model from his past, unaware that the heist will uncover far more than they bargained for.

ThrillerCrimeDrama
25
Inception poster

Inception

20102h 28m5
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page

A skilled thief who specializes in extracting secrets from people's subconscious minds is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of planting an idea instead of stealing one. This mind-bending heist takes place across multiple layers of dreams within dreams.

ActionScience FictionAdventure
26
The Town poster

The Town

20102h 5m4.2
Director: Ben Affleck
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively

A longtime Boston bank robber looking to leave the criminal life behind becomes romantically involved with a bank manager his crew previously kidnapped, creating dangerous complications as an FBI agent closes in on them.

CrimeDramaThriller
27
Fast Five poster

Fast Five

20112h 11m4.2
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris

Former cop Brian O'Conner teams up with fugitive Dom Toretto and his crew for one final heist in Rio de Janeiro to secure their freedom from pursuing authorities.

ActionThrillerCrime
28
Drive poster

Drive

20111h 40m4.5
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac

A skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver becomes entangled in a dangerous heist when he tries to help his neighbor and her family. When the job goes wrong, he must protect them from vengeful criminals while navigating Los Angeles' criminal underworld.

DramaThrillerCrime
29
Now You See Me poster

Now You See Me

20131h 56m4.3
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo

A team of master illusionists called the Four Horsemen use their magic shows to pull off daring bank heists, distributing the stolen money to their audiences while staying one step ahead of the FBI and Interpol agents pursuing them.

ThrillerCrime
30
Hell or High Water poster

Hell or High Water

20161h 42m4.3
Director: David Mackenzie
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland

Two brothers embark on a series of bank robberies across West Texas in a desperate attempt to save their family ranch from foreclosure.

WesternCrimeDrama
31
Baby Driver poster

Baby Driver

20171h 53m4.4
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx

A young getaway driver with a passion for music finds himself caught up in a dangerous heist orchestrated by a crime boss.

ActionCrime
32
Logan Lucky poster

Logan Lucky

20171h 59m3.8
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes

Brothers Jimmy and Clyde Logan attempt an elaborate heist during a major NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, hoping to reverse their family's streak of bad luck.

ComedyCrimeActionDrama
33
Widows poster

Widows

20182h 9m3.6
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell

After their criminal husbands die in a failed heist, four widows in Chicago team up to pull off their own robbery to pay off the dangerous debts left behind.

CrimeThrillerDrama
34
Triple Frontier poster

Triple Frontier

20192h 5m3.5
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal

Five former special ops soldiers reunite to pull off a dangerous heist, targeting millions of dollars from a South American drug lord's compound.

ActionThrillerCrimeAdventure