The 10 Best Movie Heist Plans, Ranked

While some heist films excite audiences with violence and action, others offer more intriguing and clever plots. Many of the best heist films glamorize the act of robbery, portraying elegant thieves who outwit their targets rather than intimidate them. It’s a joy to see a clever plan executed well, and heist movies offer a chance to root for the bad guys for the first time. In the twisted morality of the heist genre, intelligence, bravery, and efficiency may be more attractive traits than legality.

The heist genre first developed into its current form as an offshoot of film noir crime dramas. Films like The killing and Rififi find a balance between bold actions and clever schemes. Criminal stunts in the 1950s and 1960s ushered in a new style of heist films, in which the criminals win most of the time, often without killing anyone or even using weapons. These heist films offer a subversive fantasy that remains equally thrilling for decades.

10

Snatch (2000)

Snatch’s jewel thieves have the perfect disguises

Snatch it’s all about the chaotic aftermath of a robbery, not the preparation. That’s not unusual in a heist movie – A Fish Called Wanda, Reservoir Dogs and Time to hunt they all do the same – but it’s rare for these films to feature such creative crimes. Reservoir Dogsfor example, it doesn’t even show the robbery in progress. SnatchThe opening sequence is the perfect introduction to one of Guy Ritchie’s best films.

As the credits roll, Ritchie shows CCTV monitors of four criminals dressed as Orthodox Jews debating religious philosophy as they enter a diamond trading center in Antwerp. Their disguises provide them with the perfect cover, as they can hide their identities without masks.and they can even bypass metal detectors as they seem very harmless. Ritchie changes the pace when they reach their target and draw their weapons, creating an unforgettable introduction that sets the events of the entire film in motion.

9

The Lavender Hill Crowd (1951)

Surrounding stolen goods is as important as the theft

The Lavender Hill Crowd is a classic Ealing comedy and a British detective adventure in the same tradition as The Ladykillers and Italian work. The plot follows a disillusioned bank employee who has put up with his rigid 9 to 5 work schedule for too long, so he decides to rob his own employer. His closeness to the case means he can throw investigators off at every turn with false information, and is even treated as a hero for trying to stop the robbery.

The real stroke of genius in the plan is the decision to smuggle the gold out of the country, melting it down and creating fake souvenirs of the Eiffel Tower to be sent to Paris. This plan would work perfectly, if not for a legendary streak of bad luck that is only possible in a ridiculous comedy.. Not only are the wrong Eiffel Tower souvenirs sold, but one of the incriminating pieces of evidence is sold to the daughter of a police officer who has a great interest in molecular analysis.

8

The Wrong Pants (1993)

Feathers McGraw is Wallace and Gromit’s smartest villain

The wrong pants is a short film, but it manages to include a more elaborate and detailed criminal plot than many heist films. THE Wallace and Gromit classic shows a new tenant coming to stay on West Wallaby Street. The penguin is soon revealed to be criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw, who disguises himself as a rooster by wearing a red rubber glove on his head.

Feathers McGraw’s plan involves reprogramming Gromit’s new automatic dog-walking machine so he can operate Wallace like a puppet while he sleeps and steal a priceless diamond from the Natural History Museum. Other animated heist films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox and Ruben Brandt, collector, Don’t crave this nerve-wrecking tensionbut The wrong pants It’s hilarious and smart. Feathers McGraw is ready to return after more than 30 years next Wallace and Gromit: Revenge of the Most Birds.

7

Five Fast (2011)

Dom’s team took things up a notch with Fast Five

Just like the Fast and Furious the franchise seemed to be running out of gas, Five quick revitalized the series with a completely new style of action film. The street racing franchise expanded its horizons in an instant, taking inspiration from the heist genre. Things have gotten bigger, louder, and sillier since then, but Five quick it is perfectly measured. The plot follows Dom and his team as they attempt to pull off an audacious heist in Brazil, with the police breathing down their necks every step of the way.

Dom’s plan ticks all the boxes of a traditional heist thriller, with a ragtag team, some hacker wizardry, and plenty of clever diversions to keep the target and the audience guessing. Naturally, Fast and Furious‘film about a robbery focuses heavily on the escape. The scene where Dom and Brian drag an entire safe through the streets delivers the kind of action the franchise is known for, but the moment where the safes are switched adds another layer to the scheme that puts it over the top.

6

Goldfinger (1964)

Goldfinger’s plan to infiltrate Fort Knox comes within seconds of success

gold finger is not what most people would think of when they think of a heist movie, but the James Bond The thriller sees 007 trying to thwart Auric Goldfinger’s plan to invade Fort Knox. The film changes the scheme of Ian Fleming’s novel a little. In the film, Goldfinger doesn’t plan to simply steal the gold, because moving it would be too cumbersome and slow. Instead, he plans to detonate a dirty bomb inside Fort Knox, irradiating America’s gold reserves for generations, thus causing the value of his own shares to soar.

