Shubhabrata Dutta
Heist movies should be your best bet if you are looking for some adrenaline on the cheap. People break into banks or jewelry stores, and the tension spirals out of control. Ultimately, the perpetrators flee with the reward in a near-impossible feat or mess up the plan beyond repair. No matter the outcome, heist thrillers are all the rage nowadays, especially with shows like ‘Money Heist’ smashing online streaming charts. Now, if you are looking for some great heist movies you can watch on HBO Max, we have prepared a list, gathering the genre’s classics for your consideration.
8. Mad Money (2008)
Callie Khouri’s crime comedy ‘Mad Money’ follows three women who chalk out a plan to steal damaged dollar bills from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City before they can be shredded. However, once the ladies get a taste of success, they continue doing it until their fate turns on its head, and they find themselves in legal waters. Starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes, ‘Mad Money’ is an entertaining heist drama that doesn’t make you break your head about the heist, but just have fun watching the events unfold. You can binge it here.
7. The Forger (2014)
John Travolta plays a criminal tasked with forgery in Philip Martin’s ‘The Forger.’ Raymond Cutter shakes on a deal with an underworld art dealer. It allows him to get released from prison early and meet his tumor-diagnosed son. In return, he must steal a Monet from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. What ups the stakes is that his son and father also get involved in the heist, which, if it fails, will have consequences for all three of them. Co-starring Christopher Plummer and Tye Sheridan, ‘The Forger’ doesn’t as much showcase the heist as it does Travolta, thereby becoming a feast for the eyes of his fans. If you, too, are his fan, you can watch the movie here.
6. Wanda (1970)
Barbara Loden graces the central role in her celebrated indie heist drama ‘Wanda.’ While chronicling a small-town ambiance, the movie lends a timely look at how women are traditionally portrayed in cinema. Furthermore, it drives its message home by taking the protagonist, Wanda’s plight to new heights. In a desolate Rust Belt town, she lives the life of a drifter, having given custody of her children to their father, as she fears that she is not enough to care for them. In due time, Wanda meets small-time criminal Norman Dennis, and the two plan a heist that goes awry. While not strictly a heist movie, it is one of the few female-centric movies on the list that conceals a theft in the plot. You can stream the film here.
5. The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)
‘The Hobbit’ trilogy is an epic fantasy-adventure movie franchise directed by Peter Jackson. The series follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who embarks on an unexpected adventure with a group of dwarves and the wizard Gandalf to reclaim their homeland from the fearsome dragon Smaug. As they journey through treacherous lands of Middle-Earth filled with mythical creatures and face daunting challenges, their ultimate goal is to steal the Arkenstone from Smaug’s lair. The film stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Although not strictly a heist movie per se, the ‘The Hobbit’ series does revolve around a daring mission to retrieve a precious artifact, an element that resonates within popular heist films. With its stunning visuals, captivating storytelling, and memorable performances, this cinematic masterpiece deserves a spot on this list. You may watch ‘The Hobbit’ here.
4. No Sudden Move (2021)
‘No Sudden Move’ is an enthralling crime thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. Set in the 1950s, the plot revolves around a group of small-time criminals who are hired for what seems to be a simple job but quickly find themselves entangled in a complex web of deceit and danger. As they navigate unexpected twists and turns, their lives become increasingly intertwined with powerful forces that will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. The film boasts an impressive cast, including Julia Fox, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Frankie Shaw, Ray Liotta, and Brendan Fraser. Whether you’re a fan of gripping suspense or masterful storytelling, this film is definitely worth watching for its intriguing plot and stellar performances from its star-studded cast. You may watch the film here.
3. Triple 9 (2016)
With a stellar cast that includes Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Aaron Paul, ‘Triple 9’ is directed by John Hillcoat. The action thriller centers on a group of corrupt cops and criminals whose objective of clearing the charges put on a Jewish-Russian Mafia boss leads to a heist plan that involves a 999 scenario. 999 is a code for “officer down,” which will divert the cops away from the crew. However, things do not go as planned, thanks to an unstable crew member and a police detective. ‘Triple 9’ stuns more with its visuals and performances than its story. However, it is a true-to-form heist flick and an entertaining one at that. You can watch it here.
2. The Bling Ring (2013)
Based on the thefts carried out by the Bling Ring gang between October 2008 and August 2009, as reported by Nancy Jo Sales in the Vanity Fair article ‘The Suspects Wore Louboutins’ published in 2010, ‘The Bling Ring’ is a crime drama helmed by Sofia Coppola. It centers on the titular group of fame-obsessed teenagers who track down celebrities’ whereabouts to rob their mansions in their absence. How they got into this and what fate had in store for them is what we see in this flirtatious take on money, class, and morality. Starring Emma Watson, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, and Taissa Farmiga, ‘The Bling Ring’ is a rare heist drama worthy of binge watch. It can be streamed here.
1. The Bank Job (2008)
Roger Donaldson’s thrilling heist drama ‘The Bank Job’ is a dramatization of the Baker Street robbery of 1971. It follows a group of robbers who pull off a heist at the Lloyd’s Bank in Baker Street, and among the safety deposit boxes, they find compromising photographs of Princess Margaret. Unbeknownst to them, the MI5 wants the pictures and will do whatever’s necessary to get them. To add to the drama, there are also gangsters who get involved for personal gain. How it ends for all these parties is what we find out at the end of the high-stakes drama that offers edge-of-the-seat entertainment from start to finish. Starring Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Keeley Hawes, Stephen Campbell Moore, David Suchet, and Peter de Jersey, the movie can be streamed right here.
Read More: Best Heist Movies on Netflix
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