Top 20 Memorable Movie Heists

#20: Opening Robbery

“Baby Driver” (2017)
A perfect bank robbery would only be complete with a perfect getaway and the beginning of “Baby Driver” was just that. Much of the action of the film was meticulously timed to the soundtrack in a way that only the fastidious writer/director Edgar Wright could manage. The action in the opening gave us immediate insight into the main character Baby before he spoke a single word. Baby rocked out to “Bellbottoms” by Jon Spencer Blues Experience as the rest of his crew committed a robbery. As they reentered his car he wasted no time tearing through the streets to escape their pursuers in a beautifully choreographed chase sequence that perfectly set up the film.

#19: Stealing the Declaration of Independence

“National Treasure” (2004)
Unquestionably one of the most iconic lines ever uttered in cinema was Nicolas Cage’s matter of fact statement that he would steal this piece of American history. This heist came in at the end of the film’s first act as two treasure-hunting teams went head to head in competing heists to steal the declaration and find the clues hidden on its back. As the villainous Ian Howe attempted to steal the iconic document using brute force Ben Gates and Riley Pool used intellect to get to it first. Things weren't over for Ben after making it out when he escaped with the declaration as the heist became a high speed chase through the streets of Washington, D.C.!

#18: Canon Heist

“Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974)
Coming from a decade notable for its incredible mismatched buddy films, “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” teamed up the serious Clint Eastwood and the zany Jeff Bridges as the titular pair. In the heist the pair split up, each with an important duty. Bridges’ Lightfoot handled the security guards by disguising himself in drag, before disabling the alarm. Meanwhile Eastwood’s Thunderbolt creatively used a cannon designed to shoot down aircraft to blow a hole in the bank’s vault. While the robbery went off without a hitch the getaway caused some complications. Those complications however lead to a strong bond forming between the duo with Bridges’ performance netting the actor an academy award nomination.

#17: Stealing the Diamonds

“A Fish Called Wanda” (1988)
Near the start of the film our four jewel thieves break into a bank donning black ski masks with the goal of grabbing diamonds from the safety deposit box. The heist was planned and executed with precision, with the crew using guns to knock out both cameras and locks along with a crossbow to unlock the vault. Just as quickly as the smash and grab style robbery took place it ended as the gang absconded with the loot by escaping from the building’s roof. Unfortunately for them the cooperation didn’t extend beyond the heist itself and the bulk of the film was concerned with each member double and triple crossing each other to gain the diamonds for themselves.

#16: The Big Race

“Logan Lucky” (2017)
Rather than featuring slick criminals in suits robbing a bank or a casino, this film featured a group of hillbillies robbing a NASCAR race, or as the film itself called it, “Oceans’ Seven-Eleven.” Director Steven Soderburg brought his signature slick style to this one where the heist was not exactly what it seemed, only revealing the extent of what happened during an ending montage. This style of course also had a vast array of colorful characters with specialized skills including a one armed bartender and a demolitions expert that used gummy bears. This unique crew made their way through the bowels of the Speedway in order to pull off a heist that was brimming with charm.

#15: The Gold Heist

“The Italian Job” (1969)
Modern audiences might have been more familiar with the 2003 version of the “Italian Job.” The heist of the armored truck in that film certainly deserves a shout out, however we thought the original starring Michael Caine was unquestionably the one that belonged here. Caine played master thief Charlie Croker who pulled in an elite team of crooks to outsmart both the Italian police and the Mafia. The crew manages to cause mayhem and distraction by sabotaging Turin’s traffic system while they grab the gold, loading it into three Mini Coopers. The crew then slip out of the city unnoticed and into the picturesque Alps.

#14: Nun Costumed Robbery

“The Town” (2010)
Following a group of career bank robbers from Boston, “The Town” featured a number of morally questionable individuals pulling off thrilling armed heists. Near the film’s midpoint the crew dons nun masks and costumes to pull off the robbery of an armored truck, standing out for its unique look. The scene was immediately memorable for its striking imagery, juxtaposing the garb and likeness of religious figures holding automatic weapons, hauntingly highlighted as they pass by a young boy. Far from going off without a hitch, a number of things go awry and they barely escape the police. Things get even more out of hand at the thrilling climax to the film where the crew rob Fenway Park.

#13: The Train Heist

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
The opening of this film paid tribute to the early days of cinema, which featured westerns where armed men would rob trains on horseback. This film continued that early tradition, however the heist of the Overland Flyer by Butch’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was neither glamorous nor immensely clever. Much of the charm of this heist came from the interplay between Butch, Sundance, and the hapless rube ordered to protect the safe, Woodcock. When robbing the train a second time the gang overcompensated with far too much dynamite, blowing the safe and much of the money to smithereens.

#12: Gold Reserve

“Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995)
In “Die Hard” John McClane went up against the villainous Hans Gruber who used the guise of terrorism to pull off a heist. Similarly, Hans’ brother Simon Peter Gruber used bomb threats as distraction in order to rob the Federal Reserve Bank of New York of a $140 billion gold bullion. After breaking into the reserve Simon and his crew loaded the gold bars onto dump trucks and escaped through the city’s water tunnels with only McClane on their tail.

#11: The Perfect Bank Robbery

“Inside Man” (2006)
This action thriller directed by Spike Lee saw Denzel Washington playing a New York City detective squaring off against a cool headed master thief played by Clive Owen. What at first seems to be a simple bank robbery and hostage situation becomes more and more complex as the plot unfolds. As Dalton Russell, Owen plays a game of cat and mouse with Washington’s Detective Frazier keeping him on his toes, deceiving him multiple times. However, Frazier begins to discover the twisted truth involving a secret safe deposit box filled with blood money and secrets dating back to the Holocaust.

