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Heist movies/documentaries

4rch3nemy4rch3nemy Registered User regular
edited December 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm looking for a comprehensive list of movies/documentaries about burglars planning elaborate (or sometimes not so) heists. I thought there were some A&E specials on the subject but I can't find them, and am very interested in the subject at the moment. I want movies or resources more focused on the HOW and everything technical, but any and all heist movie recommendations are appreciated!

(Oceans 11/12/13, The Score, Heat, Inside Man, The Italian Job, Ronin .. all good examples of entertaining heist movies)

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  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I was going to recommend some, but umm, you pretty much posted all the ones I can currently think off.

    The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs? Although Reservoir Dogs I guess shows the aftermath more than the actual planning..

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  • EriosErios Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Does "The Sting" count? Either way it's a great movie.

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  • TexiKenTexiKen Dammit! That fish really got me!Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Bank Job was pretty thorough, although it took place in the '70s. The planning is there though.

    The Thomas Crown Affair is another one. The remake had a good heist opening. After that, meh.

    TexiKen on
  • BurtletoyBurtletoy Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    How about Heist?

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252503/

    Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, and, uhhh I guess that's it. But still...great movie.

    Burtletoy on
  • takyristakyris Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    4rch3nemy wrote: »
    I'm looking for a comprehensive list of movies/documentaries about burglars planning elaborate (or sometimes not so) heists. I thought there were some A&E specials on the subject but I can't find them, and am very interested in the subject at the moment. I want movies or resources more focused on the HOW and everything technical, but any and all heist movie recommendations are appreciated!

    (Oceans 11/12/13, The Score, Heat, Inside Man, The Italian Job, Ronin .. all good examples of entertaining heist movies)

    There's a reality show called Impossible Heists that I watched while planning a heist caper novel. In each episode, contestants have to recreate famous heists and are graded on how well they do. I enjoyed it. No idea if it's Netflixable or if you can find episodes online somewhere.

    Only other major source I hit beyond the ones you've mentioned is "Hustle", which is about the long con, not heists per se, but involves some heist activity in certain episodes. I'd at least check out the first season.

    takyris on
  • GrimmGrimm Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Are we talking stuff like oceans 11? If so, i also suggest the thomas crown affair.

    Grimm on
  • blarghy921blarghy921 Registered User new member
    edited December 2008
    hustle. bbc series about long-con con artists....oceans 11 type stuff. really entertaining and the hot chick that showed up in dexter season 2.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379632/

    blarghy921 on
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2008
    You're really unlikely to see a better movie in this genre than Heat, but Dark Knight sort of counts and I'd say that both the original and the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair were pretty sweet.

    There's a documentary called The Weather Underground about the Weathermen, the terrorist group from the 60s/70s. There are definite parallels, but it's more about how to understand the mindset of someone who goes underground and gets involved with bombing buildings and living on the run. Not really the same thing, but still pretty cool.

    Pheezer on
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  • RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Dog Day Afternoon

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  • locomotivemanlocomotiveman Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Great Train Robbery.

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  • OrestesOrestes Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Inside Man?

    I don't know if it counts, but Clive Owen is fucking awesome.

    Orestes on
  • HedgethornHedgethorn Associate Professor of Historical Hobby Horses In the Lions' DenRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
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  • fuelishfuelish Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3

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  • skyybahamutskyybahamut Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Otherwise I think that everyone has this covered.

    Oh, also the Matlese Falcon for a True Classic.

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  • fuelishfuelish Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Also: Just about every episode of Mission Impossible(TV, not movie) involves a complex plot where every move is planned and timed, every interaction calculated. Pretty cool, but not as fast paced as modern TV

    fuelish on
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  • .Tripwire..Tripwire. Firman Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    This is tangential but something you might appreciate:

    7 Years ago a German developer released The Sting! PC game through Jowood. Makes it hard to find, so I'm glad I was able to pick it up.

    Mixed reviews, but if you're looking for a patient, plan-focused foray into heists this is certainly a relevant game. The art direction is cartoonish but gloomy. Takes place in a large (for its time, at least) 3D city, and gameplay involves collecting supplies, selecting targets, recruiting aids, and planning out heists step by step. What frustrated people was that following the planning, all you could do was watch the burglary enacted rather than control it in real time, so it was important to fine tune your plan to perfection.

    sting.jpg

    I've run it on XP no problem, and it supports resolutions up to 1900x1200. A demo is available.

    .Tripwire. on
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  • Draco_AuricDraco_Auric Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Masterminds did a number of episodes on famous heists. It's all real world stuff too.

    Draco_Auric on
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  • Seattle ThreadSeattle Thread Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Rififi

    Le Circle Rouge

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  • ScumdoggScumdogg Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Point Break? You should watch Point Break. Sexy Beast is a good one. And, umm.... Jackie Brown, while not about a bank heist proper, involves some awesome theft planning.

    And along those lines, pretty much all of Elmore Leonard's novels are must-reads for the heist enthusiast. They are plentiful and cheap at most used bookstores.

    Scumdogg on
  • CorvusCorvus . VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Not a movie, but there's a British series about art theft called, unsurprisingly, Art of the Heist.

    Corvus on
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  • takyristakyris Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    On the book front, if you're up for reading, I've really enjoyed Westlake's Dortmunder books. They're all heist capers, and they're blue-collar heist capers that let you see how the guys come up with the plans. Very valuable, if you don't mind the reading (and they're generally very funny as well).

    takyris on
  • UltimaGeckoUltimaGecko Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Great Train Robbery.

    This was a surprisingly decent movie. Coincidentally, quite a few of the movies mentioned here are on Hulu.

