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- Oct 24, 2004
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- Reaction score
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10
Stander
Taking the award for 'best alibi' - who's going to suspect a police Captain of multiple heists? Well, eventually the Johannesburg police did, but prior to them cottoning on, you've got to admire the chutzpah of Andre Stander (Thomas Jane) (later accompanied by his 'gang' of two - Dexter Fletcher and David O'Hara), who robs a bank right next door to the police station. How does he do it? He knows that most of his co-workers are going to be busy at the ghetto riots, miles away.
9
Two Hands
Following the theory that any bunch of dumbasses with masks and guns can hold up a bank, it's amazing that this gang (Heath Ledger, Steve Le Marquand and Keiran Darcy-Smith) manage to get away with the cash at all; one concussion and a gunshot wound to the head later, the salt in the wound comes with the getaway vehicle being chosen live on air by a radio station as the winner of exactly the amount they've just stolen.
8
The Hot Spot
When big city loner Harry Madox (Don Johnson) drives into a small Texas town, starting a fire and robbing the bank is just the beginning of his adventure. It's not particularly startling in its execution (every one of the staff members is a volunteer fireman, and the manager is a coward), but it's pure noir in style. Harry is a man who's come to find 'his level', and he certainly hasn't found it yet - right after he gets the money, he rescues a man trapped in the building he set ablaze.
7
Swordfish
There are worse ways to start your movie than strapping a hostage with C4 and ball bearings, then blowing them up, but director Dominic Sena has a lot more waiting for his audience when Swordfish really gets rolling. Taking us through the reluctant roping in of uberhacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) to his part in Gabriel's (John Travolta) plot to steal £90 billion, all this is almost completely upstaged by a brilliantly preposterous getaway - helicopters and buses, anyone?
6
Quick Change
In this comedy the focus is on the getaway-going-wrong scenario, but the heist is the highlight. As you'd guess from the title, it's all about disguises and deceptions, with Bill Murray's mastermind Grimm kicking off proceedings in a clown costume, while his cohorts Randy Quaid and Geena Davis hide under wigs and prosthetics as two of his hostages. But how does he get away in a clown costume? Answer: he doesn't. Once the cash is taped on, he switcheroos into the guise of a hysterical hostage, releasing himself to the safety of the police and away...
5
Inside Man
This is the newest entry here, so we're not going to give too much away, but you've got to hand it to writer Russell Gerwitz. He keeps leaving little 'what if?' possibilities for flaws in the masterplan, and just when you think he's missed one, it gets swatted down - the 'mobile phone' scene, for example. If that's not enough, the robbers' vanishing act is a stroke of genius.
4
Out Of Sight
The coolest movie bank job in cinematic history, bar none. Jack Foley (George Clooney) has two props for his robbery: a cigarette lighter and a smile. And the lighter has nothing to do it; the guy gets by on pure charm, and pulls it off perfectly. As an introduction to a character, it's a masterclass in the synergy between writing, direction and performance. For Clooney, it was an instant re-admission to the A list. Shame about the getaway car, though.
3
Thunderbolt And Lightfoot
You've got to love the direct approach. Going one better than the dynamite tactics of Butch Cassidy's 'Hole In The Wall' gang, John Doherty (Clint Eastwood) opts for an anti-tank gun as the means to obtaining his ill-gotten riches. Having pulled it off on a previous occasion and mislaid the loot, most of the fun here (in the great heist movie tradition) is in the build up, and a great buddy partnership between Clint and a young, Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges
2
Heat
Certainly the most realistic score out there, thanks in no small part to the extensive research and preparation of all involved. Aside from the job itself, a large part of Heat's well-earned reputation as a crime genre masterpiece is built on the formidable, downtown L.A. gun battle that follows this coolly efficient robbery under arms - a decade later and it hasn't been topped.
1
Dog Day Afternoon
Predictable, schmedictable - thirty odd years on and Sidney Lumet's (based on a true) story is still the most memorable, enjoyable bank robbery on film. Part of the joy stems from the fact that these guys (Al Pacino and Jon Cazale remain after Gary Springer bails early on) know very little more about criminality than we do. The performances are faultless, and the emergence of chaos at every turn ensures that we're never once ahead of the story. Perfection.
