Plot: A paraplegic discovers criminals living next door are planning a bank robbery.

KBZ’s Take: This Argentina & Spain co-production is one of the best caper and heist films to come out in the last 10 years. This film takes a twist on the usual caper and heist tropes with our main character planning and executing his own heist of an actual heist.

What we can talk about with respect to the film is the brilliant performance from Leonardo Sbaraglia (as Joaquín). Joaquín is the main character who is paraplegic but also happens to be a criminal mastermind of his own. This doesn’t bode well for the thieves that are planning an elaborate heist in the room next to his (and which he can overhear in detail).

To say anymore will ruin the film but it’s filled with suspense and an ending that you won’t see coming. We highly recommend the film as it’s not only one of the best Heist Films of the 2010’s, but it’s also one of the best films of the entire subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 2015 – 2019 #1, Top Caper & Heist Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) #4

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A new security guard is more than he seems while defending a heist.

KBZ’s Take: Heat (1995) is generally regarded as the best heist film of all time. Over the years, many films have tried (and failed) to be recognized on the same level as Heat. That is until Wrath of Man was released.

This Guy Ritchie Heist film didn’t get the promotion and awareness it might normally have due to its release during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, like Heat, this film has a defining heist execution that’s on par with the best heist action scenes of all time. It’s also a great Revenge Thriller (that we can’t talk too much about as revenge is central to the plot).

This is one of the best subgenre films of the last few years and has already cemented its place as a classic film of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Best Recent Heist Films #2, Top Caper & Heist Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) #2, Top Films About Revenge You Haven’t Seen #8

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: American vault cracker travels to Paris to meet his friend for a bank robbery on Bastille Day.

KBZ’s Take: We had Killing Zoe #1 on our Top Caper & Heist Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) article and was also our top pick for the Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s. Our original thoughts on the film are below and we’ll reiterate that this is a must-see film of the subgenre.

Ok, we know your first thought might be, “Killing Zoe is actually quite popular and is a classic!” And we agree that it is a classic – for most people over the age of 40. Younger generations might miss this classic when they go down the Tarantino rabbit hole of films.

Though Tarantino was only an Executive Producer on the film, it’s a Roger Avary scripted and directed film that feels like Tarantino throughout. And it should since Roger Avary was involved with both Pulp Fiction (1994) and True Romance (1993). If you’re in that Gen Y or Gen Z demographic, add this film to the top of your queue and you can thank us later.

Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #1, Top Caper & Heist Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) #1

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case.

KBZ’s Take: Though Ben Affleck’s Argo (2012) won Best Picture for the 85^th Academy Awards and is considered his best directorial effort to date, we personally feel The Town is a better film and one of the best Heist films of all time.

The film checks all the boxes for classic fare of the subgenre. It features an excellent cast with Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Chris Cooper. The film has one of the most audacious heists of the subgenre with the robbers’ plans to steal all the day’s game cash from the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park stadium. And like all great heist films, there’s well-choregraphed chase scenes and iconic masks used during the gang’s heists.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt… but he’s got a plan. He’s going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It’s going to be a snap and nobody’s going to get hurt… until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing – and extremely pregnant – investigator who’ll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom… you betcha!

KBZ’s Take: We had to make a judgment call with Fargo as it technically could be considered a Caper Film over a true Heist Film. And though the film features many different subgenres including Dark Comedy, Films About Cops & the FBI, Films About Kidnappers & Hostages and Thriller Film Noir & Neo Noir Films, there’s no disputing it’s place as one of the best films of all time.

The heist elements of the film are relegated to Jerry Lundergaard’s (Willam H. Macy) scheme of selling fraudulent used cars and a kidnapping/extortion plot involving his wife. And though there isn’t a film defining heist scene like other films on our list, it’s the film’s story and wealth of oddball characters that elevates it to the top of this list.

There aren’t many films like Fargo and there likely won’t be for a while. But for fans of this subgenre, it’s a genre-defining classic film that shouldn’t be missed.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Freelance safecracker wanting to retire from the business signs up for one last score with a gangster.

