Heist movies have always been fun to watch, not just because of the excitement that we get when a plan comes together in a film but also because of the planning, morally ambiguous character, and again we get happy when a plan comes together. There are many heist movies out there but only a few leave a lasting impact, so here are the best 20 heist movies of the 21st century.
Inception
Synopsis: Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in this sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the world of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best there is at extraction: stealing valuable secrets inside the subconscious during the mind’s vulnerable dream state. His skill has made him a coveted player in industrial espionage but also has made him a fugitive and cost him dearly. Now he may get a second chance if he can do the impossible: inception, planting an idea rather than stealing one. If they succeed, Cobb and his team could pull off the perfect crime. But no planning or expertise can prepare them for a dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy only Cobb could have seen coming.
Fast Five
Synopsis: Get ready for “five times the action, excitement and fun” (Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV) as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of all-stars from every chapter of the franchise built on speed. Fugitive Dom Toretto (Diesel) partners with former cop Brian O’Conner (Walker) on the opposite side of the law in exotic Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, they are hunted by a high-powered U.S. strike force led by its toughest Fed (Dwayne Johnson) and an army of corrupt cops working for a ruthless drug kingpin. To gain their freedom and win this ultimate high-stakes race they must pull off one last job – an insane heist worth $100 million.
Ocean’s Eleven
Synopsis: The original Rat Pack–Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop–star with Angie Dickenson in the original Ocean’s 11. Eleven pals prepare to carry out a–theoretically–foolproof plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The plan depends on split-second timing, and everything goes like clockwork … at first. But even in this almost perfect scheme, things begin to go wrong.
No Sudden Move
Synopsis: From director Steven Soderbergh comes No Sudden Move. Set in 1954 Detroit, No Sudden Move centers on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what they think is a simple document. When their plan goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them – and for what ultimate purpose – weaves them through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city.
Ocean’s 8
Synopsis: Five years, eight months, 12 days…and counting. That’s how long Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it’s going to take—a team of the best in their field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists: jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling); street con Constance (Awkwafina); expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson); hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna); and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter). The target is a cool $150 million dollars in diamonds—diamonds that will be around the neck of world-famous actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), who will be centerstage at the event of the year, the Met Gala. The plan is rock solid, but everything will need to be flawless if the team is going to get in and get away with the ice. All in plain sight.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Synopsis: When the IMF is disavowed after being implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and the remaining team must go underground and across the globe to clear the organization’s name. Presented by FXM
Widows
Synopsis: From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption. “Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. “Widows” also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry.
Now You See Me
Synopsis: Four talented magicians mesmerize an international audience with a series of bold and original heists, all the while pursuing a hidden agenda that has the FBI and Interpol scrambling to anticipate their next move in Now You See Me, a visually spectacular blend of astonishing illusions and exhilarating action from director Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans).
Hell or High Water
Synopsis: In HELL OR HIGH WATER, two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), go on a calculated bank robbery spree that puts them on a collision course with a West Texas Ranger (Academy Award©-winner Jeff Bridges) determined to take them down.
Baby Driver
Synopsis: A talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.
Bandits
Synopsis: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett form a quirky triangle in this breezy crime caper about two bank robbers who fall for the housewife they abduct. Directed by Barry Levinson; written by Harley Peyton.
Inside Man
Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington, Academy Award® nominee Clive Owen and Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster star in this intense and explosive crime thriller. The perfect bank robbery quickly spirals into an unstable and deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a criminal mastermind (Owen), a determined detective (Washington), and a power broker with a hidden agenda (Foster). As the minutes tick by and the situation becomes increasingly tense, one wrong move could mean disaster for any one of them. From acclaimed director Spike Lee comes the edge-of-your-seat, action-packed thriller that The Wall Street Journal calls “a heist film that’s right on the money.”
Heist
Synopsis: A jewel thief’s nephew is sent along on a heist to ensure a longtime partner in crime stays honest about the division of the loot.
Logan Lucky
Synopsis: The Logan’s are a blue-collar family from the hills of West Virginia, and their clan has been famous for its bad luck for nearly 90 years. But the conniving Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) decides it’s time to turn the family’s luck around, and with a little help from his friends, the Redneck Robbers, he plans to steal $14 million from the Charlotte Motor Speedway on the busiest race day of the year.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Synopsis: From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.
The Score
Synopsis: Three generations of acclaimed actors team up in The Score, an intriguing crime thriller that marks the first time that legendary Oscar-® winners* Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando have shared the screen. Also starring Oscar-® nominee** Edward Norton, The Score wowed critics and audiences alike. When expert safecracker Nick Wells (De Niro) decides it might be time to settle down with his girlfriend Diane (Oscar-® nominee*** Angela Bassett) and stick to his legitimate business, running a jazz nightclub in Montreal, his friend and partner Max (Brando) has other plans. Heavily in debt to a crime boss, Max needs Nick to pull one last heist: help novice thief Jack Teller (Norton) steal a scepter worth $30 million from the House of Customs. Tempted by the $6 million payday, Nick reluctantly agrees to do the job. But what starts out as a safe bet turns into a high risk gamble when a clash of egos threatens to bring them all down. Featuring performances by jazz greats Cassandra Wilson and Mose Allison, The Score is one of the smartest, most entertaining crime capers ever filmed, with surprises at every turn.
Snatch
Synopsis: A diamond heist gone haywire launches gangsters, bookies, and a dog on a rollicking ride through the rugged world of bare-knuckle boxing in search of the missing stone. Critically acclaimed comedy from Guy Richie.
The Town
Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck writes, directs and stars in this crime drama/romance. Based on the novel The Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, Affleck’s film follows a career criminal (Affleck) who finds himself romantically involved with the manager of a bank (Rebecca Hall) he held up. A high-stakes love triangle develops when an equally infatuated FBI agent (Mad Men’s Jon Hamm) arrives in the pursuit of justice. Stolen cash and a stolen heart lead to a relationship that could destroy this prince of thieves.
The Place Beyond the Pines
Synopsis: A motorcycle stunt rider (Ryan Gosling) turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective. Starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper.
National Treasure
Synopsis: Ever since he was a boy, Benjamin Gates has been obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he’s dogged by a ruthless enemy who wants the riches for himself.
This concludes the list of the best 20 heist movies of the 21st century you should watch. So, if you have watched them tell us in the comments and we will make a new list for you, and if you haven’t what are you waiting for.
