The 30 Best Heist Movies to Watch Right Now, from ‘Widows’ to ‘Ocean’s 8’

The best heist movies tend to have three things in common: an elaborate scheme, impossibly high stakes and criminal masterminds you can't help but root for.

OK, so maybe the bad guys don't always win us over, but we've got to admit, nothing beats the thrill of watching these characters try to pull off the ultimate heist. Whether it's a tight-knit group of women robbing banks to escape poverty (see: Set It Off) or a whip-smart art thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game (oh hey, Red Notice), these fast-paced adventures have a way of reeling us in with smart writing, shocking twists and compelling protagonists. So, if you're craving an edge-of-your-seat thriller that keeps you guessing, read on for the 30 best heist movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu and more.

1. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) 

• Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Kevin Kline
• Rating: R

When a major diamond heist goes south, a group of thieves embark on a mission to find the hidden treasure by double-crossing one another. Curtis steals the show in this Academy Award-winning heist comedy, and there are quite a few quotable lines (like "I've worn dresses with higher IQs").

2. Three Kings (1999) 

• Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube
• Rating: R

At the end of the Persian Gulf War, four American soldiers stumble upon a secret map and team up to find a stash of stolen gold in Iraq. When they get to their destination, however, they make a shocking discovery and their plans get derailed. In the end, they must choose between taking the gold and letting innocent civilians die, or risking leaving the loot to save lives.

3. Drive (2011) 

• Cast: Ralph Lawler, Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan
• Rating: R

Gosling stars as a mechanic, stunt driver and getaway driver who develops a bond with his neighbor, Irene, and her son. After learning that her husband, a recently released convict, is drowning in debt, the driver offers to help him carry out a million-dollar heist. But when the operation fails, all hell breaks loose.

4. Logan Lucky (2017) 

• Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig
• Rating: R

Three siblings—Jimmy, Clyde and Mellie—work together to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during a NASCAR Race. But in order to pull this off, they’ll need to break Joe, a master safe-cracker, out of prison. It’s impossible to not root for the main characters, who, while flawed, are witty and super relatable.

5. Baby Driver (2017) 

• Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jamie Foxx
• Rating: R

A getaway driver gets sucked into a life of crime after participating in a failed heist. But he's still determined to leave it behind and start fresh with his girlfriend. From high-speed car chases and adorable meet-cutes to compelling character arcs, Baby Driver has all the makings of a compelling heist flick.

6. Heat (1995)

• Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
• Rating: R

The star-studded crime film follows LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna, a renowned detective who goes after an escaped criminal after his latest botched heist. Obsession, morality, loyalty and loss are just a few themes explored in this captivating tale. Plus, Pacino and De Niro's shared scenes are priceless.

7. Reservoir Dogs (1992) 

• Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn
• Rating: R

In Quentin Tarantino's unforgettable feature debut, four bank robbers deal with the aftermath of a failed bank heist and try to figure out which of them is an undercover cop. Although the heist is never shown, it certainly doesn't take away from the movie's intense and violent tone. And there's no shortage of iconic moments—including Mr. Blonde's torture scene.

8. Widows (2018) 

• Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo
• Rating: R

Four thieves are killed in a police shootout after an attempted robbery in Chicago, and all of them have left widows behind. Left alone to deal with the debt of their criminal spouses, the four women band together and plan a risky heist that will hopefully secure their futures.

9. Set It Off (1995) 

• Cast: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox
• Rating: R

Director F. Gary Gray deftly explores the harmful effects of misogynoir in this '90s crime film, which follows a group of four Black women who agree to rob banks and, hopefully, score enough cash to secure a better future. Unfortunately, their first successful heist leads to more drama and a string of bank robberies that catch the attention of a determined police officer.

10. Special 26 (2013)

• Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Sheirgill, Kajal Aggarwal
• Rating: NR

Based on the Opera House heist in 1987, this Hindi crime thriller follows a team of criminals who pose as CBI officers and rob the wealthy by conducting fake raids. After learning that a real CBI officer is hunting them down, they agree to carry out their biggest job yet with a final raid in Bombay.