KBZ’s Take:  This Michael Mann film has inspired many other caper and heist films including Mann’s own Heat (1995) and the Ryan Gosling-led Drive (2011). This film shows the life of a ‘freelance’ thief who has to rely on even shadier criminals in order to get paid. Life isn’t easy when you can’t complain to HR about funds being withheld.

The film features an almost 5-minute safecracking scene with a specialized blow torch and a suspenseful third act ending. While the film doesn’t have the action-paced thrills of other subgenre films, it makes up for it with a realistic look at living a life of crime.

Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s #1, Top Caper & Heist Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) #7

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny’s hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess.

KBZ’s Take: Though the original Ocean’s Eleven (1960) was already considered a classic film of the subgenre, Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake not only improved on the original but launched one of the greatest heist-themed film franchises in history.

While both films feature A-list ensemble casts and comic undertones, Soderbergh’s use of shifting narratives and scene structure created arguably one of the best heist sequences and reveals of the subgenre. There’s no better heist reveal scene from the entire subgenre as Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) slowly realizes how he’s been played, and previous events are replayed with the true nature of the heist.

There have been three subsequent Ocean’s heist films with Ocean’s Twelve (2004), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) and Ocean’s Eight (2018), but none of them can quite compare to the 2001 film and its impact on the subgenre and innovative use of an ensemble cast in a Heist Film.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.

KBZ’s Take: Unlike our previous entry, the Point Break (2015) remake was a decent Action Thriller of the subgenre but couldn’t match up to the original 1991 film. Which isn’t a surprise as the original Point Break is a classic film that’s near perfect in its casting, execution and features some of the most memorable heist sequences of the subgenre.

The original film was tailor made for Keanue Reeves (as undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah) and Patrick Swayze (as surfer/bank robber Bodhi). Their dynamic and mutual respect for each other drives the film in between its multiple heist sequences by the ‘Ex-Presidents’ and extreme sports action set pieces.

It’s the one film on our list where the thrills of the heists transition to death-defying sequences for a non-stop adrenaline rush.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million-dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord’s almost supernatural prowess.

KBZ’s Take: The Usual Suspects heist sequence doesn’t make an appearance until late in the film, but it’s all the events leading up to that point that quickly catapulted it to a classic film of the subgenre. This isn’t an action-oriented film but one where the criminals and their motivations continually shift throughout the film.

It’s also a film that relies on its screenplay, direction and cast more than other subgenre films. The smart and puzzle-like screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie would have an outsized influence on most future heist films and their reveal in the final act. Bryan Singer took McQuarrie’s script and injected it with stylistic direction through use of flashbacks that often muddied rather than revealed the motivations of every character.

And finally, there’s the cast. This didn’t have the A-list cast of an Ocean’s Eleven (2001) but rather a roster of B-level actors and future actors who hadn’t yet reached A-list status. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollack and even Stephen Baldwin all transformed this small B-level film into an A-level classic and one of the all time best of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Obsessive master thief, Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective, Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

KBZ’s Take: If you’ve read our previous articles on various Heist films from 1970 to present, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Heat is our #1 all time best Heist Film. It’s one of our personal favorite films and we’ve noted it repeatedly when comparing other films to the standards Heat set within the subgenre.

It has arguably the greatest cast in any film of the subgenre with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight and others. The film also has some of the greatest heist sequences of the subgenre from the film’s opening armored truck heist to the thrilling bank heist (and shootout on the streets of Los Angeles).

But most of all, Director Michael Mann created a Heist film grounded in reality that explored the personal relationships of both the police and criminals that revealed their motivations and eventual conflicts within their professional lives. At its core it’s a film about ‘cops and robbers’ where many grey areas exist.

For fans of the subgenre, we would also strongly recommend checking out L.A. Takedown (1989). This was the previous ‘rough draft’ of Heat and a film that shows that Michael Mann had the structure and narrative in place for a classic film with this earlier iteration of Neil McCauley and Vincent Hanna’s story. He just needed the budget and acting talent to transform his earlier draft into the best Heist film of all time.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon