Heist films are where cinema gets to play at its boldest—plots packed with daring schemes, oddball teams, and high-stakes gambles that rarely go smoothly. Whether you’re in it for the rush of the chase, the clever twists, or just the thrill of betrayal, few genres deliver as much pure entertainment. Let’s crack open the vault and speed through 15 of the all-time greatest heist films—ranked in reverse order, because suspense is the name of the game.
15. Ocean’s Eight (2018)
Sandra Bullock stars in this glamorous take on the Ocean’s franchise, pulling off a heist at the Met Gala. Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Awkwafina, and Anne Hathaway (who comes close to stealing the film) join the squad, and it’s evidence that the heist formula is just as sparkling when the women take charge.
14. Baby Driver (2017)
Edgar Wright reinvents the getaway film as an out-and-out rhythm piece. Ansel Elgort’s Baby is a driving genius, cruising to the rhythm of his own music selection while attempting to outrun crime and his immoral manager. Carefully synchronized action and music turn it into a contemporary classic.
13. The Town (2010)
Ben Affleck’s Boston-set thriller combines hard-edged action with a heart of gold. Torn between loyalty to his crew as a career criminal and a chance for a better life, Affleck’s character grapples with redemption. The showdown at Fenway Park is the stuff of legend, and Jeremy Renner’s explosive performance makes an impact long afterward.
12. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Often, the greatest heists are the ones with the best sense of humor. This acerbic British-American comedy turns a diamond theft into an extravaganza of double-crossing and quirky antics. Kevin Kline’s Oscar-winning performance as the demented Otto is unforgettable, and the backstabbing accumulates in side-splitting precision.
11. The Italian Job (1969)
Michael Caine. Mini Coopers. A cliffhanger finale is still annoying fans decades on. This swinging ’60s heist is still the template for fashionable robbery movies, marrying saucy humor with reckless action in Turin’s streets.
10. Jackie Brown (1997)
Underestimated in Tarantino’s oeuvre, this slow-burning crime thriller centers on Pam Grier as a flight attendant orchestrating a daring double-cross. With Robert Forster giving one of his finest performances, it’s a brainy, soulful heist film with heart.
9. Inside Man (2006)
Spike Lee adds the genre a brain wave with this gripping bank robbery puzzle. Clive Owen’s enigmatic mastermind, Denzel Washington’s cop trying to thwart him, and Jodie Foster lurking as a wild card fixer make for smart, layered, and infinitely watchable cinema.
8. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantino’s explosive breakout remade the heist film by eschewing the heist entirely. What we’re left with is the violent, paranoia-driven fallout—thugs disintegrating, secrets spilled, and tension so heavy it’s indelible.
7. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Here’s the polished remake, with Pierce Brosnan dripping with charm as a billionaire thief cat-and-mousing with Rene Russo’s clever investigator. Half romance, half suspense, it leads to a dazzling museum heist that still makes viewers smile.
6. The Killing (1956)
Stanley Kubrick’s icy noir traces the course of a racetrack robbery that’s predestined to fail. With its broken timeline and chilling determinism, it set the tone for heist movies for the next four decades and continues to seem modern even now.
5. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Jean-Pierre Melville’s minimalist, cool thriller teams Alain Delon and Yves Montand for a jewel heist drenched in honor and fate. The almost wordless break-in segment is a lesson in tension on film.
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
John Huston’s masterpiece sets the “one last job” template. A robbery of gems devolves into desperation and double-cross, with tension so palpable and heroes so morally ambiguous that it became the template for everything that came next.
3. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan combines science fiction and the heist template, dispatching a group of dream-thieves into the subconscious. Layered realities, breathtaking visuals, and real emotional resonance make it as emotional as it is brain-bending.
2. Heat (1995)
Michael Mann’s sprawling cops-and-robbers epic teams up De Niro and Pacino in one of the screen’s greatest showdowns. The downtown LA shootout remains unbeaten, but it is the careful character study and ethical nuance that make Heat the genre’s standard.
1. Rififi (1955)
Jules Dassin’s French noir masterpiece remains the definitive heist movie. Its wordless, half-hour robbery sequence has been studied, copied, and revered for decades. Gritty, stylish, and haunting, Rififi set the gold standard that every heist film since has chased.
From high-stakes shootouts to quiet, nerve-wracking break-ins, these films prove why the heist story never gets old: it’s always about brains, bravado, and the eternal question—will they get away with it?