The best heist movies fuse elements of many different genres. They encom a broad range of stories and filmmaking styles because they are so adaptable. As long as a team of characters is all working together to steal something, then it falls under the category of a heist movie. The genre isn't restricted to any tone, time period, or particular style. Of course, the heist genre has more than its fair share of stereotypes, but the best filmmakers know how to use these to their benefit.

The heist genre has produced some of cinema's most gripping thrillers and some of its funniest comedies. Violence features frequently, like in Snatch and Point Break, but it isn't a necessity. Other movies use a heist as the perfect excuse to craft a slick mystery, with the criminals outsmarting their victims without them ever knowing they were there. Whichever approach a heist movie decides to take, some stand out above the competition.

25 The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

A Story Of Crime And Consequences

This classic heist movie tells the story of a man just released from prison desperate to make a little money with one job. He plans a heist that should only need three other people, but of course, has to use a middle-man to find them, and has to find himself a fence to sell the stolen goods to. As the roster of criminals involved grows, the likelihood of error and betrayal does as well.

That is exactly what happens here. Nearly everything that can go wrong with the heist in The Asphalt Jungle does. Alarms are set off, guards are encountered, team are shot, there is a double-cross, and alibis cannot be trusted.

While the movie did not pull in outstanding numbers at the box office when it was released, it has gone on to be regarded as one of the foundational crime movies because of its frank examination of all of the potentially catastrophic consequences of a crime. It was even added to the National Film Registry in 2008.

24 Ocean’s Eight (2018)

An All-Female Heist

When Ocean’s Eight was first announced, there were many fans of Ocean’s Eleven who did not understand the need for an all-female heist crew. The original movie, however, had an all-male crew, so why not do the opposite?

Led by Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, Ocean’s Eight sees Sandy Ocean, cousin to Danny Ocean, fresh out of a prison stint. She gets a team together to pull off an impressive heist that doubles as a revenge scheme against the very man who put her in prison.

One of the best aspects of this movie is that Anne Hathaway, playing an actress, is initially one of the group’s marks, but ends up in on their scheme with them. It’s a delightful and unique way to change the game. The eclectic ensemble, which includes Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Mindy Kaling, is fantastic. Every single member of the cast has a chance to shine in a complicated heist plot that deserves its spot among the greats.

23 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The Most Tragic Of Heists

The Star Wars franchise is not known for its heists. The franchise is instead known for epic space battles and complicated mythology. Rogue One, however, is a standalone movie in the franchise that asks the question of just how the plans for the Death Star ended up in Princess Leia’s hands.

The answer is that a ragtag group of rebels is put together to steal them right out from under the helmet of Darth Vader and the scientists working for him. The catch is that one of those rebels happens to be the daughter of one of those scientists, leading to a weighty emotional confrontation that gives the movie a bittersweet climax, as everyone realizes that stealing the plans is more important than any one life.

Rogue One is one of the emotionally affecting movies of the franchise. Despite the entire main cast of characters being created to appear in just this movie, the audience connected with them and many of them became fan favorites. The movie even got a prequel series in Andor on Disney+, following Diego Luna’s character before the events of the film.

Rogue One was nominated for two Academy Awards and won three Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film.

22 The Italian Job (1969)

One Of The Most Famous Car Chases On Screen

It has since become a cult classic.

Like many heist movies, The Italian Job kicks off with one character newly released from prison and looking for the next chapter of their life. In this case, that chapter happens to be pulling off the last job of his recently killed friend - stealing gold bouillon in the middle of it being transported across Italy.

The film was remade in 2003 with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron.

The British film stars Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, the criminal out for that one perfect score, and Caine’s performance in the movie has been widely praised. So has the car chase throughout Italy since it involved mini coopers rather than the usual sports cars. Many moments in the movie have been parodied and homaged in British cinema ever since, including the car chase sequence.

The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe following its release, but at the time, its popularity did not extend much beyond England. It has since become a cult classic.

21 To Catch A Thief (1955)

A Former Thief Must Catch His Copycat

To Catch A Thief is not a typical heist movie in that the central character is not planning a heist to make themselves rich. Instead, Cary Grant is playing a former thief who is just looking to live his life when it turns out someone is stealing from the French Riviera the same way he would have before he hung up his gloves.

