genre: heist movies

easily one of the most gripping and fulfilling films i have ever seen. the film has enough twists to fill a lifetime, shifting the direction of the characters so often to keep one glued to the story but no too often so as to confuse. a perfect blend of mystery and suspense with noir like lighting and style. one of the best crime dramas ever produced.

siodmaks version of the killers is mesmerizing. one of the best film noirs ever made, lancaster was great in his debut, ava gardner was stunning as always, and obrien turns in a typically solid performance in a noir investigative role. the first few minutes of the film basically lays out hemingways 8 page short story with perfection, and the rest of the story created for the film was true to the spirit of hemingways work. as the plot thickens so does the intrigue, finalizing in a twisted and dark tale that satisfies completely.

melville and delon come together again for a gripping tale of intrigue. one of melvilles best films, this story grabbed me from the first moment as we see the stories of two criminals side by side until a fateful moment when their paths collide in the red circle. the heist scene is paced for real time and is executed brilliantly, the side stories involving the mob are interesting and placed well into the story, and the cat and mouse between the theives and the police is mapped out perfectly. the absense of music through most of the film created a reality that set in, and the camera shot and angle choices specifically stood out. brilliant film.

an absolutely captivating crime story and probably one of the three best heist films ever made. the second act, a 33 minute heist sequence with no dialogue and limited score, is probably the greatest heist sequence in film history. the film also takes the bold and genius step of not having the heist be the climax as dassin is aware enough to realize that the heist is never the true end to any heist story. the final act is brilliant and even more enthralling than the heist itself. my only criticism is a subjective one in that i spent two hours investing in the story and its characters and i felt that the final scene lacked closure to an otherwise perfect story. all together this is really one of the most clever films ever made.

widely considered one of the best gangster films of all time, this one really delivers. cagney is menacing and brilliant as the lead gangster, putting in a performance that is believable. he comes across smart and calculated while at the same time being completely psychotic. the tale is also a good one and the story is told with fluidity and passion. one of the best films ive ever seen.

brilliant. gilroy had already proven himself as one of the best screen writers in film today, and then when he made his directorial debut two years ago he directed one of the greatest masterpieces of the last decade. in this his second film, he has now proven himself a directorial powerhouse in this incredibly short period of time. this is not your standard heist flick. the cinematography was perfect, as well as the cast and the locations, and the script was incredibly intelligent, almost as much as his first film. gilroy has also created a little trend with his two films in that they start decent, slowly progress by the middle, and then hit a final 15 minutes that are not only mezmerizing but improve the overall quality of the entirety of the film. both of his films have built in momentum to shocking climaxes in this exact same way. a truly great film.

the best script ever written. brilliant

another genius film directed by melville. the cast, camera work, and script were near perfect and the story was inventive and compelling. i was ready to give this a perfect score and declare it one of my favorite films of all time until an unfortunate final 5 minutes of the film that completely spit in the face of logic and common sense, but when an entire film is near flawless and the climax doesnt work out well the film still deserves respect. despite the empty ending this is a wonderful and excellent film.

possibly the suprise film of 2008 is a heist film based on mostly true events in london. easily stathams best film, i was blown away by how very interesting and well made this film is. had the film boasted a more recognizeable cast im sure it would have recieved more attention, but the well chosen cast was part of why the film was so good. the only thing holding me back from a better score was the excessive and unnecessary smut, but this aside the film was excellent. the fact that the events were mostly true keep anyone from a claim that the film is at all formulaic, which it isnt, and it comes in as one of the better heist films to come out in some time.

this is definitely one of those hiest films that needs to be seen more than once. the film bears the usual complexity of a melville creation, but with sometimes the lack of clarity of the few films he made that rank slightly higher than this one. the only downside to the film is the early overuse of the macguffin tactic, but overall the final 90 minutes of the film come together impressively to create the brilliance of a film i know i will rewatch many times. the hiest sequence was among the best in film history, and with some slight choice differences early on this film could have flirted with masterpiece status.

a phenomenal crime story. woven tightly and interesting the entire way through, one of kubricks best films.

incredible cast and great ending

an excellent crime story. gabin plays a solid lead and scala is sexy in her limited role in a film that caught me by suprise. only loosely a heist film, it is fairly similar to much of melvilles great work. im glad i bought the film because i know i will rewatch it many times.

clive owen and denzel together, they should do this more often

an absolutely brilliant film from chris nolan. better than some of his recent work, possibly even than anything he has done short of his batman movies. the performance of haw was excellent and the story was captivating and brilliantly told. i have been annoyed lately at all of the movies with chopped up timelines, but nolan uses this better than anyone. the twisted ending is mournful yet satisfying and the elements were pulled off without holes. absolutely great flick.

three generations of comedy legends and a stellar supporting cast star in this film written and directed by murphy in his prime. engaging and hilarious, red foxx and della reese especially shine in this film. i rewach it every ten years or so.

brosnans best non bond film, good flick

a fun and energetic heist flick. this is one of those rare instances where the remake is probably a bit better than the original, but this rat pack film is still a lot of fun to watch. the logic that the thieves use at the end of the film falls down under scrutiny, but the film is very good and worth a watch.

fun to watch, mos def was good

underrated and very good

subtle and fun, this film was made without any hope of one sequel let alone many and it shows in the execution. in the end it may not be the funniest or even best of the series but its a solid comedy with a memorable car chase sequence at the end.

great flick, put zeta jones on the map

while this is my least favorite of the coens films, i still enjoyed it. some of the deaths at the end clearly got out of hand, but the humor was fun, the story was enjoyable enough, and the film was made well. not great, but a solid watch for a night of escapism.