Crime films have several subgenres to offer — take gangsters, for instance. That’s arguably the most famous example, with another being the police procedural. But with the subgenre at hand, some of the most famous directors in Hollywood history have executed brilliant cinematic heists. They stole our attention from their film’s first frame until its thrilling end.
And plenty of these titles also featured well-known actors among their respective casts. But just to clarify: this list will be exploring films that were either undervalued by critics upon release or underwhelming in terms of box office receipts. But films that have been overlooked from a perspective of modernity also apply. All that said, these are the most underrated heist films ever made.
13 Dog Day Afternoon
This isn’t necessarily to assert that Dog Day Afternoon (1975) was overlooked by pundits when it came out amid the seventies, nor is it to say that more moviegoers should’ve seen it in theaters. It’s just that, when audiences consider Al Pacino from a modern perspective, or late actor John Cazale, or even crime films in general from the 1970s, their first thought is likely The Godfather (1972).
And justifiably so. But Dog Day Afternoon explores personal relationships and thereby the meaning of character in storytelling more so than any other film of its ilk. It focuses on the inner turmoil of protagonist Sonny Koufax — and audiences feel more attached to this character than they do the heist itself. In the end, even the near-perfect rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t do this masterpiece justice.
12 House of Games
Like Dog Day Afternoon, this heist film was well received by critics upon release. But unlike the aforementioned Sidney Lumet film, House of Games (1987) by David Mamet was an unwarranted bomb at the box office, raking in an inadequate $2.5 million at the worldwide box office. And what’s even more criminal is that, despite a 97% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a questionable audience score of 79% on the same website.
That about sums up the name value herein from a modern standpoint. But the pundits truly had it right, as this remains among the highest-quality films its subgenre has ever seen. With heavy elements of neo-noir, it follows a psychiatrist as she becomes involved in the criminal antics of one of her patients. Thanks to Mamet’s witty script in tandem with his brilliant direction, House of Games comes in at number twelve.
11 The Taking of Pelham 123
Directed by Tony Scott, this was the penultimate entry of the American filmmaker’s career. And even if you don’t recognize his name, you’ll undoubtedly know the actors within The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) — take Denzel Washington and John Travolta, for instance. Their efforts weren’t exactly noteworthy, but their inherent talent couldn’t impress critics even in the slightest of regards.
And it’s a shame that seems to be the biggest takeaway all these years later. While the prior two picks on the list were greatly revered by critics but lost most semblances of name value as time went by, The Taking of Pelham 123 is underrated on both accounts. It lands here at number eleven.
10 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Directed by Sidney Lumet in the final feature film of his career, this marks another heist film that was actually well-received by critics upon release. But considering Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) made mediocre money at the worldwide box office, it can undoubtedly be considered underrated from a commercial standpoint. Plus, it rarely gets talked about today.
Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman alongside Ethan Hawke as two brothers who agree to rob their parents’ jewelry store, its plot explores rather meaningful subjects from the start. You feel attached to these characters thanks to well-written development and tangible dynamics shared between the entire cast — not just the aforementioned performers, but others like Marissa Tomei, Albert Finney, Michael Shannon, and Amy Ryan. They facilitated a phenomenal heist plot that comes in at number ten.
9 Out of Sight
Directed by Steven Soderbergh — who made the Ocean’s trilogy in the following decade — Out of Sight (1998) also features George Clooney in the starring role. But unlike the aforementioned franchise, this doesn’t truly get discussed by modern audiences like it should. It was adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, written two years prior. And the script by Scott Frank was faithful to its book counterpart as Clooney plays Jack Foley, a professional thief who gets caught robbing a bank in Miami.
It’s best to leave further plot details under the surface so that you can experience it for yourself, but just know that it’s well written from start to finish, with meaningful character dynamics and a resonant ending scene. Critics were high on this upon release, and it didn’t exactly come up short at the box office. But it should be on everyone’s list of best heist films, and that’s sadly not the case.
8 American Animals
As one of the more recent films on the list, American Animals (2018) hasn’t exactly had time to resonate with audiences. They didn’t by any means line up in theaters to check it out upon release, though. And that’s despite its intriguing premise of four college plans who devise a clever plan to rob their library — based on a true story that occurred in 2004 on the campus of Transylvania University, which is located in Lexington, Kentucky.
The film itself utilizes various methods of high-level screenwriting to achieve an entertaining heist joint from start to finish. It features a fine roster of up-and-coming actors, too: guys like Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, and Blake Jenner. It’s essential viewing for fans of the subgenre.