11. Inside Man (2006)

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
• Rating: R

Directed by Spike Lee, this crime thriller centers around Dalton Russell, a clever bank robber who plans the perfect heist at a Manhattan bank. He and his crew wind up getting trapped inside the bank with dozens of hostages, but when a police hostage negotiator arrives at the scene, he’s stunned to learn that their leader is one step ahead. Plus, the bank's chairman privately hires an outsider to retrieve a mysterious item, raising even more questions about the heist.

12. Takers (2010) 

• Cast: Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Chris Brown
• Rating: PG-13

When Gordon (aka Ghost) gets out of prison, he rallies his old crew of bank robbers and convinces them to do one last job, which involves stealing millions of dollars from an armored truck. They all agree to follow his air-tight plan, but there’s a troubled cop who’s on to them, and it could mess up their plans.

13. Bitcoin Heist (2016)

• Cast: Suboi, Thành Phạm, Petey Majik Nguyễn
• Rating: R

Think Ocean's 11 or Ocean's 8, except in this case, the crew isn't looking to get valuable objects. What they’re after is cryptocurrency—or more specifically, bitcoins. After being assembled by an Interpol agent, the elite team of hackers work together to pull off the ultimate Bitcoin heist, but shocking twists and betrayals lead to big consequences.

14. Ocean's 8 (2018)

• Cast: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway
• Rating: PG-13

Fresh out of prison, Danny Ocean’s ambitious little sister, Debbie, enlists the help of her all-female crew to execute a heist in New York. Their goal? To steal $150 million worth of diamonds during New York City's Met Gala. Aside from the A-list cast, Ocean’s 8 offers thrills, intrigue and plenty of laughs.

15. Hard Cash (2002)

• Cast: Christian Slater, Val Kilmer, Daryl Hannah
• Rating: R

After getting released from jail, a talented thief named Taylor comes up with a new scheme to rob an off-track betting operation with the help of his crew. Fortunately, they pull it off and walk away with $1.9 million. But there’s just one problem: Their money is marked and being tracked by a corrupt FBI agent.

16. Billion Dollar Heist (2023)

• Cast: Misha Glenny, Mikko Hypponen, Krishna Das
• Rating: PG-13

If you're down for an eye-opening documentary that details one of the biggest cyber heists in history, consider this film. Billion Dollar Heist explores the Bangladeshi Central Bank robbery in 2016, where security hackers managed to illegally transfer almost $1 billion from the bank. The movie includes plenty of expert commentary and visuals to explain the complicated process of hacking.

17. Army of Thieves (2021)

• Cast: Misha Glenny, Mikko Hypponen, Krishna Das
• Rating: TV-MA

Set six years before the events of Army of the Dead, this fast-paced prequel tells the story of Ludwig Dieter, a shy bank-teller turned skilled safe-cracker. Thanks to the mysterious Gwendoline, he gets offered a chance to help a group of thieves pull off a major heist during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Can they pull it off?

18. Caught in Time (2020)

• Cast: Wang Qian Yuan, Daniel Wu, Jessie Li
• Rating: R

The movie follows Zhong Cheng, an ambitious Chinese detective who gets caught up in a cat-and-mouse game as he tries to track down the Eagle Gang—an elusive, well-trained group of robbers led by a dangerous gangster named Zhang Sun. From the thrill of the chase to a climactic bathhouse fight, Caught in Time will keep you on the edge of your seat.

19. Focus (2015)

• Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez
• Rating: R

Nicky, a seasoned con artist, starts to mentor a newbie named Jess and teaches her the tricks of the trade. However, things get complicated when their professional relationship turns romantic, and it eventually causes them to part ways. Fast-forward three years, and Jess, who’s now thriving, has already moved on with a successful billionaire—but Nicky isn’t prepared to let her go that easily.

20. Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019)

• Cast: Aml Ameen, Rhea Seehorn, Roxanne McKee
• Rating: R

Set five years after the events of Inside Man, this sequel follows Detective Remy Darbonne, an NYPD negotiator, as he teams up with FBI Agent Brynn Stewart to rescue dozens of hostages after a group of robbers take over the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. If you enjoyed Spike Lee’s original film, you’ll be happy to know that the sequel follows a similar formula, with clever twists and compelling characters.

21. Triple Frontier (2019)

• Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal
• Rating: R

Five friends and former Special Forces operatives reunite to plan a high-stakes heist in South America. They target a notorious drug lord named Gabriel Martin Lorea, but things don’t go according to plan and, suddenly, their loyalties are tested. The compelling film tackles topics like the damaging effects of greed and how soldiers are treated by the military.

22. The Town (2010)

• Who's in it: Chris Cooper, Jon Hamm, Titus Welliver
• Rating: R

In this adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Thieves—which, FYI, was directed and written by Affleck—a bank robber named Doug starts to develop romantic feelings for a victim from his previous robbery. However, this victim has no idea that Doug was one of the robbers, and the rest of his crew is kept in the dark about this newfound romance. What could go wrong?

23. The Lookout (2007) 

• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Carla Gugino
• Rating: R

Gordon-Levitt plays Chris, a former high-school hockey star, whose life takes an unexpected turn after he survives a deadly car crash. He sustains long-term brain injuries and leaves his old life behind, working nights as a janitor at a small-town bank. But when his old classmates enlist his help to rob the place, he feels conflicted. Can they pull it off?

24. Ocean's 13 (2007)

• Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia
• Rating: PG-13

Danny Ocean and his team are back together and out to perform a challenging heist that hits pretty close to home. When Reuben, a friend of Danny’s, gets double-crossed by Willy, a ruthless casino owner, the group embarks on a mission to take Willy down, with the help of an unexpected ally.

25. Bandits (2001)

• Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett
• Rating: PG-13

Loosely based on the experiences of real-life bank robbers Terry Lee Conner and Joseph Dougherty, Bandits revolves around Joe and Terry, two sleepover bandits who kidnap an eccentric housewife and get involved in a messy love triangle. The main cast has phenomenal on-screen chemistry, and there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. 

26. The Pineville Heist (2016)

• Cast: Basil Hoffman, Carl Bailey, Priscilla-Anne Jacob
• Rating: TV-14

When a teen named Aaron witnesses the aftermath of a failed bank heist, he manages to sneak off with the cash and heads straight to his high school, where he runs into his drama teacher. Unfortunately for them, one of the robbers shows up at the school and starts to hunt them both down.

27. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary
• Rating: R

Steamy romance meets an intense crime thriller in The Thomas Crown Affair, which tells the story of a rich playboy who steals priceless artwork for fun. When he walks away with a famous painting from Claude Monet, however, a curious detective named Catherine suspects he’s the culprit and sets out to get the painting back, but their mutual attraction starts to complicate the process.

28. Red Notice (2021)

• Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot
• Rating: PG-13

The world’s most wanted art thief and a determined FBI agent reluctantly team up to catch an even bigger criminal mastermind, also known as The Bishop. Fans of National Treasure will appreciate this fun action comedy, which boasts a star-studded cast, a bit of mystery and plenty of fast-paced action.

29. Marmalade (2024)

• Cast: Joe Keery, Camila Morrone, Aldis Hodge
• Rating: TV-14

Shortly after he gets incarcerated, a young man named  Baron becomes fast friends with his cellmate, Otis, who’s known for his previous prison breaks. Desperate to reunite with his girlfriend, Marmalade, Baron convinces Otis to help him escape. And as they hatch a plan, Baron recounts the fascinating tale of how he met his partner, who came up with the idea of robbing a bank so he could help his sick mother. Little does Baron know that there’s more to Otis than meets the eye…

30. Den of Thieves (2018)

• Cast: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
• Rating: R

Meet the Regulators, an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. When a gang of former MARSOC Marines come up with an elaborate plan to rob the Federal Reserve in L.A., the Regulators set out on a mission to stop the men at all costs.