This simple change makes Goldfinger’s plan even smarter. The only reason he doesn’t get away with it is that his second-in-command, Pussy Galore, gets scared and reports him to the CIA. It appears that Bond’s legendary powers of seduction thwarted a terrorist attack, as he is largely responsible for Pussy’s change of heart. Goldfinger’s intelligence and strange charms make him an iconic Bond villain, and he contributes to one of the best James Bond everyone’s movies.

5

Gambit (1966)

Michael Caine’s heist comedy shows that a great plan doesn’t always guarantee success

Before the violent violence of 1970s thrillers, 1960s heist films were characterized by elegance and intelligence. Films like How to steal a million, the Thomas Crown case and Topkapi they portray elegant thieves who use brains instead of brawn. Gambit It’s much the same thing, when a Cockney con man hatches a fiercely clever plan, but the crime comedy proves the inescapable truth that all plans are futile when real life intervenes.

GambitThe first half features one of the most brilliant heist shots in cinema historywhich involves using a woman who looks like the target’s deceased wife to gain access to his private quarters. After the plan is defined in its entirety, Gambit shows what happens when almost everything goes wrong, starting with the fact that the doppelganger is obnoxious and bratty, and ending with the unfortunate snag where the hero falls in love with her.

4

Logan Luck (2017)

The Logan brothers are not your typical criminal masterminds

Steven Soderbergh is the director of Out of sight and the Oceanof franchise, so it should be no surprise to see this Logan Luck It’s also one of the best heist thrillers in recent memory. Just like these other films, Logan Luck balances its clever heist plan with plenty of humor. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver are in top form as two brothers trying to banish their family’s history of bad luck by pulling off a robbery at a racetrack.

Jimmy and Clyde Logan don’t fit the mold of most criminal masterminds. The former construction worker and the bartender still manage to come up with a genius plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s an unlikely scenario for a heist movie, but that only makes Logan Luck the chance to be even more original. Their plan gets every detail rightand they have a number of great ideas, like putting cockroaches in the subway system to find out where grant money is sent.

3

The Dark Knight (2008)

Joker’s heist is a great introduction to the character

The Dark Knight takes inspiration from the detective genre, starting with an opening sequence that barely resembles a superhero film. The Joker’s bank robbery is the perfect introduction to his character, showing that he is smart, ruthless, and always one step ahead. It’s also a great way to start an action-packed movie that mixes crime and superhero tropes. From the beginning, The Dark Knight begins to consolidate itself as one of the best action films of the 21st century.

Joker’s heist is so exciting because it looks so realistic. The robbery scenes in Ant-Man and Rogue One show that genre films are often eye-popping spectacleseven if it makes it harder to relate to the details. The Dark Knight to begin with, he parks his more eccentric influences. The plan is completely original, with the clever detail that each thief kills one of his accomplices, but maintains a strong realism.

2

Inside Man (2006)

Spike Lee’s narrative tricks make the man’s robbery even more interesting

Inner Man begins with Dalton speaking directly to the camera, laying out his current circumstances and clearly stating that he recently orchestrated an ambitious heist. It looks like he’s in prison, but that just sets up one of the many clever twists the story has to offer. From the start, Dalton appears intelligent and extremely calm, and maintains his composure throughout the robbery.

Inner ManThe heist is consistently surprising. The audience is put in the shoes of Denzel Washington’s detective character as he reacts to each obstacle that comes his way. Ultimately, he is as perplexed as anyone else. Dalton’s plan to stay inside the bank works so well because he frees the hostages unharmed and leaves the money untouched in the safe. The central idea is brilliant, but he also has some clever touches, like rotating the hostages in different rooms to increase the confusion.

1

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Ocean’s Eleven’s appeal is tied to the nature of its heist

All the allure of Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 heist thriller Ocean’s Eleven it comes from the charms of the main cast and the complexity of the plan. It’s a joy to see such a complex and carefully planned plan put into action, and audiences can’t help but root for Danny Ocean and his team. He and Rusty bring together a lot of ideas from their crime manualimproved by years of work. Their most cunning idea is to show Benedict images of a replica of his own safe.

The third act of Ocean’s Eleven provides a steady stream of glorious payoffs as the team’s mysterious behavior at the beginning of the film is finally cleared up. The robbery sequence also shows precisely how each member of the crew plays their role in the plan, from the drivers of the remote-controlled car to the explosives expert. THE Ocean the franchise never lived up to the joy of the first film in Soderbergh’s trilogy, but new reports of 14 of the ocean suggest that Danny, Rusty and the gang could have another chance.