Movies: Heists & Capers
My personal favorite film sub-genre. These are the ones I've seen, and are mostly recommended, though they range from classic masterpieces to competent diversions.
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- DirectorJules DassinStarsJean ServaisCarl MöhnerRobert ManuelFour men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...
- DirectorJacques DerayStarsKarlheinz BöhmCharles VanelBarbara LassVan Ekken, an old gangster, arrives in Tokyo to direct a bank hold-up, to get a very valuable diamond, so big it's named Titan. Riquet was to be his second-in-command, but a rival gang shoots him down before the big day. Marsen, Riquet's friend, substitutes for him. Françoise, the companion of another gang member, will compromise the attack to the vault, but eventually they get past that. Yet, not all the gangsters will make it out of the security vault - and Van Ekken, caught, and having lost face, will do as an old Samurai...
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsHarry BelafonteRobert RyanGloria GrahameIn need of quick money, a fallen former cop recruits a hard-bitten ex-con and a debt-ridden nightclub singer to pull off a bank job. But as the animosity between them boils over, the entire plan threatens to implode.
- DirectorAntonio Isasi-IsasmendiStarsGary LockwoodElke SommerLee J. CobbA casino blackjack dealer plots with his girlfriend and a group of criminals to hijack and rob an armored car carrying a $7 million in cash while it's in route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.This mod 60s armored car heist flick is an underrated favorite of mine.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsAlain DelonBourvilGian Maria VolontèAfter leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsJean GabinAlain DelonClaude CervalA career con artist reunites with his wife but has already planned his next move: one daring last heist that will set him up for life. However, there is no such thing as a foolproof plan.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsRoger DuchesneIsabelle CoreyDaniel CauchyAfter losing big, an aging gambler decides to assemble a team to rob a casino.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsAlain DelonRichard CrennaCatherine DeneuveAfter a shaky first heist, a group of thieves plan an even more elaborate and risky second heist.
- DirectorBryan ForbesStarsKim StanleyRichard AttenboroughMargaret LaceyA medium and her husband stage a kidnapping in order for her to pretend to solve the crime and achieve fame.
- DirectorHubert CornfieldStarsGene RaymondJeanne CooperWayne MorrisFive men rob a train in Utah of 10 million dollars in gold and head to Los Angeles in 3 trucks hoping to meet up with their beautiful accomplice and leave the country.
- DirectorHubert CornfieldRichard BooneStarsMarlon BrandoRichard BooneRita MorenoTwo men kidnap a girl off the streets, take her to a beach house owned by a drug-addicted stewardess, and hold her for ransom.
- DirectorGerd OswaldStarsBette DavisErnest BorgnineJack CassidyBunny is a penniless widow who blackmails a robber into teaching her the trade. Soon the pair starts a successful crime spree, and the cops aren't turning a blind eye.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsWalter MatthauJoe Don BakerFelicia FarrA man, his wife and their friend stage a bloody bank robbery without realizing they are stealing from the Mob.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsSterling HaydenColeen GrayVince EdwardsCrook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.
- DirectorBurt KennedyStarsGlenn FordElke SommerRita HayworthWhen half-a-million dollars disappears from a doctor office's safe, the cops assigned to the burglary case, Joe and Pete, decide to find the money and keep it for themselves.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsVictor MatureRichard EganStephen McNallyThree hoodlums carefully case a small town while planning to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday. On Saturday, things turn violent and deadly.
- DirectorBernard GirardStarsJames CoburnCamilla SparvAldo RayA paroled conman co-ordinates the robbery of an L. A. Airport bank with the arrival of the Soviet premier.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsAudrey HepburnPeter O'TooleEli WallachThe daughter of an art forger teams up with a burglar to steal one of her father's forgeries and protect his secret.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsWalter MatthauRobert ShawMartin BalsamFour armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsSean ConneryDyan CannonMartin BalsamAfter ten years in prison to protect a mafia family, Duke Anderson is released and he cashes in a debt of honor with the mob to bankroll a caper.
