The Thief (1981)
James Caan, best known for his iconic role in Elf alongside Will Ferrell, worked in Hollywood long before the popular Christmas film. One of Caan’s earlier projects was a spectacular heist film called Thief. This film barely doubled its budget at the box office, but it is an excellent tale of an expert safecracker who decides to take one last job before retiring. Although the plot sounds familiar, this is a much more personal take on the heist format, focusing on one main protagonist and his encounters with clients such as the Mafia.
Heist (2001)
When Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) runs into trouble after being caught on a security camera, a myriad of other problems begin to surface. His wife cheats on him and the client who owes him money pulls out of the deal. With his life falling apart, Joe is forced to take on another job with his team. Hackman gives an incredible performance here alongside a supporting cast that includes Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Pidgeon and Ricky Jay, but the film barely made back more than half its budget at the box office on release.
Inside Man (2006)
From legendary director Spike Lee comes Inside Man, a thrilling story about an elite criminal who always manages to evade capture, but this job is different. When a simple heist turns into a tense hostage situation and multiple security agencies are called in, anything can happen. Inside Man stars Denzel Washington as the lead detective on the case against Clive Owen’s suave criminal mastermind, along with performances from Christopher Plummer, Jodie Foster, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Willem Dafoe. The twist of a heist gone wrong is what makes this film stand out in the genre, along with incredible performances and direction.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Steven Soderbergh, director of the Ocean’s trilogy, returns to helm another heist with an all-star cast for Logan Lucky. Turning robbery into a family affair, the Logan brothers, played by Channing Tatum and Adam Driver, decide to pull off a heist during a major NASCAR race. But to pull it off, they need the help of a safecracker (Daniel Craig) who is currently serving a prison sentence.
To make the heist even more exciting, the brothers are up against the clock, and it just so happens that Tatum’s character Jimmy has to get to his daughter’s beauty pageant. Logan Lucky has a great ensemble cast that makes it an entertaining action comedy that deserves to be better known.
Sneakers (1992)
Robert Redford leads a team of experts working on government contracts to test their security systems. Redford is blackmailed into stealing a top-secret object of great importance to the government, capable of causing worldwide devastation. With a spectacular cast including Dan Akroyd, Ben Kingsley and River Phoenix, Sneakers is full of intrigue, secrets and twists. These aren’t your typical criminals, but government-commissioned experts forced into highly criminal activities.
