Everyone loves a good well-crafted crime thriller but not every elaborate theft gets the profile it deserves.
The humble heist movie is one of the greatest intersections of multiple genres in the world of cinema. It's an action movie with unique objectives, a crime movie that knows how to have fun, and a comedy with an edge. Heist movies follow unique rules and take a lot of different shapes, but many of them have become huge hits.
The central aspects of a heist movie are a varied ensemble cast, a focus on the minutiae of "the plan," multiple fake-outs, and an anti-hero approach to its main characters. A group of disparate people must come together, make up an absurd strategy that inevitably falls apart, and improvise their way to profit.
Edgar Wright has mastered just about every genre he's ever tried, and the heist film is no exception. This 2017 instant classic casts Ansel Elgort as the eponymous Baby, a young man with an almost supernatural gift for driving. He's forced to use his talents as a getaway driver for a criminal mastermind. Baby is brought into close contact with a group of hostile criminals and pulled into a dangerous heist. The film features a fantastic soundtrack that frequently serves as the living heartbeat of everything from action scenes to casual conversations. This is a very simple story. It feels archetypal, but the style on display makes it a standout in the genre. Baby Driver was a passion project for Wright, and that level of creative inspiration shows in the material.
Sometimes one element of a film is so well-executed that the rest of it is forgotten. John Frankenheimer's 1998 thriller Ronin is primarily well-known for its absolutely stellar car chase scenes. The film frequently earns a spot on lists of the best chase scenes in cinema, and it deserves those accolades. While it nails that aspect, the rest of the film is still solid and enjoyable. Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, and more join the excellent ensemble cast. The plot follows a team of former special ops soldiers who are brought together by the IRA to steal a mysterious briefcase. The film premiered almost 25 years ago, and it still feels modern in many ways. With great performances, solid action, and the aforementioned outstanding car stunts, Ronin deserves a much higher profile in the modern day.
Rian Johnson sure has had a weird career. Many may not have heard of the director before he made his mark on Star Wars, but he made multiple interesting films before the one that made him a household name. His second feature brought Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, and Rachel Weisz together to make some con art. Ruffalo and Brody play the titular siblings, who've survived since youth by tricking innocents out of their cash. The estranged brothers reconnect for one last con, targeting a gorgeous but reclusive heiress. The Brothers Bloom is a fast-paced and bizarre film that seems to operate on its own unique Bohemian logic. It's occasionally too clever for its own good, and the runtime goes a bit beyond what's strictly necessary, but the film is a fun ride throughout. The Brothers Bloom enjoyed a tiny release in the US, but it deserves more attention for its sheer sense of fun.
Released directly to HBO Max last year, this neo-noir piece is an extremely well-executed crime thriller with a stellar cast. Perhaps no director has done as much for the heist movie as Steven Soderbergh, who directed Oceans Eleven, Logan Lucky, and this instant classic. Benicio del Toro, Don Cheadle, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, Brendan Fraser, and many more heavy hitters bring this film to life. That massive stellar cast inhabits 1954 Detroit, where they must work together to steal a document from a wealthy businessman. Of course, things get out of hand, and the caper swiftly becomes a complete mess with massive stakes. No Sudden Move probably won't become anyone's favorite Soderbergh production, but it's a fantastic entry in the genre. It dropped unceremoniously onto HBO Max after the festival circuit, which denied it much of the big debut energy it deserved, but it's well worth watching.
Some movie villains have incredible multi-tiered schemes that shock and amaze the audience. The ringleader of this film's clever plot is almost comical in his genius. The film follows Denzel Washington as a dedicated cop with a checkered past who follows the path of an incredible bank robber who narrates his actions from prison. It's essentially a feature-length magic trick, consistently pulling the rug out from the audience and the characters. Rather than a snarky team of thieves improvising a brilliant scheme, the film follows a single clever thread that consistently shocks everyone involved. Inside Man is a smooth stylish heist thriller that flips the format on its head.
Joshua is a lifelong film buff, D&D enthusiast, tournament winning Smash Bros. player and extremely passionate writer. He also has a BS in Psychology.
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