- DirectorMichael CrichtonStarsSean ConneryDonald SutherlandLesley-Anne DownEngland, 1850s. A master criminal aims to rob a train of a large sum of gold. Security is incredibly tight and the task seems an impossible one. However, he has a plan and just the right people to carry it out.aka: The First Great Train Robbery (original UK title)
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsHarvey KeitelTim RothMichael MadsenWhen a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
- DirectorGower ChampionStarsGeorge C. ScottJoanna CassidySorrell BookeA motley crew of criminals plans to rob a Los Angeles bank that's temporarily located in a mobile home during renovations.
- DirectorJohn FlynnStarsRobert DuvallKaren BlackJoe Don BakerEarl Macklin robs a bank owned by the mob, serves his prison time and is released, only to start a private war against the crime outfit that owned the bank.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsRobert RedfordGeorge SegalRon LeibmanDortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
- DirectorAram AvakianStarsCliff GormanJoseph BolognaCharlene DallasTwo disillusioned New York City policemen plan a ten million dollar robbery to fuel their low pensions, only to run into one debacle after another in the process.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsSterling HaydenLouis CalhernJean HagenA major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsGuy MadisonKim NovakBrian KeithFour vets attending college on the GI Bill and a cabaret singer try to rob a Reno Casino and pull off the perfect crime.
- DirectorRoberto FizzStarsEdward G. RobinsonAdolfo CeliMaria Grazia BuccellaAll the employees of a bank are kidnapped by the band of Sir George McDowell on the eve of a large payment and replaced with as many doubles. The heist succeeds, but the kidnapped manage to escape and warn the police.
- DirectorGiuliano MontaldoStarsJanet LeighRobert HoffmannKlaus KinskiTo pull off a daring diamond heist in Rio during Carnival, a retired schoolteacher hires four professionals who must contend with a revolutionary alarm system and a taciturn secretary.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsEdward G. RobinsonRod SteigerJoan CollinsA motley crew of professional thieves plans the robbery of a Monte Carlo casino vault.
- DirectorJoseph PevneyStarsTony CurtisGeorge NaderJulie AdamsThe emotional story of a lifelong friendship between a Boston rookie cop and a young street-wise delinquent.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsFrank SinatraDean MartinSammy Davis Jr.Danny Ocean gathers a group of his World War II compatriots to pull off the ultimate Las Vegas heist. Together the eleven friends plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGeorge ClooneyBrad PittJulia RobertsDanny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.
- DirectorHoward MorrisStarsJim HuttonDorothy ProvineMilton BerleA mint worker accidentally destroys some money and decides to break in and reprint it, but finds he has some unwanted partners.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsSteve McQueenFaye DunawayPaul BurkeA debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsSteve McQueenAli MacGrawBen JohnsonA recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.
- DirectorCharles GuggenheimJohn StixStarsSteve McQueenCrahan DentonDavid ClarkeA gang's plans for a St. Louis bank robbery are complicated when the sister of one of the thieves starts voicing her well-founded suspicions.
- DirectorCharles WinklerStarsPaul MercurioDebi MazarRuPaulAfter attending his 23rd funeral for a friend with AIDS, Troy and his friends hatch a plan to steal the HIV drugs that they need. One successful heist leads to another and another until they have so much inventory they decide to begin their own community distribution program.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJohn PayneColeen GrayPreston FosterAn ex-con trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to Mexico in order to unmask the real culprits.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterAva GardnerEdmond O'BrienHit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsLee MarvinAngie DickinsonJohn CassavetesSurprised that their contract victim didn't try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterYvonne De CarloDan DuryeaAn armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyStarsRobert ConradDon StroudDonna MillsBased on a true story, details the daring 1964 theft of the J.P. Morgan jewel collection from New York's American Museum of Natural History. Called "The Greatest Jewel Heist of the 20th Century", the robbers took twenty-two precious gems, including the Star of India, the 100.32-carat de Long Ruby and the 16.25-carat Eagle Diamond, stones so famous they would be impossible to sell.
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsClint EastwoodJeff BridgesGeorge KennedyWith the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsDan DuryeaJayne MansfieldMartha VickersDan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsCharles McGrawAdele JergensWilliam TalmanA well-planned robbery goes awry with tough cop Jim Cordell in pursuit of the thieves.Another classic heist, this time a little B-noir featuring the early cold-blooded William Talman. I first saw this on the first night of the very first Film Noir Festival at the Egyptian Theatre, back in April 1999!