In order to clear his name, the former thief has to catch his copycat, which becomes much more complicated when people who know his true identity are thwarting his investigation at every turn and the police are after him. While he investigates, he also grows close to a young woman vacationing with her mother, played by the lovely Grace Kelly.

While this movie is made by Alfred Hitchcock, it does not have the same level of darkness as some of his other thrillers, making it a truly fun heist movie.

20 The Town (2010)

Ben Affleck Directs This Boston Crime Story

Following his acclaimed directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck returned to the crime world of Boston for his next project. The Town is a gripping thriller starring Affleck as Doug, the leader of a band of local criminals who pull off daring and well-planned robberies in their home of Charleston. With the FBI investigating their latest robbery, Doug courts disaster when he develops a romantic relationship with Claire, a worker at one of the banks he and his crew robbed.

While the romance at its center provides some thrills, the real highlight of the movie is the heist sequences.

Affleck brings the community of Charleston to life, serving as a colorful and vivid backdrop to the crime story. While the romance at its center provides some thrills, the real highlight of the movie is the heist sequences. Taking inspiration from movies like Heat, these scenes are not flashy, but rather grounded and intense in their realism. This includes the wild climax in which Doug's crew attempts an ambitious robbery at Fenway Park.

19 Inside Man (2006)

A Bank Robbery Is Not What It Seems

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington have incredible careers filled with great collaborations over the years. However, perhaps their most crowd-pleasing work together is in the clever crime caper Inside Man. Clive Owen stars as the mysterious leader of a group of disciplined robbers who take hostages in a New York City bank. Washington's Detective Frazier is brought in as a hostage negotiator to handle the situation but soon discovers that this is no ordinary bank robbery.

Many heist movies build to the robbery over time, but Inside Man kicks off the movie with the thieves taking over the bank and then gradually reveals the bigger plan in the works. Washington and Owen make for great adversaries with mutual respect for each other, and they are backed by an incredible cast that includes Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe. It all builds to a satisfying reveal that puts the whole story into a new perspective.

18 Mission: Impossible (1996)

Ethan Hunt's First Daring Mission

Many of the Mission: Impossible movies feature a heist element to the story, but the first installment remains the most memorable in this sense. Tom Cruise originated the role of superspy Ethan Hunt in the 1996 movie from Brian De Palma. After Hunt's team is killed on a failed mission, he is framed as a traitor. In order to clear his name and find the real mole, Hunt assembles a team of disavowed agents to sneak into the CIA headquarters and steal top-secret information.

Mission: Impossible has a lot of other elements to it, including a spy thriller and an action movie. However, the heist sequence is the centerpiece of the film and brilliantly sets up how impossible this mission truly is. While the franchise has grown much larger since the first movie, with death-defying stunts and globe-trotting stories, the heist sequence in the first entry remains perhaps the most iconic moment in the series to date.

17 Inception (2010)

A Dream Thief Attempts An Impossible Heist

Inception is another movie that uses a lot of other genre aspects to hide the fact that, at its center, it is really a heist movie. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Cobb, a man on the run looking for redemption when he is offered that chance by using his particular set of skills. While Cobb works as a dream thief, entering into the dreams of corporate targets and stealing their valuable ideas and secrets, he is tasked with a more difficult job of implanting an idea in a target's mind.

Inception has some big concepts to explore and it has a sci-fi premise that is mind-bending with all of the different dream levels making it a complex ride. However, it also follows the heist movie format quite closely with sequences of Cobb assembling the teams, planning out the heist, and all the things that go wrong when they are on the job.

16 Hell Or High Water

Brothers Target Banks On A Crime-Spree Road Trip

Before becoming one of the biggest names in television with the Yellowstone universe of shows, Taylor Sheridan was a sought-after screenwriter behind the neo-Western heist movie Hell or High Water. Chris Pine and Ben Foster star as two brothers looking to raise money fast in order to save their home from being foreclosed. Their solution is to go on a road trip of bank robberies while a determined lawman (Jeff Bridges) pursues them.

There is also some interesting commentary on the control banks have over people and the idea that these lawless brothers are fighting back against the system.

Hell or High Water uses familiar tropes of the Western genre, transferring them into the modern setting in such an effective way. The heist scenes are simple yet thrilling, with Pine as the nervous yet grounded brother and Foster as the experienced and unhinged one. There is also some interesting commentary on the control banks have over people and the idea that these lawless brothers are fighting back against the system.