Film opinion: Five of the best heist movies - ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, ‘Inception’ and more

With news breaking that Daisy Edgar-Jones, Robert Pattinson and Denzel Washington are set to team up for a brand new heist film called Here Comes The Flood, maybe it’s time to think about some heist movies from the past that deserve a return to your screen.

Heist films bring the most tense and enthralling scenes to life as we never truly know the outcome of a fantastic chase scene or shootout.

Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews is here with five of the best heist movies on offer.

5. The Italian Job (1969)

The Italian Job, whilst somewhat overlooked at the time, has gone on to become a true cult classic. 

With Michael Caine at the wheel, we are taken along the ride of a high-risk job in Torino, where the crooks use Mini Coopers to evade capture. 

Mini themselves provided 16 cars for the shoot, and there was even a 2003 remake featuring Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron.

4. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan go for the lot in this charming crime thriller. 

Ocean, portrayed by George Clooney, and his partner Rusty, played by Brad Pitt, decide on a plan to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos all in one night.

Followed on by Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, and eventually Ocean’s Eight, the Ocean’s series has gone on to gain major pop-culture recognition, and contributed to a standard-setting year in the 2000’s decade.

What many people might not know however, is that Ocean’s Eleven was originally a 1960’s film, where Ocean’s crew went after five casinos instead of three, and Danny Ocean was played by Frank Sinatra!

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3. Point Break (1991)

Point Break follows the complexities of the relationship between Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze’s characters as a gang of bank robbers called The Ex-Presidents who take score after score.

Swayze’s Bodhi leads the crew, and whilst undertaking a secret investigation, Reeves’ Agent Utah discovers what he may have actually got himself into.

The ride of Point Break will have you at the edge of your seat, and the ending will keep you there for minutes after the credits roll.

Many people don’t know that Keanu Reeves actually spent time with real FBI agents in order to help him prepare for the role.

2. Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan further cemented himself as a master of film direction when Inception hit the big screen in 2010.

This time-distorting, mind-bending thriller changed what we thought cinema was capable of doing, and the ending is still one of the most debated and intriguing endings of all time.

It garnered a fantastic eight Oscar nominations, and took home four, making it one of the Academy Awards’ most praised films.

1. Heat (1995) 

Heat is widely regarded as a true masterpiece, and is yet another film that was not particularly recognised upon its release. It gained no notoriety from the Oscars, and yet is still IMDB’s 105th highest rated movie of all time. 

Heat’s main pull is that it pits Al Pacino against fellow film-great Robert De Niro, as they battle in a notorious cop-criminal dynamic in 1990’s Los Angeles.

Pacino plays detective Lt Vincent Hanna, whose marriage is on the verge of collapse in the midst of chasing down a meticulous thief - De Niro’s Neil McCauley.

McCauley leads Chris Shiherlis, played by the late Val Kilmer, along with Michael Cherritto, played by Tom Sizemore.

Kilmer’s Chris and Ashley Judd’s Charlene Shiherlis hold a timeless synergy and legendary chemistry that fans of the film and genre hold dear to their hearts.

Although their on-screen time together is short, we’ve never forgotten that iconic ‘hand-gesture’ moment to warn Chris that the LAPD are nearby. Despite their turbulent on-the-mend relationship, this scene is very much indicative of the bond and connection the two characters hold.

The action plays out over nearly three hours, and explores themes of morality, dedication, and sacrifice.

The precedent set by these five films will make for some high standards to aim for as Here Comes The Flood commences filming.

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