#10: The Death Star Plans

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)
There were few franchises as popular or enduring as “Star Wars”, and setting a gritty heist film in that galaxy was nothing short of spectacular. “Rogue One” chronicles the tale of how a group of misfits came together to steal the Death Star plans that would prove so pivotal to the plot of the original film. The film’s spectacular finale followed the group breaking into a secure Imperial base to steal and transmit the plans to the Rebels all while a thrilling space battle takes place above. Equal parts space adventure and spy thriller, “Rogue One “put fans on the edge of their seat.

#9: Presidential Veto

“Point Break” (1991)
A good heist could be made great by a great costume and the collection of masks that the group of bank robbers known as the “Ex-Presidents” was likely the best we ever got. As the name of the gang would suggest each member wears a mask of a different former POTUS including; Reagan, Nixon, Carter, and LBJ. Robbing banks wasn’t the only adrenaline inducing activity they participated in as the crew are actually a group of surfers. Over the course of the film undercover FBI agent and former college football star Johnny Utah manages to infiltrate the gang. Eventually Utah is blackmailed into participating in their final heist in an emotionally charged finale.

#8: Time Heist

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
It was not uncommon for Marvel films to adopt a second genre, and heist films were no exception, with “Ant-Man” displaying master thief Scott Lang’s abilities. In fact it was Lang who suggested the time traveling heist that the Avengers would embark on in the epic conclusion to the “Infinity Saga.” Their elaborate plan saw teams of superheroes traveling back to various points in history to recover the Infinity Stones before they were destroyed. This lead to characters meeting (and occasionally fighting) their past selves and revisiting iconic events and locations from prior Marvel films. The heist served as the perfect culmination of everything that had built to “Endgame” that gave us a number of visually stunning moments and conclusions to long brewing character arcs.

#7: Race Track Robbery

“The Killing” (1956)
Over the years Stanley Kubrick earned a reputation as a director that is meticulous and calculating, allegedly not even letting some of his actors understand the bigger picture, only their piece in it. So it should come as no surprise that the ringleader of his film noir “The Killing,” Johnny Clay, plans his robbery in much the same way. Told in a non-chronological order and with a voiceover that was often unreliable the film keeps its audience as in the dark as many of the characters in the film. Set on a busy day at the racetrack Johnny moves his accomplices like pieces on a chessboard causing distractions and opportunity for himself to grab a hefty sum of cash. However, even the best chessmaster can be undone by an unexpected move.

#6: Dragging the Safe

“Fast Five” (2011)
It was a rare thing for a film franchise to really hit its stride in its fifth entry. However the popularity of the “Fast” saga unquestionably skyrocketed with “Fast Five” due in large part to its shift in focus from street racing into over the top action heist film territory. Like so many heist films before and since the crew need to break into a vault but the way they do it is absolutely unlike anything ever seen. Rather than simply cracking into the safe the crew use their vehicles to literally rip the vault out of the building’s walls. Keeping with the franchise's roots this leads to one an action packed and absolutely insane chase sequence through the streets of Rio.

#5: C.I.A. Headquarters

“Mission: Impossible” (1996)
The “Mission: Impossible” series is well known for its over the top heists and we came very close to giving this spot to the heist in “Ghost Protocol” that saw Tom Cruise climb the world’s tallest building. However nothing in the franchise had been able to top the edge of your seat tension of the original’s best scene, which would set the tone for the entire franchise. Suspended from above Ethan Hunt has to steal valuable information from a computer in a room where the slightest; noise, temperature increase, or even a bead of sweat would spell disaster.

#4: Bank Heist

“Heat” (1995)
Choosing just one heist from this Michael Mann classic was no easy task and it simply goes without saying that the armored truck robbery at the beginning of the film is one of the best heists ever put on film. However, we're going with the heist that leads to the film’s ending. Throughout the film, tension builds between Lieutenant Vincent Hanna played by Al Pacino and thief Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro. That tension finally erupted in a bank robbery, which spilled out into a gripping gunfight in the streets. The visceral sound design of the gunshots echoing in L.A. streets and multiple emotional gut punches solidifies “Heat" as an all time classic.

#3: He Told Me Somethin' Similar

“The Dark Knight” (2008)
With “Batman Begins” Christopher Nolan successfully established a more gritty and realistic tone for the caped crusader. So starting the sequel in the harsh sunlight in the middle of the day in a long opening sequence with no sign of Batman was a bold move; but one that paid off incredibly well. Early on we see the rear of Heath Ledger’s Joker and quickly move to his henchmen taking each other out one by one as each completes their task necessary for robbing the mob bank. The Joker is the last one standing, escaping set to Hans Zimmer’s unnerving theme.

#2: Reverse Mind Heist

“Inception” (2010)
“The Dark Knight” wasn’t the final time that Nolan would dive into the heist genre however, as “Inception” is an entirely different kind of heist film. This sci-fi thriller follows a team of extractors who break into people’s dreams and subconscious. They’re not looking to steal ideas or information from their target but rather implant them. The heist in the third act of the film involves dreams within dreams, with each dream level becoming more intense and thrilling as events from each level affect the others.

#1: The Bellagio

“Ocean’s Eleven” (2001)
The bulk of the film is spent setting up the last act where Danny Ocean and the ten members of his team pull off a complex heist of three Las Vegas casinos at once. The quirky collection of colorful characters bring their own unique and essential skills to the table . These include the pickpocket Linus, acrobat Yen, explosive expert Basher, and many others. The script gives the audience just enough information to be along for the intricate plan but omits enough to pull off a number of surprises and twists. Just when we think the villainous Terry Benedict catches our heroes it’s revealed that they’ve done the impossible and walk out of the Bellagio in plain sight with the cash.