# Best 'heist' films? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468 "2002-12-23T02:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/21 "2002-12-23T08:47:45Z")
Bob Le Flambeur Bellman and True The League of Gentlemen The Hot Rock ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/22 "2002-12-23T13:39:00Z")
“Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” rules all! unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Mr.A.Nemo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mr.A.Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.A.Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/23 "2002-12-23T14:02:44Z")
I have to second **Heat** since I think its an amazing and much underrated film. Even if the ending is a bit weak. Classic film noir, the dialogue is excellent even Henry Rollins manages to deliver his few lines well. _Wayne Gro… name’s Wayne Gro…_ ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/24 "2002-12-23T19:19:35Z")
Don’t know if it fits, but **The Sting** is one helluva movie. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/25 "2002-12-23T19:44:55Z")
Some new ones… **Lock, Stock and Three Smoking Barrels** **Snatch** ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/26 "2002-12-23T22:13:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > **Lock, Stock and Three Smoking Barrels > Snatch** Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/27 "2002-12-23T23:13:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*Some new ones… > > **Lock, Stock and Three Smoking Barrels** > **Snatch** \*\* Isn’t it …\ ***Two** Smoking Barrels \*? [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/28 "2002-12-23T23:50:32Z")
I liked the Score with norton and dinero ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/29 "2002-12-24T00:17:21Z")
**The Anderson Tapes** featuring a young Christopher Walken. I remember seeing this in the theater as a chillin’. **The Italian Job** is very cool, too. But it makes me cry to see what they do to those poor Minis. * * * Merry F\*\*\*in’ Christmas, everybody! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/30 "2002-12-24T00:49:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*If you consider it a heist film, my absolute favorite is **The Thomas Crown Affair**. Great robbery at the beginning. \*\* Which version? I really enjoyed the remake and have purchased the original - but have not yet taken the time to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/31 "2002-12-24T01:17:37Z")
If you’re looking for novels, then may I suggest Donald Westlake. Writing under the name of “Richard Stark”, he has a set of wonderful hard-boiled heist novels, some of which have been made into movies (like POINT BLANK.) Writing as Donald Westlake, his series of books about Dortmunder are the funniest heist stories ever imagined, laugh so hard you fall off the chair funny. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/32 "2002-12-24T01:40:25Z")
**Bandits**. Hands down. ---
**Author:** ![EveryDayHasItsDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@EveryDayHasItsDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EveryDayHasItsDog)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/33 "2002-12-24T02:03:33Z")
My vote goes to Bottle Rocket (Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Wes Anderson). I thought it was hillarious, though the brand of humor featured in the film is more hit-or-miss. It predates ‘the Royal Tenenbaums’ and has a lot of the same actors, i.e. Pagoda. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/34 "2002-12-24T02:17:51Z")
Does [Going in Style](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0079219) count? George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg (yes, _that_ Lee Strasberg) as three old men who decide to rob a bank. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/35 "2002-12-24T02:36:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadaji, regarding Thomas Crown Affair \* > **Which version?** The remake, actually. I have yet to see the original one for some odd reason. It’s apparently a rather loose remake anyways, since it’s an art gallery instead of a bank robbery as in the original. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/36 "2002-12-24T04:10:22Z")
**Dex** , if we’re going to do books, I’ll suggest the Bernie Rhodenbarr novels by [Lawrence Block](http://www.lawrenceblock.com/). They’re not as funny at first sight as Westlake’s stuff, but I prefer them. (His hard-boiled stuff, starring Matt Scudder, is even better. Harrison Ford is doing a Scudder movie! With him it might even be good!) And dammit, **TV time** , _Topkapi_ was the first movie I thought of when I saw this thread! ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/37 "2002-12-24T04:18:11Z")
**[Big Deal on Madonna Street](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0052216)** was very enjoyable to me, even though I don’t speak Italian. It was subtitled when I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/38 "2002-12-24T04:49:51Z")
\*\* The Kllling \*\* mentioned before is any director’s inspiraton if he wants to go for mood.The first movie I think of when somebody mentions heist flicks.Bonus points if he can dig up a Timothy Carey actalike (always thought Bruce Dern could do it) Only Kubrick’s second film,which complimented his first, \*\* Killer’s Kiss \*\*,and lead him on to many masterpieces. Would also second \*\* Asphalt Jungle \*\*,which,beside the fact that Sterling Hayden is in both,and makes the character his,is the \*\*original \*\* heist movie. While most of the others I see mentioned are good films, \*\* Heat and Score \*\* left me wanting more.Saw tham both as excuses for the stars to make their appearances with no sense of a dramatic or suspenseful storyline. Heat I barely remember anymore,tho I’ve seen it twice (2nd time hoping it was just me the first time) but nothing clicked. I could have written the dialogue for the last 1/2 hour of the Score;it was so predictable. And \*\* The Sting \*\* on my top ten list of alltime films,I never categorized as a heist movie.Just an all round great one.Sorta like putting Gone With The Wind in a Civil war movie pigeonhole. ---
**Author:** ![moonchilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@moonchilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonchilde)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-heist-films/144468/39 "2002-12-24T06:39:28Z")
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