In this article, we look at the 50 best heist movies of all time. You can skip our detailed analysis on the movie production industry and head over directly to the 10 Best Heist Movies of All Time.
The movie or film industry is one of the most lucrative sectors in the world, that is providing entertainment to millions of people globally through various mediums. The advancements in technology, coupled with innovative delivery channels, have expanded the global outreach of movies that are now shown in picture houses and streamed online worldwide.
According to the Business Research Company, the size of the movie production industry is projected to grow from $286 billion in 2023 to $304 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 6.3%. By 2028, the industry is forecast to be valued at over $390 billion. The research cites increases in the number of television channels and internet penetration, as well as economic growth in the emerging markets as drivers of the industry’s expansion.
Inception is one of the highest grossing heist movies of all time, with $839 million in box office revenue after its release in 2010. The movie was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD), which is among the largest movie production companies in the world. Other top performing movies in the genre released by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) include films in the Ocean’s series – starting with Ocean’s 11 in 1960 to Ocean’s 8 in 2018.
The company’s revenues for Q3 2023 rose 1% compared to the prior quarter, to total $9.97 billion. Barbie, released in July 2023, has been the primary driver of revenue for Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) this year.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is another key player in the industry. The company’s financial statements for the fiscal year 2023 reported $88.9 billion in revenue – an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has released five of the highest grossing movies of all time. One of them being The Lion King, which after being released in July 2019, had amassed $1.6 billion in box office revenue within the first two months of hitting the theaters. As far as heist movies are concerned, Gone in 60 Seconds and National Treasure are some prominent films distributed by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in this genre.
Paramount Pictures Corporation, owned by Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA), is among the oldest American studios, set up in 1912. It has grown into becoming one of the largest film producers in the world, with a library comprising over 1,000 film titles. Action thriller movie Top Gun: Maverick is the company’s latest big ticket movie. According to CNBC, it was the highest grossing domestic release in 2022 and generated $719 million in ticket sales for Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA).
The company’s financial results for Q3 2023 reported a 14% increase in year-over-year revenue in the filmed entertainment segment, with theatrical revenue soaring 63%, driven by the release of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. All segments combined, Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) earned a profit of $295 million in the third quarter of last year. Final consolidated statements for the full year 2023 are awaited.
Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash
Methodology
Consensus methodology has been used to list the 50 best heist movies of all time. We consulted three sources that ranked movies in the genre – IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Time Out. Seeing how movies ranked on each of these platforms, we assigned them scores. For instance, a movie that IMDb has rated first on its list of 114 movies, received a score of 1 (114/144), while a movie that is ranked seventh got a score of 0.95 (108/144), and so on. The all-time top heist hits are listed in this article in ascending order of their overall scores. In cases where two or more movies had the same score, those that were released later outranked the ones that were released earlier.
If interested, you can also take a look at the 20 Films with the Biggest Production Budgets of All Time.
By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a similar consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). Whether you are a beginner investor or professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.
Let’s now head over to the list of the best heist movies of all time.
50 Best Heist Movies of All Time
50. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Score: 0.85
The movie is based on the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who get together during the Great Depression and fall in love with each other. They then resort to crime to earn easy money, ranging from small heists to bank robbery. However, they choose to not hurt people while they carry out their activities.
49. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
Score: 0.86
Up next is The Thomas Crown Affair released in 1968, with the plot revolving around a millionaire businessman bringing together four men to plan a bank robbery in Boston, along with another man to drive the money away. Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb have rated the film as one of the best heist movies of all time.
48. American Animals (2018)
Score: 0.86
Crime thriller American Animals earned over $4 million at the box office. Released in 2018, the movie centers around four young robbers who plan a heist at school’s library to steal valuable books.
47. Set It Off (1996)
Score: 0.89
Set It Off is a fascinating crime film, in which four women decide a bank heist, but their lack of faith and trust over each other become the cause of their undoing.
46. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Score: 0.92
The 1959 film produced by Harry Belafonte is one of the best heist movies of all time, in which the plot involves a jazz musician, who is also a gambling addict, being lured by a corrupt ex-cop into a bank robbery.
