Despite a rough start to a new decade, the 2020s has found its footing and is continuing to deliver some entertaining blockbusters to audiences. However, among the many common superhero and sci-fi films that have been released, one exciting subgenre doesn't get talked about enough. The heist subgenre is responsible for creating many entertaining crime films surrounding the planning, execution, and final result of a robbery.

Some of the best and most underrated action films that have come out in the 2020s have a heist infused into their plot. Whether they are more traditional or outlandish with their story elements, these films from the new decade have proved that the heist subgenre is still alive and kicking. From genre-bending work like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to underrated action flicks like Ambulance, these are the best heist films to come out of the 2020s thus far.

10 Kajillionaire Was an Overlooked Gem

• IMDB Rating: 6.4
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
• Watch on Peacock

Even though 2020 was a year when few films got released, Kajillionaire still got lost in the shuffle. Evan Rachel Wood stars as Old Dolio, the daughter of two con artists who taught her to steal, scam, and swindle wherever she goes. However, after an ill-conceived heist goes sideways, the family takes in a stranger named Melanie - played by Gina Rodriguez - who turns their lives upside down.

Kajillionaire does not go all out with its heist elements and, instead, gives the typical heist premise a more grounded feel to it. While the primary heist happens in the first act, Kajillionaire still keeps the audience engaged with its mismatched family dynamics, revealing that Old Dolio's parents see her more as an accomplice than their daughter. When Melanie gets brought into the picture, new relationships bloom as everyone initiates more scams to earn enough money to keep living.

9 Polite Society Revolves Around a Wedding Heist

• IMDB Rating: 6.6
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
• Watch on Prime Video

An underrated action movie from 2023, Polite Society follows protagonist Ria Khan and her older sister Lena. Ria aspires to become a martial artist and Lena helps her make those dreams come true. However, their plans get thrown off when Lena decides to get married, leading Ria to grow suspicious of the groom and his family. So, Ria uses her new martial arts experience and help from friends to pull off an elaborate wedding heist to save Lena and take down the new in-laws.

With a lovely sister duo at the center and fight scenes that would make any fan of action or Bollywood films proud, Polite Society should have gained more appreciation when it came out. The film acts as a slow but unbroken ticking clock for Ria to plan a heist and rescue her sister from a nefarious family. When Ria is not performing stealth moves, she is taking down guards and family members with her impressive fighting skills. Polite Society is a heist film that blends sisterhood and martial arts action to create something electrifying.

8 Army of Thieves Was a Prequel No One Saw Coming

• IMDB Rating: 6.4
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
• Watch on Netflix

Shortly after Netflix's Army of the Dead made waves, a prequel titled Army of Thieves made a surprising arrival on the streaming service a few months later. Not only does Matthias Schweighöfer reprise his role as safecracker Ludwig Dieter from Army of the Dead, but he also directs and produces the film. Army of Thieves follows Ludwig's origins before the zombie outbreak as he gets recruited by a mysterious woman to carry out a heist involving a series of safes.

If there was one character from Army of the Dead who deserved his own spin-off, Ludwig was a definite choice, and Army of Thieves made sure of that by making another entertaining heist adventure in this franchise. Schweighöfer brought lots of lovable charm as the protagonist and pulled double duty with his directing chops, even though he hadn't previously worked a lot behind the camera. The heists that occur across Europe are full of intricate planning and effective payoff, making Army of Thieves a decent prequel to an offbeat heist film.

7 Violent Night Has Santa Attempting to Stop a Robbery

• IMDB Rating: 6.7
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
• Watch on Peacock

Taking inspiration from Die Hard - an action film that many people still debate if it's a Christmas movie or not - Violent Night follows a grumpy Santa Claus who is getting tired of his job. However, this Christmas Eve gets chaotic when he arrives at a wealthy family's house, which is taken over by a group of mercenaries. As the villains break into the large safe, where hundreds of millions of dollars are stored, Santa takes them out one by one while rescuing the hostages.

Acting as a rare Christmas action movie, Violent Night makes great use of its bonkers premise. David Harbour proved to be an ideal choice to play a gruff and lethal version of Santa Claus, who puts up a good fight against his opponents. Using everything from sledgehammers to ice skates to gifts in his bag, Santa gets creative with his kills in Violent Night. Meanwhile, the conniving Scrooge - played by John Leguizamo - and his gang try to earn the score of a lifetime, all while delivering cheesy one-liners and biting the dust in over-the-top ways.

6 Army of the Dead Combines a Heist With Dangerous Zombies

• IMDB Rating: 5.8
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
• Watch on Netflix

Zack Snyder dabbled in the zombie subgenre with his 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and returned to elevate his love for the undead with 2021's Army of the Dead. After a zombie outbreak leaves Las Vegas in ruins and quarantined from the rest of the United States, survivor Scott Ward receives an offer to retrieve $200 million from one of the casinos. Scott then recruits a team consisting of close friends and other marksmen to journey into the quarantine zone. While inside, they face off against hordes of zombies that are stronger and faster than one would think.

Army of the Dead has an inventive approach to the zombie subgenre, as the undead here are extremely agile, have their own king and queen, and even have a zombie tiger in their arsenal. With these wacky but incredibly dangerous enemies, the team must survive several grueling obstacles to get to the safe and return home. However, Army of the Dead lets the audience know that absolutely no one is safe, with some characters meeting brutal ends. Although a tad long, Army of the Dead combines two remarkable genres to create something unique.

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