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsAlain DelonAnn-MargretVan HeflinSan Francisco ex-con Eddie Pedak wants to go straight, but local cop Mike Vido, motivated by a personal vendetta, keeps harassing him while Eddie's brother Walter wants Eddie for one last major heist.
- DirectorBruce GellerStarsJames CoburnMichael SarrazinTrish Van DevereA would-be criminal is taken in by a professional in the game, who teaches him how pickpockets work in teams.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsJean GabinRené DaryDora DollAn aging, world-weary gangster is double-crossed and forced out of retirement when his best friend is kidnapped and their stash of eight stolen gold bars demanded as ransom.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsAnna KarinaClaude BrasseurDanièle GirardTwo crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.
- DirectorPeter CollinsonStarsMichael CaineNoël CowardBenny HillA comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.
- DirectorMike HodgesStarsClive OwenNick RedingNicholas BallAn aspiring writer is hired as a croupier at a casino, where he realizes that his life as a croupier would make a great novel.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsPeter FalkPeter BoyleAllen GarfieldA fictional retelling of the infamous Boston Brink's Company robbery on January 17th, 1950, of $2.7M, and cost the American taxpayers $29M to apprehend the culprits with only $58,000 recovered.
- DirectorRobert ParrishStarsJames CoburnJames MasonJames FoxDuffy is a cunning aristocrat of criminals hire by Stefane, a young playboy, to hijack a boat carrying several million dollars of his father's fortune. He succeeds, with help from Stefane's girlfriend with an unexpected turn of events.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsMelina MercouriPeter UstinovMaximilian SchellA conman gets mixed up with a group of thieves who plan to rob an Istanbul museum to steal a jewelled dagger.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsTom CruiseJon VoightEmmanuelle BéartAn American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsStanley BakerSam WanamakerGrégoire AslanIn the UK, after pulling a racetrack robbery, repeat offender Johnny Bannion hides the loot in a farmer's field but the police and the local mob come looking for Johnny and the money.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsBen AffleckGary SiniseCharlize TheronAfter assuming his dead cell-mate's identity to get with the other man's girlfriend, an ex-convict finds himself a reluctant participant in a casino heist.
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsCliff RobertsonRobert DuvallLuke AskewThe gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger join forces for a bungled robbery of the bank in Northfield, Minnesota.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn CazalePenelope AllenThree amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsDavid NivenPeter SellersRobert WagnerThe bumbling Inspector Clouseau travels to Rome to catch a notorious jewel thief known as "The Phantom" before he conducts his most daring heist yet: a princess' priceless diamond with one slight imperfection, known as "The Pink Panther".
- DirectorAlbert HughesAllen HughesStarsLarenz TateKeith DavidChris TuckerA Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsAlan LaddErnest BorgnineKaty JuradoReleased from the Yuma Prison in 1898, ex-killer John McBain wants to go straight while ex-robber Peter Van Hoek seeks revenge but their destinies eventually converge in the mining town of Prescott.
- DirectorQuentin LawrenceStarsPeter CushingAndré MorellRichard VernonA charming but ruthless criminal holds the family of a bank manager hostage as part of a cold-blooded plan to steal 97,000 pounds.
- DirectorDaryl DukeCurtis HansonStarsElliott GouldChristopher PlummerSusannah YorkA timid bank teller anticipates a bank robbery and steals the money himself before the crook arrives. When the sadistic crook realizes he's been fooled, he tracks down the teller and engages him in a cat-and-mouse chase for the cash.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsJames CaanTuesday WeldWillie NelsonAn ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsSean ConneryGert FröbeHonor BlackmanWhile investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsVincent PriceEllen DrewVladimir SokoloffMaster swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire territory of Arizona.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMiriam HopkinsKay FrancisHerbert MarshallA gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsBruce WillisBilly Bob ThorntonCate BlanchettTwo bank robbers fall in love with the girl they've kidnapped.