45. Bob the Gambler (1955)
Score: 0.94
Bob the Gambler is based on the story of a gambler in Paris, named Bob Montagne, who is known for winning, and was well-liked in the community until his luck runs sour and he starts to lose friends. This is when he decides to rob a casino and the cops get onto him.
44. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Score: 0.97
Next on our list of the best heist films of all time is The Friends of Eddie Coyle, in which Eddie (the main character) who is an arms dealer becomes an informant for the police to avoid imprisonment, but gets in trouble after robbers start to suspect him. Rotten Tomatoes has listed The Friends of Eddie Coyle as the fourth best heist movie of all time.
43. The Wild Bunch (1969)
Score: 0.98
The Wild Bunch is based on the story of aging outlaws who plan to conduct a grand heist and then sign off from the criminal world. The film won six awards, and was nominated for Oscars twice.
42. No Sudden Move (2021)
Score: 0.98
American crime thriller, No Sudden Move is next on our list. It is based on the story of criminals hired to steal a document and their search for who hired them after the heist goes wrong. The movie is ranked 24th by Rotten Tomatoes and 87th by IMDb in their lists of the all-time great heist movies.
41. The Ladykillers (1955)
Score: 0.99
Comedy-crime film, The Ladykiller, is about a gang moving into an old lady’s house to plot a major heist. The remake of the film with the same name was released in 2004.
40. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Score: 0.99
The movie is based on an individual who has everything one could ask for and is now devoid of excitement, and so he begins stealing artwork for thrill, before the investigators get on to him.
39. RocknRolla (2008)
Score: 0.99
IMDb has ranked RocknRolla as the second best heist movie of all time. Released in 2008, the film is centered around a real estate fraud with millions of dollars up for grabs drawing the underworld into a frenzy.
38. The Score (2001)
Score: 1.01
The Score is based around the story of a safe-cracker who plots to steal a French scepter along with his partner. It ranks 63rd on Rotten Tomatoes and 33rd on IMDb’s list of the best heist movies of all time.
37. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Score: 1.02
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a western classic on the story of legendary train robbers who, after failing to rob a bank, are on the run to Bolivia to escape from the law. The movie is ranked 13th on Time Out’s list of the top heist movies of all time.
36. Victoria II (2015)
Score: 1.10
This German movie is one of the best heist productions of all time. The plot revolves around a Spanish woman who moves to Berlin, falls in with four criminals, and becomes the getaway driver for their planned bank robbery.
35. The Getaway (1972)
Score: 1.13
The Getaway is based on a robber who is released from prison on the condition that he, along with his wife, rob a bank for a notorious businessman. The couple get in trouble after they are betrayed by a partner-in-crime.
34. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Score: 1.14
The Lavender Hill Mob is one of the best heist movies of all time. The film is made on a bank clerk, who after years of service, decides to rob a transport of gold bullion and change his life forever.
33. Point Break (1991)
Score: 1.16
Point Break is genuinely a superb action-thriller, involving surfers wearing masks of former US presidents robbing several banks across South California. The movie grossed over $83 million in its theatrical run.
32. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Score: 1.22
Next on our list of the greatest heist films of all time is The Usual Suspects. Released in 1995, the movie is based on the story of a lone survivor of a shootout who, when interrogated by the police, makes revelations about the group of criminals led by a rogue mastermind.
31. Lock, Stock and the Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Score: 1.24
This 1998 crime-comedy movie is about a group of friends losing their money in a card game and then turning to crime to save themselves by clearing their debts.
30. Snatch (2000)
Score: 1.31
Jewish jewelers, boxing promoters, a group of amateur robbers, a Russian gangster, and violent bookmakers attempt to retrieve a priceless diamond that got stolen from a jeweler in Antwerp. This is a great movie to watch for fans of heist films.
29. Nine Queens (2000)
Score: 1.31
Argentine heist film, Nine Queens, is next on our list of the best heist movies of all time. The film revolves around the story of two con artists teaming up to sell fake stamps to a wealthy foreign collector.
28. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
Score: 1.33
The film is a World War II comedy drama heist movie about a group of US soldiers coming together to retrieve gold from Nazi treasure.
27. Topkapi (1964)
Score: 1.41
Topkapi is one of the best heist movies of all time, involving a commoner who joins a gang of thieves who plan to rob a dagger from Istanbul’s Topkapi museum.
26. Thief (1981)
Score: 1.45
Heist action-thriller film Thief is among the best heist movies of all time. The plot involves a safecracker who is trying to quit crime but agrees to a last-time heist. However, even after that he is unable to quit since he is trailed by his employers and the police, who do not let him escape to a new life.
25. The Sting (1973)
Score: 1.46
The movie revolves around a swindler whose partner is murdered by a ruthless crime boss. He seeks to avenge the killing and is aided by a conman evading the law enforcement. Rotten Tomatoes has ranked Thief as the 14th best heist movie of all time.
24. Die Hard (1998)
Score: 1.58
1988 American thriller Die Hard is based on the 1979 Roderick Thorp novel, Nothing Lasts Forever. The movie grossed around $140 million in box office earnings.
23. Widows (2018)
Score: 1.64
Widows of criminals killed in a police shootout join hands to stage a robbery that was planned by their partners. The film earned $76 million worldwide against a production cost of $42 million.
22. The Town (2010)
Score: 1.67
The Town, released in 2010, is based on the story of four bank robbers, who end up releasing the bank manager they had held hostage. One of the thieves ends up falling in love with her, while keeping a check on her movements to prevent her from reaching out to the police.
21. The Italian Job (1969)
Score: 1.72
British comedy caper film, The Italian Job, is next on our list of the best heist movies of all time. It is ranked fifth on Time Out, 52nd on Rotten Tomatoes, and 73rd on IMDb’s list of the all-time great hits in the genre.
20. Logan Lucky (2017)
Score: 1.74
2017 film Logan Lucky is a comedy-crime film that involves a former tunnel construction employee plotting a heist with his underground tube system knowledge. The movie earned $48.5 million at the box office.
19. The Red Circle (1970)
Score: 1.75
Le Cercle Rouge, or The Red Circle, is a French movie, set mostly in Paris. It is based on the story of a policeman, a thief, and a fugitive teaming up to execute a jewelry heist.
18. Out of Sight (1998)
Score: 1.75
Out of Sight is centered around a career bank robber who breaks out of jail and later falls in love with a US Marshal who remembers him from an earlier prison. The movie made around $78 million at the box office.
17. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Score: 1.78
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of the best heist movies of all time. The plot is based on gunmen holding a New York City subway train hostage, and their plan to escape while the authorities negotiate with them.
16. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Score: 1.93
Next on our list is crime thriller, Ocean’s Eleven, which is centered around a gangster and his associates staging a heist on three casinos across Las Vegas during a popular boxing event.
15. Jackie Brown (1997)
Score: 1.95
Jackie Brown earned $75 million at the box office. It is one of the greatest heist films of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, and Time Out. It is about a flight attendant who was caught smuggling having to choose between going to jail or teaming up with the police to bust his boss.
14. Hell or High Water (2016)
Score: 1.96
Unable to meet their mortgage payments, two brothers – one of them being a former convict – decide to rob banks. Rotten Tomatoes listed the film as the seventh best of all time in the heist genre.
13. Inside Man (2006)
Score: 1.99
The 2006 movie is about a detective negotiating with a power broker to release captives and ensure protection of a safe box amid a hostage situation after a bank robbery.
12. Sexy Beast (2000)
Score: 2.00
Comedy-crime film, Sexy Beast, is next. The plot is centered around a retired gangster being intimidated through threats by his ex-boss to carry out one more, last heist. The movie earned $10.2 million in box office, and is one of the best heist movies of all time, and ranked 7th on IMDb.
11. Baby Driver (2017)
Score: 2.01
Released in 2017, Baby Driver grossed $226.9 million in its theatrical run. After being pressured into working for a criminal, a young driver takes part in a heist that is destined to fail.
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Disclosure: None. 50 Best Heist Movies of All Time is originally published on Insider Monkey.