6 Best Heist Movies Released Since 2000

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the heist genre has produced several of the greatest crime movies that the world has seen in modern times. This is a genre that can trace its roots all the way back to outlaw Westerns of the early 20th century, short crime films of the pre-Code era, the “gentleman thief” stories of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In the years since, the heist genre has evolved greatly—and since 2000, it has given us such a wide variety of films that there’s something for pretty much anyone and everyone to enjoy in the realm of heist films.

Whether it’s a modern outlaw Western like Hell or High Water, an arthouse crime masterpiece like Good Time, or a deliriously entertaining crime caper like Ocean’s Eleven, the fact of the matter is that there are six particularly exceptional heist movies released since 2000 that can easily be counted among the greatest crime films of the last 26 years. They all have a perfect understanding of everything that makes the genre exciting, suspenseful, and timeless in its entertainment value and appeal; and as such, they should all be considered essential viewing.

6

‘Hell or High Water’ (2016)

Image via Lionsgate

Before he became one of the current kings of television, Taylor Sheridan was an incredible screenwriter, as exemplarily demonstrated by his amazing American Frontier trilogy. The middle chapter in this thematic series is David Mackenzie‘s Hell or High Water, one of the best heist movies of the last 10 years. It was a modest box office hit that received four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and was widely praised for revitalizing the neo-Western genre.

Far more than just a traditional cops-and-robbers tale, it’s a complex exploration of the erosion of the American Dream in a land poisoned by generational poverty and systemic corporate exploitation. But it’s also not just a purely intellectual bore: Despite being mostly slow-burning, Hell or High Water also has some exquisitely suspenseful moments of explosive action, as well as a deeply compelling and emotionally stirring narrative about a pair of brothers seeking justice. Led by Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and Ben Foster at the top of their games, it’s a must-see for all those who love neo-Westerns.

5

‘Good Time’ (2017)

Image via A24

Good Time is no traditional heist movie. In fact, there aren’t very many movies like it out there at all. Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, it’s a masterpiece every bit as anxiety-inducing as one would expect from a picture by the Safdie brothers. The reported major on-set scandal that apparently forced the Safdie duo’s split can’t be omitted when talking about Good Time, but setting behind-the-scenes stories aside, there’s simply no denying that this is one of the best crime thrillers of the 2010s as a whole, a big contributing factor to the Robert Pattinson Renaissance that the world has recently been treated to.

It’s a purely visceral experience as relentlessly paced and deeply claustrophobic as it is wonderfully immersive, largely aided by Daniel Lopatin‘s unforgettable score. It’s one of the most intense thriller movies ever made, so all those who love when the heist genre is at its most suspenseful should watch it at least once in their lives. Gritty, disorienting, and psychologically intense to a point that many will likely not be able to stomach, it’s definitely not a film for everyone; but those with the patience for it will be treated to a masterful crime drama featuring what may well still be Pattinson’s best performance to date.

4

‘Nine Queens’ (2000)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International

While Hollywood has undeniably produced a considerable majority of the greatest heist movies of the last 26 years, one’s appreciation for the genre’s current form could never possibly be complete without looking at the filmography of other countries. Case in point: Argentina, where filmmaker Fabián Bielinsky wrote and directed the incredible Nine Queens, one of the best heist thriller movies of all time. It’s an incredibly smart film so full of twists that even the most demanding of heist film fans should be constantly on edge, but not so much that the twists overwhelm the substance of the narrative.

With its airtight script and the excellent performances delivered by Ricardo Darín and Gastón Pauls, it’s no wonder why Nine Queens still remains one of the most acclaimed Latin American movies of the 2000s as a whole. After all, it’s a nearly perfect thriller through and through, masterful in how it disorients and misdirects the audience all the way until one of the most shocking twist endings in the modern history of the crime movie genre. It’s always a blast when a heist movie knows how to pull the rug from under your feet without feeling obnoxious, and Nine Queens does that flawlessly.

3

‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001)

For anyone even slightly familiar with the heist film genre, Ocean’s Eleven is the sort of movie that should require no introduction. Based on a classic yet considerably inferior 1960 film starring the Rat Pack, it’s arguably one of the most iconic heist classics ever made, and that iconicity is there for good reason. After all, this is one of the best crime caper movies of all time, a Steven Soderbergh masterpiece so clever, so entertaining, and so consistently amusing that it’s difficult not to immediately fall in love with it.

And as if the gripping narrative weren’t enough, there’s also one of the most star-studded cast ensembles of the 2000s, whose members are all delivering some of the most memorable work of their 21st-century careers here. Couple that cast with Soderbergh’s slick direction, the perfectly structured and hugely suspenseful story, and the mastery that screenwriter Ted Griffin seems to have over the mechanics of the heist genre, and you get a blockbuster that’s far and away one of the greatest movie remakes the big screen has ever seen.

2

‘Sexy Beast’ (2000)

Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures

Aside from having one of the coolest titles of any movie ever made, Jonathan Glazer‘s Sexy Beast is also one of the most criminally underappreciated crime movies of the 2000s. It was Glazer’s impressive feature directorial debut, as well as the film that (very deservedly) earned Ben Kingsley his third-ever Academy Award nomination. Despite clocking in at a mere 88 minutes, it’s one of the most intense and infectiously entertaining heist movies of the last 26 years, proving just how effective dialogue-driven heist movies can be.

Indeed, Sexy Beast is a movie unlike any other in its genre, in that the conflict between its two main characters is the core of the vast majority of the film and the actual robbery only plays a relatively minor role in the third act of the story. That unique structure is more than enough to make this one of the greatest gangster movies of the 21st century, as if the exceptional performances and Glazer’s surreal direction weren’t already enough. Fierce, vibrant, and full of personality, it’s one of the best British crime movies of modern times.

1

‘Snatch’ (2000)

Image via Columbia Pictures

Sexy Beast may be great, but there’s a certain other British heist movie that deserves to be regarded as not just the best British crime film of the 2000s, but also one of the greatest heist movies of all time: Snatch, the sophomore feature effort of Guy Ritchie and the film that really launched him into the mainstream. It’s one of the most universally beloved Jason Statham movies, complete with a fittingly star-studded ensemble cast and some of the most dynamic direction Ritchie has ever had to offer.

Like pretty much the entirety of Ritchie’s filmography, Snatch isn’t made for those who prefer heist films with a perfect balance between style and substance; rather, the style here is the substance. There’s a decent level of depth and detail to Snatch‘s plot, but its main appeal comes from its brilliantly-paced intertwined stories, the kineticism of Ritchie’s direction, the cast’s impeccable work and chemistry, and how incredibly entertaining the characters are to follow.

Snatch

Release Date

January 19, 2001

Runtime

102 minutes