Everyone loves a good heist movie! Whether it's a thrilling bank robbery or a comical theft gone wrong, this evolved sub-genre has something for every film fan. Characteristics of caper films existed in early movies like The Great Train Robbery, but the sub-genre wasn't officially recognized until John Huston's 1950 classic, The Asphalt Jungle.
Notable films like The Rat Pack's Ocean's 11, The Sting, and Dog Day Afternoon solidified the popularity of heist films, but through the years, some titles such as The Brink's Job and The Old Man & the Gun have been overlooked by audiences. Out of an array of marginalized movies, these are just 10 of the most underrated heist films to add to your watchlist.
10 'Out of Sight' (1998)
Notorious bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) is busted in the middle of a robbery and thrown into a prison where the inmates plan an escape. With the help of his friend, Buddy (Ving Rhames), he makes a clean getaway and sets out to steal a stash of uncut diamonds hidden in a wealthy inmate's home.
Out of Sight is directed by Erin Brockovich director, Steven Soderbergh, and earned two Academy Award nominations. The movie also stars Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn,and Jennifer Lopez as a U.S. marshal assigned to track Foley down. Michael Keaton makes a cameo appearance reprising his character, Ray Nicolette, from Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown.
9 'Tower Heist' (2011)
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For ten years, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) has been dedicated to managing one of New York City's finest residences. One of his favorite tenants, Wall Street millionaire Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), is arrested for stealing two million dollars from his investors, Josh, and his co-workers. To try and get their money back, Josh and his friends turn to a career criminal (Eddie Murphy) to help them break into Shaw's home.
Tower Heist is a hilarious movie that stars Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, and Gaboury Sidibe. Murphy had originally pitched the idea for the film to producer Brian Grazer and Rush Hour director Brett Ratner in 2005, but between previous commitments to other projects and minor creative differences, the film was stuck in development hell.
8 'Going in Style' (2017)
Willie (Morgan Freeman), Albert (Alan Arkin), and Joe (Michael Caine) are longtime friends living in New York who discover that their pensions have been squandered as a result of a company buyout. With bills to pay and families to support, they decide to risk everything and plan to rob the bank that claimed their hard-earned money.
Age is just a number for this iconic trio who give brilliant, laugh-out-loud performances in Going in Style. The movie is a remake of the 1979 movie of the same name starring George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg. It also reunites Freeman and Caine, who had previously worked together on Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy.
7 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
Flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is caught smuggling money to her arms dealing boss, Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), but instead of facing time, authorities want to help them take Ordell down. Jackie knows her life will be at risk if she cooperates with law enforcement and decides to scam both parties to collect the money herself.
Jackie Brown is a slow-burning heist film written and directed by legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. After filming Pulp Fiction, Tarantino adapted Elmore Leonard's novel, Rum Punch, into Jackie Brown, making a few adjustments, including changing the main character's name and ethnicity. Tarantino wasn't sure how Lenoard would take his changes, but according to the DVD commentary, Lenoard was not only pleased with the screenplay but said it was one of the best adaptations of his work he had ever read.
6 'The Old Man & the Gun' (2018)
Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) is a career criminal on the run after escaping from California's San Quentin State Prison two years ago. After committing a robbery in Texas, Detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck) is assigned to the case and tries to track Tucker down, but as Hunt looks into Tucker's past crime, he realizes that he may have been wrongfully imprisoned for a false crime.
The Old Man & the Gun is based on the true story of Forrest "Woody" Tucker, who had been in and out of prison since he was 15 years old. According to The New Yorker, Tucker made his first escape in 1936 and escaped from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary custody while being transferred to a hospital in San Francisco.
5 'Flawless' (2007)
Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) has worked for the London Diamond Corporation for years, sacrificing any social life for her career, but when she's passed over for the sixth time for a promotion, she starts to regret her choices. When the janitor, Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), informs her that she will be fired, the two plot together to rob diamonds from their ungrateful employer.
Flawless is a British film with a head-scratching plot twist that sets it apart from other heist movies. Moore and Caine have instant chemistry as partners in crime and use their "shortcomings" to their advantage as they appear to be the last people anyone would suspect of pulling off such a complex robbery.
4 'Kelly's Heroes' (1970)
During World War II, a group of American soldiers learns about a fortune locked away in a French bank guarded by German troops. Kelly (Clint Eastwood) and his comrades plan to sneak across enemy lines to steal the loot for themselves, and despite the unpredictable dangers and obstacles, they're willing to risk their lives and even strike a deal with the Germans to get it.
Kelly's Heroes is a dramatic comedy and heist film that stars Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Telly Savalas, and All in The Family star Carroll O'Connor. The movie is based on the real-life robbery of the German National Gold Reserves executed by members of the U.S. military and German civilians in 1945 and was the greatest robbery in history on record.
3 'The Killing' (1956)
Career criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is engaged to be married and wants to start the marriage as a law-abiding citizen. Before he ties the knot, Johnny recruits a group of misfits to pull off one more robbery before he leaves his criminal days behind him, but when one of the guys tells his wife about the plan, she starts to plot her own scheme.
The Killing is a classic film noir but a highly overlooked heist movie co-written and directed by iconic filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. The movie is considered Tarantino's favorite heist movie of all time and also inspired his first feature film, Reservoir Dogs. While the movie wasn't a major box office success, it received positive reviews from critics, including TIME magazine, noting that Hollywood hasn't seen this much audacity of dialogue and camera work since Orson Welles.
2 'The Brink's Job' (1978)
Tony Pino (Peter Falk) is a petty thief who has recently been released from prison, but his old habits catch up to him when he and his buddy, Joe (Peter Boyle), decide to rob the Brink's main office in Boston. With the help of Pino's five former associates, they make out with a little over two million dollars, but things become complicated when the F.B.I. starts to close in on them.
The Brink's Job was inspired by the 1950 robbery of the Brink's office in Boston, where over two million dollars worth of cash, checks, and government securities were stolen. The movie was directed by William Friedkin, best known for films like The Exorcist and The French Connection, and stars Paul Sorvino as the suave Jazz Maffie.
1 'The Taking of Pelham 123' (2009)
Dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is on duty when the New York City Subway 6 train, Pelham 123, is hijacked by unknown suspects. Garber contacts the mastermind of the plan, Ryder (John Travolta), who plans to kill everyone on board unless he is paid 10 million dollars in an hour. As authorities race against the clock, Garber uses his extensive knowledge of the subway system to outsmart the hijackers.
The Taking of Pelham 123 is a remake of the 1974 movie by the same name starring Walter Matthau and Jaws star Robert Shaw.Along with Travolta and Washington, the movie has a star-studded supporting cast, including John Turturro, Luis Guzman,andThe Sopranos star James Gandolfini. According to Travolta, he and Gandolfini were longtime friends who grew up in New Jersey together.Throughout their careers, the friends continued to support each other and appeared in four films together, includingGet ShortyandA Civic Action.