Don't you even try to convince us that you have never thought about robbing a bank and what you would do with all the moola you acquired. We'd put money on it that you have. Or maybe it's just us? Either way, soon after WWI, when the "war to end all wars" was over, the new one was emerging - this time on the streets of America. On one side, there was a swelling tide of professional criminals, made wealthier and more brazen by Prohibition. On the other side was law enforcement, which at this particular time in history was outgunned (literally) to combat the escalating national crime wave.
By the middle of the 1920s, an estimated 1,300 gangs had formed in just one large city of Chicago. There was no quick fix. Dealing with the bootlegging and speakeasies was challenging enough, but the Roaring ‘20s also saw bank robbery and theft become increasingly common crimes. No wonder film studios started adapting real-life crimes into movies, with the first heist movie being John Huston's 1950 film The Asphalt Jungle.
Following its release, The Asphalt Jungle scored a hit with the public. Soon enough, many more theft and bank heist movies emerged on the screens from some of the greatest directors of all all-time - Jean-Pierre Melville, Sidney Lumet, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and many others. The 1950s saw cinema classics such as The Ladykillers (1955), The Levander Hill Mob (1951), and Bob le Flambeur (1955) hit the movie theaters and become now-renowned heist movies.
How could we forget perhaps the most tragic, yet romantic bank heist movie and a chef-d'oeuvre from Arthur Penn? After all, the true story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the ultimate ride-or-die couple, has inspired the American film industry and culture for years to follow. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) might not be the best money heist movie of all time. Yet, it paved the way for the New Hollywood film era that brought some of the most iconic movies ever made.
Below, we've gathered some of the best heist movies that will allow you to glimpse into the inside of criminal heads and supply you with a ton of belly laughs and frantic thrills. Do you agree with our ranking of the top 10 best heist movies of all time? Which movies would make it to your top 5? Let us know!
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