10
Stander
Taking the award for 'best alibi' - who's going to suspect a police Captain of multiple heists? Well, eventually the Johannesburg police did, but prior to them cottoning on, you've got to admire the chutzpah of Andre Stander (Thomas Jane) (later accompanied by his 'gang' of two - Dexter Fletcher and David O'Hara), who robs a bank right next door to the police station. How does he do it? He knows that most of his co-workers are going to be busy at the ghetto riots, miles away.
9
Two Hands
Following the theory that any bunch of dumbasses with masks and guns can hold up a bank, it's amazing that this gang (Heath Ledger, Steve Le Marquand and Keiran Darcy-Smith) manage to get away with the cash at all; one concussion and a gunshot wound to the head later, the salt in the wound comes with the getaway vehicle being chosen live on air by a radio station as the winner of exactly the amount they've just stolen.
8
The Hot Spot
When big city loner Harry Madox (Don Johnson) drives into a small Texas town, starting a fire and robbing the bank is just the beginning of his adventure. It's not particularly startling in its execution (every one of the staff members is a volunteer fireman, and the manager is a coward), but it's pure noir in style. Harry is a man who's come to find 'his level', and he certainly hasn't found it yet - right after he gets the money, he rescues a man trapped in the building he set ablaze.
7
Swordfish
There are worse ways to start your movie than strapping a hostage with C4 and ball bearings, then blowing them up, but director Dominic Sena has a lot more waiting for his audience when Swordfish really gets rolling. Taking us through the reluctant roping in of uberhacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) to his part in Gabriel's (John Travolta) plot to steal £90 billion, all this is almost completely upstaged by a brilliantly preposterous getaway - helicopters and buses, anyone?
6
Quick Change
In this comedy the focus is on the getaway-going-wrong scenario, but the heist is the highlight. As you'd guess from the title, it's all about disguises and deceptions, with Bill Murray's mastermind Grimm kicking off proceedings in a clown costume, while his cohorts Randy Quaid and Geena Davis hide under wigs and prosthetics as two of his hostages. But how does he get away in a clown costume? Answer: he doesn't. Once the cash is taped on, he switcheroos into the guise of a hysterical hostage, releasing himself to the safety of the police and away...
5
Inside Man
This is the newest entry here, so we're not going to give too much away, but you've got to hand it to writer Russell Gerwitz. He keeps leaving little 'what if?' possibilities for flaws in the masterplan, and just when you think he's missed one, it gets swatted down - the 'mobile phone' scene, for example. If that's not enough, the robbers' vanishing act is a stroke of genius.
4
Out Of Sight
The coolest movie bank job in cinematic history, bar none. Jack Foley (George Clooney) has two props for his robbery: a cigarette lighter and a smile. And the lighter has nothing to do it; the guy gets by on pure charm, and pulls it off perfectly. As an introduction to a character, it's a masterclass in the synergy between writing, direction and performance. For Clooney, it was an instant re-admission to the A list. Shame about the getaway car, though.
3
Thunderbolt And Lightfoot
You've got to love the direct approach. Going one better than the dynamite tactics of Butch Cassidy's 'Hole In The Wall' gang, John Doherty (Clint Eastwood) opts for an anti-tank gun as the means to obtaining his ill-gotten riches. Having pulled it off on a previous occasion and mislaid the loot, most of the fun here (in the great heist movie tradition) is in the build up, and a great buddy partnership between Clint and a young, Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges
2
Heat
Certainly the most realistic score out there, thanks in no small part to the extensive research and preparation of all involved. Aside from the job itself, a large part of Heat's well-earned reputation as a crime genre masterpiece is built on the formidable, downtown L.A. gun battle that follows this coolly efficient robbery under arms - a decade later and it hasn't been topped.
1
Dog Day Afternoon
Predictable, schmedictable - thirty odd years on and Sidney Lumet's (based on a true) story is still the most memorable, enjoyable bank robbery on film. Part of the joy stems from the fact that these guys (Al Pacino and Jon Cazale remain after Gary Springer bails early on) know very little more about criminality than we do. The performances are faultless, and the emergence of chaos at every turn ensures that we're never once ahead of the story. Perfection.
