The heist movie is one of the greatest triumphs of the thriller genre. Producing many of the most entertaining films of all time, the heist thriller formula is relatively simple, following the events surrounding a major crime, usually a robbery, and the stories of the characters involved. It has a number of recurring tropes as well, like the team-building montage, the double-cross, and the “One Last Job,” but the best heist movies find new, inventive ways of executing the genre’s formula that take the audience by surprise.
The greatest heist thriller films thrive on suspense and plot twists, developing in unexpected directions while playing with audience expectations like a fiddle. In the process, each of them has left an indelible mark on the genre’s evolution, shaping the heist thriller subgenre into its modern incarnation. Without further ado, here’s our handpicked selection of some great heist thriller movies that are packed with plot twists.
1 ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ (1999)
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-MayerA romantic heist film directed by John McTiernan and written by Leslie Dixon and Kurt Wimmer, The Thomas Crown Affair is a remake of the 1968 movie starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Like its predecessor, the 1999 film centers on the titular character, a Scottish billionaire who steals a valuable painting from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and is pursued relentlessly by an insurance investigator. Pierce Brosnan stars as Thomas Crown, with Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara, and Faye Dunaway in key roles.
Propelled by Pierce Brosnan’s captivating protagonist, The Thomas Crown Affair is a glamorous heist film with a sophisticated setting, where the theft is more of a game than a desperate or violent act. The film’s narrative hinges on the expertly designed heist scenes, exciting plot twists, intense romance, and suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase, all of which come to an end with a satisfying final act twist. While the remake matches the tone and style of the 1968 original, 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair makes its plot twists feel more immediate with its fast-paced and more engaging storytelling style.
2 ‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
Image via Miramax FilmsWritten and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature film debut, Reservoir Dogs follows a group of strangers who come together for a major diamond heist that goes horribly wrong. While hiding out in a warehouse, the robbers begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant, which leads to immense paranoia and violent confrontations. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Edward Bunker, and Tarantino in the lead roles.
A critically acclaimed independent crime film, Reservoir Dogs is a character-driven story that explores the chaotic aftermath of the heist rather than focusing on the heist itself. The film is most recognized for introducing Tarantino’s signature style, featuring violent crimes, nonlinear storytelling, pop culture references, and intelligent plot twists, which makes it a widely loved cult classic. Rather than a shocking final reveal, the central plot twist opens earlier in the story, creating endless suspense as the characters frantically attempt to find the truth, culminating in a violent, high-tension stand-off in the final scenes.
3 ‘Ocean’s 8’ (2018)
Directed by Gary Ross, Ocean’s 8 is a spin-off of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Trilogy and the fourth installment in the Ocean’s film series. The heist comedy film follows Debbie, Danny Ocean’s sister, as she assembles a ragtag team of women from various walks of life for an elaborate heist at the annual Met Gala in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sandra Bullock leads the all-female ensemble cast as the mastermind, Debbie Ocean, with Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and Rihanna in other lead roles.
Fun, feminine, and visually gorgeous, Ocean’s 8 boasts several exciting plot twists, including the true objective of the heist and the unexpected roles of certain characters. While it’s fair to say that the spin-off is not as slick as the original trilogy, Debbie Ocean is as charming, meticulous, and clever as her brother. Taking cues from previous Ocean’s films, the spin-off also relies on a sleek, straightforward robbery plot devised to cover up deeper, more intricate, and unpredictable tricks.
Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz
Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner?
Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
FIND YOUR PARTNER →
01
You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.
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02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.
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06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.
ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.
REVEAL MY PARTNER →
Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
Rambo
Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.
James Bond
Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
4 ‘The Italian Job’ (1969)
Image via Paramount PicturesA classic British crime comedy directed by Peter Collinson and written by Troy Kennedy Martin, The Italian Job stars Michael Caine as Charlie Croker, a Cockney criminal recently released from prison, who learns about a failed robbery attempt by his friends. With the crime lord, Mr. Bridger, on his tail, Charlie assembles a crew for a high-stakes gold heist from a security truck in Turin, Italy. Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi, and Maggie Blye appear in key roles.