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsKaren BlackBruce DernBarbara HarrisA phony psychic/con artist and her taxi driver/actor boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantGrace KellyJessie Royce LandisA retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAlec GuinnessPeter SellersCecil ParkerFive oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonJohn CleeseStarsJohn CleeseJamie Lee CurtisKevin KlineIn London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool a very proper barrister.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsMartin LaSalleMarika GreenJean PélégriMichel passes the time by picking pockets, careful to never be caught despite being watched by the police. His friend Jacques may suspect, while both men may have their eyes on Jeanne, the pretty neighbor of Michel's ailing mother.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsPeter SellersChristopher PlummerCatherine SchellInspector Jacques Clouseau is put on the case when the Pink Panther diamond is stolen, with the Phantom's trademark glove the only clue.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsMichael CrawfordOliver ReedHarry AndrewsMichael Tremayne (Michael Crawford) and David Tremayne (Oliver Reed) decide to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, not for criminal purposes, but to make themselves famous.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsStanley BakerJohn CrawfordDonald PleasenceIn Britain, a Manchester police inspector becomes obsessed with capturing a criminal who escapes from prison.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsNick NolteRalph FiennesNutsa KukhianidzeAn aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in Monte Carlo. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.
- DirectorRichard QuineStarsMickey RooneyDianne FosterKevin McCarthyAn upright car mechanic falls in love with the girlfriend of a gangster. This forces him to participate in the criminal underworld.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsDonald SutherlandMark WahlbergEdward NortonAfter being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.
- DirectorTakashi IshiiStarsKôichi SatôMasahiro MotokiJinpachi NezuFive men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by contract killers.also known as: Gonin (original Japanese title)
- DirectorScott RobertsStarsGuy PearceRachel GriffithsJoel Edgerton3 brothers are in and out of prison in connection with heists planned by their lawyer et al. He gets them out for the heists and "looks after" the money and one's wife.
- DirectorBill KarnStarsJohnny CashDonald WoodsCay ForesterA murderous thug and his cohorts take a bank executives wife hostage after their robbery plans go awry.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsKevin SpaceyGabriel ByrneChazz PalminteriThe sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
- DirectorBryan ForbesStarsMichael CaineGiovanna RalliEric PortmanCat burglar Henry Clarke and his accomplices, the Moreaus, attempt to steal diamonds from the château of millionaire Salinas. However, Henry's partners in crime aren't the most emotionally stable people.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroVal KilmerA group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
- DirectorAndrew L. StoneStarsWilliam P. Lane Jr.John S. BattleW. Kerr ScottLed by a psychopathic killer, a vicious gang of armed robbers terrorizes Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering anyone who might identify them.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsRebecca RomijnAntonio BanderasPeter CoyoteA woman tries to straighten out her life, even as her past as a con-woman comes back to haunt her.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsEric RobertsMickey RourkeDaryl HannahTwo cousins unknowingly rob the mob and face the dangerous consequences.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGeorge ClooneyBrad PittJulia RobertsDaniel Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001).
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsPeter FondaSusan GeorgeAdam RoarkeDown-on-their-luck racers Larry and Deke steal from a supermarket manager to buy a car that will help them advance their racing chances. Their escape does not go as planned when Larry's one-night stand, Mary, tags along for the ride.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsJohn Phillip LawMarisa MellMichel PiccoliA master thief and his sensual lover pull off heist after heist, all while an envious coalition of cops and gangsters is gunning for them.
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsLino VenturaSandra MiloJean-Paul BelmondoA ruthless criminal flees from the pursuit, involving more and more casualties.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsJean-Paul BelmondoGeneviève BujoldMarie DuboisIn Paris around 1900, Georges Randal is brought up by his wealthy uncle, who steals his inheritance. Georges hopes to marry his cousin Charlotte, but his uncle arranges for her to marry a rich neighbour. As an act of revenge, Georges steals the fiance's family jewels, and enjoys the experience so much that he embarks upon a life-time of burglary.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsAldo RayElizabeth SellarsPeter O'TooleIn 1901, a group of IRA members decides to rob the Bank of England in order to finance their movement and to embarrass the British government.