A Very Long List of Con/Heist Movies
As requested. I am not going to make a very long list, but hopefully others will contribute.
My short list:
- The Croupier
- The Sting
- Oceans 11/12/13
- The Italian Job
- The Heist
- Inside Man
The only movie here that isn’t well known is The Croupier. It was what convinced me that Clive Owen should be James Bond. Now I’m told that Daniel Craig is a better Bond than Clive ever could have been, but those people haven’t seen The Croupier. Track it down. It is the best movie in this list.
I’m sure that I’m missing a bunch of obvious ones. Especially old ones. D. Fletcher, you care to help out on this?
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Posted on May 10, 2007, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 37 Comments.
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Hmmm – hadn’t even heard of the Croupier. I’ve enjoyed a bunch of these films – so I’m going to have to check that out.
How about the Score with DeNiro and Edward Norton.
Grifters
Matchstick Men
The Ladykillers
Ooh, and The Spanish Prisoner.
And Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Wow. Thanks. Who knew a simple comment could get such a quick and to the point response. This blog is the best.
Don’t forget Entrapment.
What about “Heat?” It has DeNiro and Pacino on opposite sides of the law. Awesome.
Jeremy, the modern version of “The Ladykillers” is, unfortunately, not very good. It’s the Coen Brothers’ worst movie by far. I think the original Alec Guinness version is pretty good, but it’s been forever since I’ve seen it. So long, in fact, that I can’t remember if I actually saw it or if it was a similar movie.
BTD Greg,
Good call on The Spanish Prisoner. That is one that I should have remembered.
Bandits.
V. funny. And both con and heist.
You missed the classic – “The Sting”
I am glad I am not the only one who saw “Croupier”, I very much enjoyed it, but it is perhaps less of a heist movie because of the emotional component with Clive Owen’s character. Great acting by the way.
The of course there are my favorite british heist movies, which are a little course. Ie “Sexy Beast” (Love ben kingsley, Gandhi Gangster!), “Snatch”, “Lock Stock and 2 Smocking Barrels” Also “Get Carter” (with Michael Caine). These are all kind of mob/heist movies rather than heist per se.
Also see “Resevoir Dogs” (heist gone bad), Bottle Rocket (Yeah I had to go there), and Ronin (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean in the same movie with Awesome driving!)
Also Thomas Crown Affair (I prefer the original Steve McQueen, but Pierce brosnan wasn’t all bad)
Ones I have wanted to see are “Charley Varrick” and the Hard word with guy pearce
Croupier???? Terrible movie. Supergenius can attest to is badness.
A really, really good con/heist movie is Nine Queens. It’s Argentinan (subtitles) and about 5 years old. Very good.
The Sting is in the original list.
Snatch and Lock, Stock are fantastic. Good call. The performance of Brad Pitt in Snatch and Sting in Lock, Stock are truly unique and fun to watch. In Snatch, the scene with the dog in the car after he swallows the squeaky toy is one of the funiest scenes ever filmed. If you see these movies, prepare yourself, the dialogue is hilarious but on first listen you may find it impenetrable (unless you are Ronan). Brush up on your CRS (Cockney Rhyming Slang) prior to viewing.
Rififi is my favorite heist movie. There’s a really nice Criterion DVD of it, which I’m sure Netflix has.
I also really like The Taking of Pelham 123 (Tarantino stole the idea of criminal pseudonyms based on the names of colors from this movie).
Rififi
Topkapi
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Ladykillers (original Alec Guinness version)
Bank Shot
The Hot Rock (great one!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heist_movie
Ronan not only has one of the greatest car chase bits ever but is also a fantastic con and a fantastic heist film.
McQ – sorry – bad bit on my part. However, the sting is a must see con movie, that is pretty family friendly if i recall.
Getting into car chase movies – I would like to see that list. One of my favorite actors from Guy Ritchies mob movies, Jason Statham, in a weak plot but great action movie (the transporter – Rule #1. Never change the deal.)
I am also reminded that “Sneakers” is a great movie. It was a cult classic with the LDS youth growing up – my neighbor had the whole thing memorized.
Also “Layer Cake” was an awesome british mob/heist film. Daniel Craig is excellent! And the book, it was excellent.
Nine Queens/Nueve reinas. The US remake died when George Clooney backed out.
Lots of French movies:
Bob Le Flambeur
Quai des Orfevres
A Bout de Souffle
etc., etc.
I agree with Rusty and Ben, Nueve Reinas is a great movie.
But SG, tell us what you think of The Croupier!
There is a lot of genre confusion on this thread, but I think the one true heist movie everyone should check out is Kubrick’s THE KILLING.
The Killing… is pretty terrific (it was on TCM this week) if you can stand that goofy voiceover the studio added in post-production.
If you can stand a little nudity, profanity, and extremely graphic violence, I highly recommend a little known Canadian movie called The Silent Partner, with Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer.
I forgot about The Killing (Sterling Hayden and Elisha Cook Jr in the same movie!) Great stuff, although Kubrick apparently hated it.
Charley Varrick is terrific. It’s one of my husband’s faves ever, and he seconds The Hot Rock.
Breathless is one of my favorite movies ever, too! I really like both Thomas Crowne Affairs and Sneakers.
How about…
Catch Me If You Can
and
The original Getaway with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. It’s really good (better than the remake).
There’s also an old noir film called Criss Cross. It’s pretty good.
House of Games by Mamet is good.
Sneakers.
I think Usual Suspects qualifies as a con movie.
Small Time Crooks is a funny heist movie (Tracy Ullman was great)
Double Idemnity is an awesome con movie (insurance fraud) Barbara Stanwyck & Fred MacMurray sizzle.
Sneakers was my favorite film for years growing up. I still stop and watch it when I see it on tv.
Check out The House of Games, also by David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner).
Or The Music of Chance.
Agree re Croupier, The Spanish Prisoner, Heist, The Score, and especially The Grifters. All great films.
I also really enjoyed Matchstick Men with Nick Cage and Sam Rockwell.
Confidence with Ed Burns and Rachel Weisz was somewhat forgettable, though it was defintiely a con-artist movie.
I put Matchstick Men on par with Confidence. Both kind of “meh.”
Mamet did a whole slew of con movies. (All in Iambic Pentameter) He did House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, and The Heist. All very good if a tad different from your typical movies. (He’s a better author than director in my opinion)
EW.com has a related list:
Oceans 11
A Fish Called Wanda
How to Steal a Million
Inside Man
The Italian Job (1969)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Usual Suspects
The Asphalt Jungle
Nine Queens
Heat
The Killing
Reservoir Dogs
boiler room
If you liked David Mamet’s “THE SPANISH PRISONER” you will love “THE HOUSE OF GAMES” starring Joe Montegna & Lindsay Crouse……… and “HEIST” starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito! Two movies that go deep into the psyche and world of the con-artist. These are two gems you don’t want to miss!
I thought Heist was a bit of a disappointment – especially compared to The Spanish Prisoner. Mamet can really write good dialog but there’s something about most of his films that I find lacking.
Still The Heist is worth watching and definitely a good movie. As is Frank Oz’ (Miss Piggy’s) The Score. He’s best known for his comedies but I really loved that film.