Clever and chaotic, The Italian Job blends comedy, suspense, and action into a thrilling caper powered by Michael Caine’s compelling portrayal of a charming crook. The film is notable for being highly evocative of 1960s Britain and has remained famous for its key plot twists that lead to a cliffhanger ending (quite literally). While the film’s twists may not feel on par with modern thrillers, The Italian Job remains a cult classic for its high-tension plot and memorable climax, which has inspired several subsequent films in the genre.
5 ‘Now You See Me’ (2013)
Image via LionsgateA heist thriller directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt, Now You See Me centers on four charismatic illusionists who come together to become the Four Horsemen, staging robberies during their magic shows and rewarding the audience with the loot. Desperately trying to hunt them down, a federal agent and an Interpol detective turn to a famous former magician for his unique insights. Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, and Isla Fisher star as the Four Horsemen, with Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, and Mélanie Laurent in key roles.
Now You See Me is quite an entertaining heist thriller that keeps you engaged from start to finish with its fast-paced plot, quirky characters, and enough sleight of hand to keep you guessing. It also has some masterfully executed surprises, twists, and turns of events, which keep the audience’s attention on the cool stuff, so you don’t notice some of the more uneven plot points. Though its critical response has always been divided, Now You See Me is still an enthralling heist movie with high-energy action and spectacular illusions.
6 ‘Inside Man’ (2006)
Image via Universal PicturesSpike Lee’s critically acclaimed crime thriller film Inside Man centers on an elaborate bank robbery in New York’s Wall Street that quickly turns into a high-stakes hostage situation. Denzel Washington stars as an NYPD detective who begins negotiations with the criminal mastermind, Dalton, but when Manhattan fixer Madeleine White gets involved, the situation evolves into something more complex and unexpected than a simple robbery. Clive Owen stars as Dalton and Jodie Foster as Madeleine, with Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in supporting roles.
Energetic, fast-paced, and cleverly plotted, Inside Man skillfully subverts genre tropes with intelligent plot twists that are not only satisfying but also elevate the film above other bank heist movies. The film breaks several expectations, like featuring a bank robbery using non-violent tactics, hidden identities, and a central mystery involving the Nazis, all culminating in a fantastic final twist. Powered by its excellent performances, Inside Man is easily one of the best bank heist films of the century so far and remains the highest-grossing film Lee has ever made.
7 ‘American Animals’ (2018)
Image via The OrchardDirected and written by Bart Layton, American Animals is a docudrama heist film that combines true-crime documentary elements with a fictionalized retelling of a real-life heist that happened at Kentucky’s Transylvania University in 2004. Centered on four friends, the film follows how they discover rare and valuable books at the school library and devise a plan to steal them in what would later be considered one of the most daring art heists in American history. Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson star as the four central characters, with Udo Kier and Ann Dowd in supporting roles.
American Animals is far from a traditional robbery film and boasts a unique storytelling structure that combines real-world and fictional characters, expertly using unreliable narrators to challenge the audience's perception of the truth. The film’s plot twists are not necessarily in the big reveals but rather in how the plan falls apart, reversing the cliched “glamorous robbery” trope. More than the heist itself, the film’s greater success is in how the protagonists find the lines of reality and fiction blurred, leading to deep, psychological revelations, which make American Animals a truly original high-concept heist thriller.
8 ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ (2007)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesDirected by Steven Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, Ocean’s Thirteen is the third installment in the Ocean’s film series, concluding its original trilogy. The film sees Danny Ocean (Georgy Clooney) and his crew reassemble for one last job, but this time, they’re not just after money — they’re seeking revenge for their friend, Reuben (Elliot Gould), who is cheated out of his business by ruthless casino mogul, Willy Bank (Al Pacino). Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, and more reprise their roles from the previous films, with Pacino and Ellen Barkin joining the franchise as new cast members.
Smooth, stylish, and sharp, Ocean’s Thirteen didn’t hit audiences quite as hard as the first movie did, but it’s arguably the strongest film of the series. Powered by its clever, suspenseful plot twists and high-stakes tension, the final chapter of the Ocean’s Trilogy is an adrenaline-pumping heist film that never fails to surprise, with greater emotional investment than the previous movies of the series. An intricate web of clever tricks and misdirection that culminates in a well-executed and highly satisfying final twist, Ocean's Thirteen is a heist thriller at its finest.
Release Date June 8, 2007
Runtime 122 Minutes
Director Steven Soderbergh
English (US) ·