The 20 best heist films ever made, ranked

Marvel Studios entered the heist genre with "Ant-Man," proving once more that even their most minor characters can make a big impact at the box office. Paul Rudd stars as an ex-con tasked with stealing the eponymous suit by the original wearer (Michael Douglas) in order to prevent his technology from falling into the wrong hands. "Ant-Man" succeeds by mixing the heist and superhero genres with interesting characters and sharp humor.

While "Thief" isn't Michael Mann's best heist movie (that comes later on our list), it is one of his most detailed. And when coupled with an electric performance from James Caan, it makes for a wildly engrossing look at the life of a professional jewel thief. Mann's attention to detail both in the interpersonal relationships of a crook and the way in which said crook goes about his business makes for compelling viewing from a director who had yet to fully hit his stride.

"A Fish Called Wanda" qualifies as the final (partial) Monty Python film (kinda), written and directed by John Cleese in this tale of a heist with a potential haul of 13 million pounds. Mixed up in the action is a hilarious cast of characters featuring Kevin Kline as a criminal who hates to be called stupid (even though he mostly is), Jamie Lee Curtis as an American femme fatale, Michael Palin as a stuttering animal lover and Cleese as a barrister who finds himself smack dab in the middle of the trouble.

As far as debut films go, Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket" is both lazily ambitious and also hilarious. By far his most "normal" film, "Bottle Rocket" introduces audiences to brothers Luke and Owen Wilson as a pair of friends who, as an alternative to being functioning and responsible adults, plan an elaborate heist at a cold-storage warehouse that immediately backfires. Anderson's quirky charm and naiveté are on full display here, albeit in a much more nascent form.

Steven Sodeburgh's remake of the classic "Rat Pack" excuse to hang out with friends in Vegas is a much, much better film than its predecessor, even as it carries equal amounts of star power if not overall charm. George Clooney is at his roguish best as Danny Ocean, an ex-con who gathers a group of fellow crooks and others for a once-in-a-lifetime heist that, if successful, would total in the millions for all involved. The first of three films in the franchise, it remains the best of the bunch.

Director Guy Richie gives international audiences their first taste of an entire new (to non-Brits) sub-genre of the British Gangster film, with a sharply comedic bent. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" features an eclectic cast of characters that also offers us our first major performance from Jason Statham. Before settling into his action hero present, Statham played a good-natured bloke who, with his three friends, simply wanted to keep from having their fingers clipped by a card-cheat porno king (P.H. Moriarty).

Few crime capers sound quite like "Baby Driver." Featuring an eclectic soundtrack with deep cuts that serve as the driving force behind this part-heist, part-romantic fable about a wheelman (Ansel Elgort) who spins the wheel with the same groove as his music while working off a debt to his crime lord boss (Kevin Spacey). Director Edgar Wright crafted an expertly done cinematic tango of fast lines, funky music and even faster stunts into an overall package that's a steal at any price.

One part heist movie, one part working-man's procedural, "The Taking if Pelham One Two Three" stars Walter Matthau as a working stiff cop for the New York Transit system. While having his "one bad day," a group of criminals executes a train hijacking under his nose, demanding $1 million before letting any of the hostages go. Featuring a version of New York that simply doesn't exist anymore, the film is a wry but engaging dramedy that transcends formula.

Few films have lines as classic as the “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” featured in the original "The Italian Job." Featuring a young and undeniably working-class suave Michael Caine, the film made an icon of not only Caine but the Mini Coopers used in the film's climactic getaway. While the film is one of the first one thinks of when thinking of heist films, the film's ending, an actual and literal cliffhanger, still divides audiences to this day.

"Rififi" could be considered the first modern heist film (even though it followed the next film on our list by five years), largely due to its complex and intricate narrative of the planning and execution of a jewel heist. One so detailed that the film was banned in a couple countries out of fear that thieves would try to copy the heist in real life. "Rififi" stands as a hallmark of French cinema and is widely hailed as one of the prime films to break into the American market — sparking a wide interest in French films as a whole.