7 The Score
Despite a star-studded cast with names such as Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and Marlon Brando — in the final role of his career, no less — not even their talent combined could truly impress critics with regard to The Score (2001). The protagonist Nick (played by De Niro) is planning to settle down with his wife, but first recruits a new, green accomplice in Norton’s character (named Jack Teller) to execute a nearly impossible heist.
And despite a decent showing with moviegoers upon release, nearly doubling its overall budget of $68 million, this joint by Frank Oz went down as vastly underappreciated by critics. What’s more is that it entirely holds up today, yet nearly never get talked about. It comes in at number seven.
6 Snatch
English filmmaker Guy Ritchie has plenty of underrated titles under his directorial debut — many of which are also within the subgenre at hand. But perhaps the most confounding of his filmography in terms of consensus review scores was Snatch (2000), starring Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, and Benicio Del Toro.
It’s held in relatively high regard today, but that wasn’t exactly the case upon release despite a deep, well-written plot and memorable performances to boot. There are some seriously entertaining character dynamics at play around every corner as well, and Ritchie’s overall direction helps land Snatch in the top ten.
5 Set It Off
Directed by F. Gary Gray from a screenplay by Kate Lanier, it features truly impressive efforts from each performer involved: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. And despite accruing decent money in theaters — $41.6 million on a $9 million budget — Set It Off (1996) only holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Those numbers aren’t at all indicative of the quality hereof. Its premise is fairly simple: set in Los Angeles, four friends devise a plan to rob a bank. Not for selfish reasons, though. Each character has their own motive, mostly going through with the heist for the betterment of their loved ones. And the overall product achieved an engrossing tone off the bat, with clever dialogue and thrilling plot points to boot. It’s undoubtedly among the most underrated heist films Hollywood’s ever produced.
4 No Sudden Move
This marks another heist stint from Soderbergh, and it should be in contention to go down as his masterpiece despite its lack of popularity. Critics raved about it, as they should have. But the general moviegoer remains mostly unfamiliar with the name overall. Which is a shame, as No Sudden Move (2021) is perhaps the most stylistic film on the list with palpable neo-noir elements popping through every frame.
It’s one of the best movies of the decade thus far, to be frank, with two of Soderbergh’s most frequent collaborators in the leading roles: Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro. But No Sudden Move also has memorable efforts from the likes of Jon Hamm, Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, and Kieran Culkin. This one needs to be on your list if it isn’t there already.
3 Thief
Directed by Michael Mann, who made another heist film of much more notable name value in Heat (1995), this particular project stars James Caan in the titular role. A professional safe cracker, Frank is attempting to leave his life of crime in the past. He wants to move on from robbing banks and build a family with his newfound wife.
But when things go wrong during his final heist, the plot of Thief (1981) kicks off to a thrilling degree. This is one of those films that meets every measure to be considered underrated: it underperformed in theaters, hardly impressed critics overall, and is rarely regarded in more modern landscapes. And for that, it lands here at number three.
2 The Lookout
Written and directed by a little-known American filmmaker named Scott Frank, this was his first ever feature film — for that fact alone, he should’ve gotten more credit for its quality. But it features a fairly impressive cast, too: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the protagonist Chris Pratt, for starters. That’s a fun note off the bat. And The Lookout (2007) also has Jeff Daniels as his roommate Lewis, and Isla Fisher as his love interest named “Luvlee” Lemons.
It was well-enough regarded by critics but made a meager $5.4 million at the worldwide box office off a $16 million budget. And it holds next-to-no name value today when it should legitimately be considered among the highest-quality heist films ever made. It follows Gordon-Levitt’s character Chris as a maintenance worker at a bank who gets roped into a plan to rob the very facility in which he works. It’s thrilling around every corner, and lands here at number two.
1 Heist
You’d think that fans of this subgenre would have gone to see a film called Heist (2001). However, despite brilliant dialogue and structure within the script from David Mamet — along with hardened direction from him, as well — this brilliant romp made only $28.5 million at the box office off a budget of $39 million. It bombed, in other words, and frankly, experts of the field weren’t much kinder with their reviews.
Certain critics like Roger Ebert championed the film upon release. But not even the likes of Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, or Sam Rockwell could lead this film to greater heights. Hackman’s protagonist Joe Moore is the boss of three professional thieves, including his wife, Fran. But after botching the robbery of a New York City jewelry store, Joe is forced to retire from the trade. It’s a truly entertaining romp from start to finish and ultimately lands here at the top of the list.
