If you're looking for an escape from the times (or from the bank vault) here are some of the most fun, entertaining classic heist films!
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Rififi
- 1955 Movie
- 3.6/5
Another midcentury French classic (what is it about Midcentury French films and heists that pair so perfectly - like a fine Burgundy and a creamy brie). Rififi is a French noir that tells the tale of a few men that pull off the perfect crime only to find humanity as a stumbling block. Rififi has left a subtle footprint on many heist films to follow in the subsequent decades. There's also a cinematic treat in one of the most epic heist scenes of all time - a solid 30 minutes of absolute silence from a dialogue perspective, where the thief is pacing around midcentury Paris. A must watch!
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The Killing
- 1956 Movie
- 4.1/5
Worth watching as an indellible treasure of cinematic history - The Killing was made when a mid-century Stanley Kubrick was still honing his chops. But you begin to see some of the trademark flourishes and icy-cool cinematic style that came to define his aesthetic. For the cinephiles this is a real treat, with technical feats of execution ranging from unconventional cinematography to a masterfully executed racetrack robbery scene. If you're a fan of 2001, Barry Lyndon, Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, and all his masterpieces, this is a must watch (and a great vintage heist film to boot).
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Le Cercle Rouge
- 1970 Movie
- 4.3/5
The French New Wave defined "cool" and maybe the coolest of all the crime flick directors was Jean-Pierre Melville. A classic heist film, with some frenchman robbing a jewelry store with the cops inches away from the catch. If you like the French new wave classics like Breathless, this one is for you.
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Ocean's 11
- 1960 Movie
- 5/5
Why are heist movies so apt for reprisals? Well I guess if you have Frank Sinatra robbing a Las Vegas casino onscreen in the early 60s, you might as well have George Clooney try his hand a few years later. A must watch for heist lovers and a formidable predecessor to the Steven Soderbergh masterpiece we've all come to love.
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The Thomas Crown Affair
- 1968 Movie
- 3.7/5
Like it's 60s contemporary "the Italian Job" the Thomas Crown Affair is a classic 60s heist film that also inspired a (relatively) new remake starring Pierce Brosnan. And like it's reprisal, the onscreen romance is to die for - you have a slick, insouciant, rich playboy thief, paired with a sultry insurance investigator who can't get enough of him! If you're into art it's worth watching the remake, because it almost entirely takes place at the Met Museum in NYC.
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The Italian Job
- 1969 Movie
- 4.4/5
Even the 2003 version may soon be considered vintage, but for real classic fair, the 1969 Italian Job is one of the greatest heist films ever made. It stars a Michael Caine in his prime, who along with his fellow thieves, steal gold from some bad guys and end up in one of the most iconic car chases in film history!
