5. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Although not your typical heist movie, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three follows a gang of bandits who take a New York subway train full of passengers hostage in exchange for a million dollars. Like many heist films, the criminals seem to have thought of every last detail, they all wear the same disguise, address the other criminals by color, and even have a former train employee in their crew. By holding the hostages in such an obscure space, the thrills and tension is brought up, making viewers wonder how they will get away with in until the last second.

4. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

This Tarantino classic follows six men (who take a note from Pelham and only address the others by color) as they deal with the aftermath of a botched diamond heist that takes place during the first act of the film. This film differs from most heist movies because it almost puts the heist in the background on the film since the men and their interactions after have such a presence on screen. After all, who can forget Mr. Blonde’s (Michael Madsen) infamous torture sequence timed with ‘Stuck in the Middle with You?’

3. A Fish Called Wanda (1998)

This comedic take on the heist genre once again is much more of a character study than a heist film since the diamond heist takes place early on in the film. The story follows a cast of colorful characters as they try to find their loot after the only person who knows where they are is arrested for the crime. With the talents of John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin, and Kevin Line (who won an Oscar for the role) this British comedy classic brings a new light to the heist genre.

2. Inside Man (2006)

This Spike Lee heist film perfectly brings to light what makes characters good vs bad. Once again the trope of the ‘perfectly planned bank heist’ is present in this film, but it’s not the money the criminals are after. Clive Owen stars as Dalton Russell, the mastermind of the heist and is put against police detective Keith Frazier (Morgan Freeman) who just wants to ensure the safety of the hostages inside, and power broker Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) who may know more about what the thieves are after, unknown to Frazier.

1. Ocean’s Trilogy (2001-2007)

Starting with Ocean’s Eleven in 2001, this trilogy follows a group of criminals (with an all-star cast that would take too long to name) as they pull off exceedingly difficult heists. Kicking off strong with Ocean’s Eleven, the trilogy builds not only in the scale of their crimes, but what role the characters play in the schemes as well. For example, Ocean’s Twelve is a revenge film of sorts since the casino owner from the first film, Terry Benedict played by Andy Garcia, demands for the $198 million stolen from him in their first heist, plus interest to be returned. And although that makes for an interesting take for its sequel, I can’t forget the subplot of Julia Robert’s Tess Ocean pretending to be Julia Roberts as part of the heist (confusing right?) Luckily the trilogy goes out with a bang with the last installment Ocean’s Thirteen raising the stakes yet again to make for a great sending off note. And with an all-female reboot to hit theaters this June, our love of Ocean’s heist movies is far from over.