5 Greatest Con and Heist Films

There are several great con and heist films out there but there are five that I find the greatest of the types of films.


5) Inside Man: This movie is not the greatest movie, but it has a great concept to it. Executed poorly, but a great bank robbery none the less, Inside Man does have a few good things about it. Other than the bank robbery itself, the other good thing about it is the acting. Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, and Christopher Plummer shine in this film. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending was a real shocker and I did not see it coming. If you don’t mind people searing every other word and several fowl, crude jokes, you might want to rent this movie.

4) Ocean’s Trilogy: For a trilogy, I often clump the three movies as one, especially if they are directed by just one person. The first and last films in this trilogy are really good, and very entertaining with a fun twist and complex robbery. You can tell that the actors are having a blast with their respective roles: George Clooney and Brad Pitt and Bernie Mac give some of their greatest performances. Matt Damon and Andy Garcia are also fun to watch. The endings to each of these movies are very satisfying.

3) RockNRolla: Gerard Butler’s greatest film, and Guy Ritchie’s last directed film before Sherlock Holmes, RockNRolla is a real treat, and like all con or heist films, they give the greatest trick for last. Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible II) and Tom Wilkinson (John Adams and The Patriot) are also fun. But who really steals the show is my favorite actor, Mark Strong (Robin Hood, Stardust, and Body of Lies). Archy (Mark Strong) is Tom Wilkinson’s henchman, his right hand man. He plays a pivotal role in the overarching story. I’m not sure I recommend this movie because of the extremely sexual aspect of it, but the twist at the end of the film is amazing.

2) Duplicity: This movie is the director’s second directed film. It stars Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. I am not a fan of Julia Roberts at all, and I don’t think she did a particularly good performance in this film either, but it is the complex and twisted turn of events of the story that steals the show and not any actor. The film has a dual plotline, one that goes from one time in these characters lives to where they try to con these corporations. I can’t really say much or it will spoil the whole ending, but it is by for the second greatest con film ever done. I recommend this movie to anyone (though it does have a few risqué parts).

1) The Usual Suspects: The greatest con film ever. Throughout the whole movie, it might seem a basic, predictable, linear plotline, but it isn’t. I know I have been saying this, but it is true for all con and heist films, that the ending is the greatest. The whole movie is rewritten, literally, in the last minute. Of all of these movies, I recommend this film the most (though, like Inside Man, it does have a lot of swearing in it).