A director constantly ahead of his time, John Huston's take on a post-war neorealism is the driving force behind "The Asphalt Jungle." It's a different sort of crime drama, and one of the first to look at criminals not as glory seeking showoffs but as generally decent people who just so happen to have a penchant for stealing. Sterling Hayden shows off serious chops in a role that he would later perfect in our No. 1 film on the list, as a crook with a heart of gold who finds himself involved in a number of double crosses that could be his undoing.

Steven Soderburgh's first film back from retirement is also one of his most entertaining. "Logan Lucky" (written by wife and former E! anchor Jules Asner), follows a group of good ol' boys from West (By God) Virginia as they plan a heist during one of the busiest days of the year at a NASCAR race track. Featuring a hilarious and spot-on performance by Daniel Craig as a hillbilly demolition expert, "Logan Lucky" takes heist comedies to a whole new level.

"Kelly's Heroes" is a peculiar type of war/heist hybrid for its time. Set during WWII, the film introduces counterculture aspects that were certainly more indicative of the flower generation than that of the greatest generation, but it all comes together more than nicely as Clint Eastwood leads a pack of fellow soldiers on the trail of a gold depository that just so happens to be behind enemy lines. Featuring a who's who of character actors including Donald Sutherland, a young (is that even possible?) Harry Dean Stanton, Telly Savalas and Don Rickles, "Kelly's Heroes" is a one-of-a-kind heist flick. 

Spike Lee comes out of his normal comfort zone and hits a home run with "Inside Man" a post-9/11 heist film that makes the city just as much a character as what takes place inside it. Starring Denzel Washington as a less-than-straight arrow detective on the trail of a jewel thief who has the perfect plan to lift some old diamonds off an owner who is far more, and far worse than he may seem. Not just an effective heist drama but also sociological study that demands more than one viewing just to take it all in.

Director Bryan Singer's debut film is also one of the best heist films the genre ever offered, with a twist ending that has to be seen to be believed. "The Usual Suspects" brings together a cavalcade of character actors who plan (under duress) a score to make up for previously robbing the infamous Keyser Söze, a mythical gangster whose reputation for cruelty and bloodshed precedes him. Featuring stellar work from Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects" successfully treads where few films dare — making it still-watchable long after the big reveal is made.

The only heist movie on our list to have won the Best Picture Oscar, "The Sting" is a classic paring of Robert Redford and Paul Newman as a pair of con men who seek revenge against a mob boss with only of the most intricate plans to bilk the mob out of $500,000 (which was a lot more money in its 1930's setting). Newman and Redford, both fresh from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kind," share a unique chemistry — something few stars have in more modern cinema, and the results are just as unique and timeless.

Not only is "Die Hard" the greatest Christmas movie ever made, it's also one of the best heist films as well. Unlike many of the films on our list, we don't find ourselves rooting for the heist to be successful. Instead, watching the battle of wits between mastermind Hans Gruber (Alan Richman) and maverick cop John McClain (Bruce Willis) is more than satisfying. If this were any other type of heist film, Gruber might just be the hero. Yippy-ki-maybe.

Arguably director Michael Mann's finest hour, "Heat" is a crime saga for the ages featuring a stellar first-paring of acting powerhouses Robert De Niro as a master thief who is planning the score of his career, and Al Pacino as the driven detective who will stop at nothing to bring him and his crew down. A high-water mark for the genre, the film is best remembered for the massive shootout following De Niro and his gang's signature heist.

Taylor Sheridan ("Wind River") and director David McKenzie craft a deft and detailed study of a pair of brothers in this modern-day western as they execute a heist over a number of banks in order to save the family farm from the very same banks they're robbing. Add to the mix yet another fantastic performance from Jeff Bridges, and you have an instant classic take on the genre.

While many look at Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" as his greatest achievement, "The Killing" is by far his best film. Kubrick's signature documentary style is aptly used in this tale of a down-on-his-luck mastermind (Sterling Hayden) who sets up the biggest score of his career and how that foolproof plan falls apart almost as expertly as it was devised.