Big-budget action director Michael Bay's latest movie, Ambulance, premiered last month to positive audience reviews. A delightfully erratic Jake Gyllenhaal plays career criminal Danny Sharp, who convinces his adopted brother Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to rob a bank in order to pay his wife's skyrocketing cancer treatment fees. The robbery goes south, and the pair are forced to hijack an ambulance, occupied by resourceful EMT Camille (Eiza González), to make their escape.
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Ambulance revels in the expected Michael Bay fixtures - car chases, explosions, chaos, more explosions - but it's notably pared down in comparison with his other work, and is more character focused. Captivating audiences with stories about cunning criminals pulling off daring crimes, the unpredictable and wily nature of a good-old-fashioned heist movie rarely fails to entertain. If Ambulance has given you an appetite for sly underdogs robbing banks and driving fast cars, these are great heist movies to add to your watch list.
The Town (2010)
Ben Affleck proves his directing chops with his Oscar-nominated heist flick The Town. The movie follows childhood friends turned career thieves Doug McRay (Ben Affleck) and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), who rob banks and armored cars in and around Charlestown - a Boston neighborhood the film claims is responsible for producing more bank robbers than anywhere else in the world. Things start to sour for the gang when Doug gets into a relationship with Claire (Rebecca Hall), a bank manager James kidnaped during a hold-up at the start of the movie.
Doug is an example of the typical criminal-with-a-heart-of-gold archetype, but Affleck does a stellar job of injecting honesty into his portrayal, and his questioning of the life of crime and debauchery he's been knee-deep in since childhood leads to some fantastic scenes between him and Renner. Critically applauded, The Town is a terrific, fast-paced heist thriller that speaks to Affleck's directorial talents. It even has its robbers briefly pose as EMT's, akin to Ambulance. The Town can be streamed on HBO Max.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Undoubtedly one of the most - if not the most - famous heist movies of all time, Ocean's Eleven wrote the book for the modern, high-stakes, quick-witted heist movie as we know it today. It's A-List cast of cunning, charming and suave thieves includes Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon, the movie following the group of criminal masterminds as they devise a plot to steal $160 million from casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia).
Director Steven Soderbergh has made a name and a living dominating the heist movie genre, and with Ocean's Eleven, one of his first forays into the genre, he took a tried and tested narrative skeleton and reinvented it, resulting in a sharp, stylish, funny and compulsively re-watchable jaunt that spawned two sequels and a spinoff. Ocean's Eleven is streaming now on HBO Max.
Baby Driver (2017)
Cult filmmaker Edgar Wright rewrote the heist playbook with Baby Driver, a high-octane pseudo-musical full of adrenaline-pumping car chases and explosive action. It follows Baby (Ansel Elgort), a reluctant, music loving getaway driver who is blackmailed to complete a dangerous job that quickly goes south.
It's a smartly written, fresh take on the heist formula, fueled by a killer soundtrack. The cast give outstanding performances with equally impressive comedic timing at just the right moments. The action is so thrilling and electric you'll want to watch it over and over again. Baby Driver is available to rent or buy on AppleTV.
Heat (1995)
One of the most influential crime dramas ever made, Michael Mann's Heat has inspired a generation of works in the decades since its release. It follows the conflict between career thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pachino), their game of cat and mouse beginning with an armored car robbery worth $1.6 million and ending after a massive $12.2 million bank robbery.
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Just about every aspect of the movie is critically applauded, from the direction and screenplay, action and sound mixing, to the performances of crime drama legends De Niro and Pachino. It's an accomplished and engrossing piece of work, and a must-see for any fan of the heist genre. You can stream Heat on fuboTV or rent it on AppleTV.
Hell or High Water (2016)
Director David MacKenzie's Best Picture nominated Hell or High Water follows brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) Howard, who resort to bank robbery in order to prevent the foreclosure of their family ranch. In addition to their financial strife, the pair are pursued by Texas Rangers Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham).
Hell or High Water received universal acclaim as a well-acted, smart and complex Western heist thriller that examines the American capitalist system and the way it fails many working-class families, swapping mindless violence for well-conceived character studies and moving performances to boot. Similarly to Ambulance, it portrays one criminally-inclined brother convincing the other to break the law out of sheer desperation. Hell or High Water can be rented on AppleTV.
Inside Man (2006)
Director Spike Lee's slick, energetic and tightly-contained heist thriller Inside Man centres on an elaborate Wall Street bank heist orchestrated by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) over a 24-hour period. It also features Denzel Washington as NYPD hostage negotiator Keith Frazier, and Jodie Foster as Manhattan power broker Madeline White, who finds herself unwittingly embroiled in the robbery.
Frazier and Russell trying to outwit each other, and plot twists at every turn, make the movie, for all its failings, a roller-coaster that nevertheless remains entertaining and offers a fresh take on the heist blueprint. Full of intrigue and suspense, it's one of Lee's most inventive joints yet and will keep audiences guessing. Inside Man is available to stream on HBO Max.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Master of heists Steven Soderbergh came out of retirement, ten years after finishing the Ocean's trilogy, to direct the hillbilly heist comedy Logan Lucky. It follows brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver) Logan, who, with the help of their sister Mellie (Riley Keough) and incarcerated safe-cracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), devise a plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during one of the busiest races of the season.
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With a 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating and positive critic reviews, Logan Lucky is an efficient, expertly crafted and charming heist movie with loveable, oddball characters who are equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. With similar family dynamics and just as much crazy, entertaining fun as Ambulance, it's a must-see. Logan Lucky is available to stream now on Hulu.
Now You See Me (2013)
Louis Leterrier's oddball box-office hit Now You See Me is a little like Ocean's Eleven, but with card tricks and rabbits being pulled out of hats. It follows magicians J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), who are recruited by an unknown benefactor to form a troupe of magicians called The Four Horsemen and pull off bank heists during live performances, showering their audience with the profits.
Fast-paced and endlessly charming, Now You See Me is sure to have audiences mystified with its non-linear storytelling and audacious heist sequences. The cast is fantastic, and it's an all-round unique and entertaining number. Now You See Me is available to stream on fuboTV in the US.
Snatch (2000)
Guy Ritchie's 2000 crime comedy Snatch features an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Jason Statham and Dennis Farina. It's two intertwined plots deal with a small-time boxing promoter (Statham) at the mercy of a ruthless gangster (Alan Ford), and a desperate search for an enormous stolen diamond.
A snappy and stylistic dark comedy, Snatch swaps the glamour of Las Vegas or New York City for England's grimy underworld. A fast-paced and hilarious caper, it's a different spin on the expected - "gangster pastiche", if you will - and deserves investigation for its eccentricity alone. Snatch is available to rent or buy on AppleTV.
Widows (2018)
Heist movies have traditionally been a bit of a 'boys club' affair, but some fantastic additions to the roster in recent years have been working to rectify that, including Steve McQueen's critically acclaimed heist thriller Widows. The story follows Veronica (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), the widows of three criminal gang members who were killed in a botched getaway attempt after stealing $2 million from crime boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry). After being threatened by Manning, the women attempt to steal $5 million from the home of a local politician to pay off their husbands' debt.
Widows was well received by critics and audiences alike, praised for the performances of its ensemble cast as well as its nail-biting intensity and sharp screenwriting. Providing nuance and depth, with fantastic character construction and all the action and excitement expected from the genre, Widows is well deserved of the hype and well worth the watch. Widows is available to rent or buy now on AppleTV.