    The Great Train Robbery
    starring Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Alan Webb, and Lesley-Anne Down
    about a mid-1800s train robbery in Britain for gold destined for the Crimean. It involves much of the same planning as movies like Ocean's 11 and Heat (mostly focused on getting the keys to the train car carrying the safe with the gold). It's based on Michael Crichton's The Great Train Robbery, which itself was based off of the first robbery of a moving train under similar circumstances.


    The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
    starring Walther Mathau, James Broderick, Rudy Bond, and Cynthia Belgrave
    about a hijacked New York City subway car. The movie focuses far more on the stand-off and troubles on the police side of things, not so much on the planning. Supposedly the movie hijackers' strategy was so well planned that the Metropolitan Transport Authority doesn't let any trains take the callsign Pelham 123 in fear of copycats. As a movie it's more of a mix between Die Hard and a heist movie with less overt action (it's more focused on the hijackers and hostages than the heist plans).


    Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
    starring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Statham, and an abundance of other people
    about a poker game debt and a heist to get the money to pay for it. The film is a bit quirky (some people have trouble with the interconnected plots and the accents), but does include a decent amount of heist planning and execution (not nearly as elaborate as things like Ocean's 11 or Heat, though). Of the three this one is the more action-comedy of the bunch.



    This reminds me: the original Die Hard is pretty much a heist movie. It's just not from the bad guys' perspective, but there's an abundance of planning and execution and timing involved. The sequels...not so much.

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  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Man on Wire.

    An eccentric Frenchman and his ragtag band develop an elaborate scheme to sneak into the Twin Towers, stretch a tight wire between the two, and walk "on the clouds" 1350 feet above Manhattan. And it really happened.

    No theft, but it feels like a heist movie, and besides that it's the best movie I've seen in a long time.

    Fats on
  • TheSuperWootTheSuperWoot Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I'll put another vote in for Dog Day Afternoon, one of my favorite heist movies ever.

    TheSuperWoot on
  • CitizenCitizen Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I saw a couple episodes of a show called Leverage the other day.
    Seemed like an decent show where a bunch of ex-bad guys got together to foil new bad guys.

    Citizen on
  • OrogogusOrogogus San DiegoRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
    How to Steal a Million

    1966 comedy with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. My parents like this movie a lot, but I'd say the plan has at least one giant hole in it. So I'd say it doesn't fall in the highly technical category so much as the any and all.

    Orogogus on
  • embrikembrik Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    takyris wrote: »
    On the book front, if you're up for reading, I've really enjoyed Westlake's Dortmunder books. They're all heist capers, and they're blue-collar heist capers that let you see how the guys come up with the plans. Very valuable, if you don't mind the reading (and they're generally very funny as well).

    I was kinda gonna mention this, since The Hot Rock was made into a movie.

    Also, how about the original Italian Job?

    Additionally,
    The Score, Croupier, Entrapment, Kelly's Heroes, Stark Raving Mad, Layer Cake (sort of), Three Kings

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  • HachfaceHachface Not the Minister Farrakhan you're thinking of Dammit, Shepard!Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Fats wrote: »
    Man on Wire

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  • SlagmireSlagmire Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Good Thief

    Probably the best Nick Nolte film I've seen in quite some time, it's a remake of Bob le flambeur and an excellent heist/robbery flick.

    Some other good suggestions made in this thread already too... save for the original Italian Job. The remake was much better. And don't get me started about that horrible Self-Preservation Society song that's played throughout the film. Fucking annoying that one.

    Slagmire on
  • TopweaselTopweasel Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Bank Job and Lady Killers come to mind. Technically MI 1&2 are hiest movies, 3 is debatable though.

    Almost forgot Entrapment.

    Topweasel on
  • SporkedSporked Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Ordinary Decent Criminals. Manages to be a heist movie as well as totally entertaining. Also Kevin Spacey rocks.

    Sporked on
  • Ramen NoodleRamen Noodle whoa, god has a picture of me! Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The beginning of Snatch. Then watch the rest of the movie which will probably be your cup of tea too.

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  • Vladimir7Vladimir7 Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I really enjoyed Oceans 11 and Inside Man

    Vladimir7 on
  • Sol InvictusSol Invictus Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Chaos. Starring Jason Statham. It's nowhere as good as his other heist movies, but it's alright. Watch The Bank Job. It's pretty technical.

    Sol Invictus on
  • Luck3ySe7enLuck3ySe7en The ROKRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Agreed with all of the above.. the only thing that i dont see really is "The Score". This is straight up heist with 3 awesome actors... Brando, DeNiro, and Ed Norton. "Usual Suspects" is another great one with somewhat of a heist theme.

    Luck3ySe7en on
  • Luck3ySe7enLuck3ySe7en The ROKRegistered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Nvm, you mentioned the score. Scratch that.

    Luck3ySe7en on
  • MidshipmanMidshipman Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Great Escape is definitely worth seeing. It's about an elaborate WWII POW prison break.

    Midshipman on
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  • ainuvasainuvas Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Foolproof is a pretty good movie ...

    From IMDB:
    Kevin, Sam and Rob have an unusual hobby: planning foolproof heists, without intending to actually perform them. The game goes wrong when their latest plan is stolen and carried out. Things get even worse when a mysterious man approaches them with an offer: plan a heist for him, or go to jail. As the clock ticks, they find that the risk might be higher than just their freedom.

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  • GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Scumdogg wrote: »
    Sexy Beast is a good one.
    You will never see Ben Kingsley the same again. There's no way that's the same guy who played Gandhi.

    GungHo on
  • LeptonLepton Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    3000 Miles to Graceland

    Harlem Nights

    Snatch

    The Perfect Score

    Lepton on
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