Really, lets not call this a top ten.There are way too many heist favourites out there, and we all prefer some robberies over some other disguised capers, this is one fanboy list category that gets fanatically personal.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) Thirty-seven years before he made the finest plotted comedy of all time with A Fish Called Wanda, director Charles Crichton made this classic, the enduring gem from the superb tradition of Ealing comedies.
Sir Alec Guinness stars as Henry Holland (obviously nicknamed 'Dutch'), a bank clerk handling gold bullion -- and one who seems to have seen the gleamy light. An elaborate plan is hatched, involving foundries, lying, and miniature Eiffel Towers.
Madcap yet fascinating, this is sheer genius.
Rififi (1955)Master director Francois Truffaut called this (original French title Du rififi chez les hommes) the best film noir he'd ever seen. Much to director Jules Dassin's credit, the acerbic Truffaut further qualified his statement, saying it was based on the worst noir novel (written by Auguste Le Breton) he had ever read.
Rififi, loosely translated as 'trouble' in French, is a masterpiece, a film highlighted by a glorious, hushed and dialoguefree safe-cracking sequence -- lasting over 30 minutes -- so incredibly realistic that the French police banned the movie for some time, fearing it might serve as an instructional manual.
Rififi (1955)Master director Francois Truffaut called this (original French title Du rififi chez les hommes) the best film noir he'd ever seen. Much to director Jules Dassin's credit, the acerbic Truffaut further qualified his statement, saying it was based on the worst noir novel (written by Auguste Le Breton) he had ever read.
Rififi, loosely translated as 'trouble' in French, is a masterpiece, a film highlighted by a glorious, hushed and dialoguefree safe-cracking sequence -- lasting over 30 minutes -- so incredibly realistic that the French police banned the movie for some time, fearing it might serve as an instructional manual.
The Ladykillers (1955)
Judge this not by the loose 2004 Coen Brothers' remake, The Ladykillers is a delightful Ealing comedy, bringing together Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom (later to reunite in The Pink Panther), standing out among a wonderfully zany cast.
Alec Guinness is a comical mastermind, finding his way into the house of the old and unsuspecting Mrs Wilberforce (Katie Johnson). He gets together a freakish gang of villains, all planning a highly complicated caper -- but a snoring landlady isn't as easy to get by as they initially think.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)Sure, Pierce Brosnan did a good job with the remake. It's just that con artists simply can't get cooler than Steve McQueen in this 1968 classic. Norman Jewison directed, Michel Legrand scored and Faye Dunaway stunned, but the movie belonged to McQueen's titular character -- so smooth the screen feels slippery.
It's a role Sir Sean Connery always regrets having passed up. 'nuff said.
The Killing (1956)Truly, is there any genre Stanley Kubrick didn't excel in? A groundbreaking non-linear film, it features a multiple-point narrative and razor-sharp editing -- and remains astonishingly fresh to this day.
Sterling Hayden plays Johnny Clay, and sets up a brilliant plan -- to rob a racetrack. That's all you need to know. Watch this and feel your jaw drop.
Sterling Hayden plays Johnny Clay, and sets up a brilliant plan -- to rob a racetrack. That's all you need to know. Watch this and feel your jaw drop.
The Italian Job (1969)Michael Caine and Mini Coopers burn up the screen in this romanticised, swinging-60s caper film, a hilarious ensemble film that remains the grooviest of the genre. The remake, in comparison, is sheer vanilla.
The film runs ragged, and completely randomly, through a fictionalised Turin landscape, and the laughs and complications double up with each act. The last line remains one of the finest genre finishers, ever.
The film runs ragged, and completely randomly, through a fictionalised Turin landscape, and the laughs and complications double up with each act. The last line remains one of the finest genre finishers, ever.
Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) (1970)Jean-Pierre Melville, the French director who took his last name from Moby Dick author Herman, hit peak with this startling jewel heist film, as Alain Delon and his band of robbers set about a Paris adventure.
A far deeper and more profound film than the genre allows room for, this works at many levels, referencing Buddhist philosophy and using many a metaphor -- all the while staying true to the style, and creating a sharp epic with a magical half-hour heist sequence. Awe-some.
The Sting (1973)
A far deeper and more profound film than the genre allows room for, this works at many levels, referencing Buddhist philosophy and using many a metaphor -- all the while staying true to the style, and creating a sharp epic with a magical half-hour heist sequence. Awe-some.
The Sting (1973)Two years after directing Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, George Roy Hill brought us this massively entertaining film, based on true-life con artists.
An elaborate tale of several cons coming together over one climactic morning. The puzzle is a tricky, marvellously funny one and the choreography is infallible as the pieces line up, breathlessly. What a film.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
An elaborate tale of several cons coming together over one climactic morning. The puzzle is a tricky, marvellously funny one and the choreography is infallible as the pieces line up, breathlessly. What a film.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)Sometimes, as we see in Sidney Lumet's spectacular, almost cordoned-off masterpiece, heists can go wrong.
Based on a newspaper article about a simple bank robbery going very wrong, Dog Day explores a confined space and works its magic as a volatile police-media situation is straddled by bank robbers who have bitten off far more than they can chew.
The political and social ramifications are immense, and the film boasts of Al Pacino's greatest performance.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Based on a newspaper article about a simple bank robbery going very wrong, Dog Day explores a confined space and works its magic as a volatile police-media situation is straddled by bank robbers who have bitten off far more than they can chew.
The political and social ramifications are immense, and the film boasts of Al Pacino's greatest performance.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)Clowns to the left of me; Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Quentin Tarantino exploded onto the cinematic landscape with this sparkling example of his soon-to-be trademark styling -- nonlinear narrative, pop culture references, a killer soundtrack, blood and brilliant dialogue combining to create a heist film defiant of existing scriptwriting norms.
The film is about a jewellery store robbery, yet the robbery itself is so immaterial it isn't shown. What is, however, is the well-crafter interplay between the characters -- initially known to each other only by coloured aliases (Mr Blonde, Mr White) -- during the events leading up to, and following, the actual crime. Smashing.
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Quentin Tarantino exploded onto the cinematic landscape with this sparkling example of his soon-to-be trademark styling -- nonlinear narrative, pop culture references, a killer soundtrack, blood and brilliant dialogue combining to create a heist film defiant of existing scriptwriting norms.
The film is about a jewellery store robbery, yet the robbery itself is so immaterial it isn't shown. What is, however, is the well-crafter interplay between the characters -- initially known to each other only by coloured aliases (Mr Blonde, Mr White) -- during the events leading up to, and following, the actual crime. Smashing.
