The Pickup might have been a disappointment for those looking for a fun, kinetic heist movie, meaning a suitable palette cleanser to make up for its shortcomings may be in order. As the latest film to feature comedy legend Eddie Murphy, The Pickup left a lot to be desired, clocking in at an abysmal 33% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score that’s not much better.

Luckily, there is no shortage of amazing heist films both new and old to make up for the awkward failings of Murphy and Pete Davidson’s star vehicle. Being better than The Pickup isn’t a particularly high bar to clear, meaning there’s plenty of opportunity to satisfy the cravings left by watching it.

10

Ocean’s Eleven

The most fun part of any good heist movie is seeing the different specialist skills of an eclectic crew of criminals come together, and no film better embodies that than Ocean’s Eleven. Boasting the likes of Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, and George Clooney as Danny Ocean himself, the fun energy and relentless pacing depict a casino heist in glorious detail.

It’s no wonder that an entire franchise of Ocean films spawned out of Ocean’s Eleven, creating a relentlessly brisk crime caper world that’s simply too much fun to extract from. Between the bold editing choices, phenomenal performances, and clever use of tropes that would go on to define the heist movie genre, Ocean’s Eleven is always worth a watch.

9

Army Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

Half-heist film and half-zombie horror movie, Army of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ proves that the divisive Zack Snyder is at his best when he’s corralling huge hordes of the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ. The film takes place in the midst of a zombie outbreak that was contained to Las Vegas, which has been quarantined by the government and scheduled to be bombed to the ground.

A mercenary team looking for their next big score agrees to go in after a huge cache of cash, and things fall apart from there. Rife with betrayal, intrigue, unique zombies with a crude command structure, and even a mᴀssive unᴅᴇᴀᴅ tiger, Army of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ boasts a spectacle unmatched by other heist films, even if its story beats and plot is almost as weak as The Pickup‘s.

8

Baby Driver

The get-away driver is an important part of any heist crew, and Edgar Wright’s wonderfully dynamic Baby Driver explores this in his signature endearing style. Ansel Elgort plays Baby, a down-on-his-luck and hard-of-hearing criminal who uses music to cope with being forced into abusing his impressive driving skills for thievery.

When his boss threatens his new peaceful existence with his girlfriend, Baby is forced into a race for his life. Baby Driver‘s phenomenal soundtrack merges with the action in an unbelievable harmony, and features some of the slickest driving stunts of the last 20 years. For an energetic heist movie, one could certainly do worse, even if Kevin Spacey’s inclusion has aged badly.

7

Snatch

Seeing criminals with eccentric personalities bounce off of one another violently is half the fun of the heist genre, and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch exemplifies this best. While the heist itself happens early on in the story, the messy fallout goes on to rope an American gangster, a Russian hitman, and a Romani boxer into a convoluted criminal scandal.

Ritchie’s signature editing choices and lean dialogue are at their strongest here, propelling the dizzying plot into new heights with absurdities, such as Brick Top’s rant about disposing of bodies with hungry pigs. Funny and taut, Snatch would certainly be a great heist comedy to re-center with after the disappointment of The Pickup.

6

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

It’s not often that heist movies are thought of as totally family-friendly, let alone animated, but Wes Anderson’s stop-motion masterpiece combines the lovely musings of British children’s author Roald Dahl with his concise cinematic language. George Clooney lends his voice to The Fantastic Mr. Fox, a former thief who comes out of retirement with his family for a few last jobs.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox provides a very different kind of entertainment compared to most heist movies, perhaps only technically qualifying for the moniker, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching. Heartfelt and literally crafted with felt, the movie may have lower stakes than the average heist movie, but it’s positively dripping with wholesomely devilish charm.

5

Ruben Brandt, Collector

Speaking of rare animated heist movies, a lesser-known stroke of genius to combine the medium with the format is the Hungarian-made thriller, Ruben Brandt, Collector. Ruben Brandt, Collector centers on a man who is constantly plagued with visions of figures from famous paintings, putting together a criminal crew to steal them in hopes of ridding himself of the interlopers.

True to its theme, Ruben Brandt, Collector has a strikingly unique art style that evokes the works of surrealist and Cubist painters, forging a truly one-of-a-kind viewing experience. The Pickup might make it easy to swear off live-action movies for a bit, but charming animation triumphs such as this ensure such a break would be far from boring.

4

Ant-Man

The movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might exist in a category of cinema all to their own, but they occasionally dip their mᴀss-appeal toes into more concrete, traditional genres. Enter the original Ant-Man, which posits comedy legend Paul Rudd as a down-on-his-luck criminal who stumbles his way into being a superhero.

A rare MCU hero with experience on the wrong side of the law, seeing Scott Lang use his criminal gifts for good makes for a delightfully scrappy comic book flick. The creative size-changing antics of the action and hilarity of Michael Peña’s comedic timing make up for the typically underdeveloped Marvel Studios villain, still miles ahead of The Pickup if it’s even mildly entertaining.

3

Heat

On the polar opposite end of the prestige cinema darling spectrum, Michael Mann’s Heat isn’t just a fun novelty dipping its toes into the heist movie style, but a defining tentpole film around which the entire genre is formulated. Detective Vincent Hanna and criminal Neil McCauley chase each other across a crooked web of criminal lines, allowing sparks to fly.

The chemistry between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino is simply unbeatable here as their nemesis dynamic takes center stage. The two stars orbit one another and spin fast enough to astonish, wrecking their way through the tense rising action until the point of no return. Jumping from The Pickup to Heat promises the crossing of a mᴀssive gulf of quality.

2

Inception

The high-concept aspirations of Christopher Nolan’s movies are often better remembered by their science fiction elements, but for all its fantastical appeal, Inception is a heist movie through and through. Cobb and his crew are a motley gang of corporate saboteurs who provide a unique service: stealing from the minds of dreaming individuals.

Popular enough for its тιтle to become an ad-hoc noun describing multiple layers of dreams, Inception‘s pop-culture legacy almost overshadows its actual quality. From the jaw-dropping practical stunts to the hall-of-fame performance turned in by Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception boasts the kind of creativity heist movies need more of.

1

Logan Lucky

Heist movies often describe irritatingly important scores being protected by advanced defenses only accessible by the most suave of career criminals, but Logan Lucky provides the promise of a wonderfully down-to-earth caper. Two rural brothers work together to steal mountains of cash from a huge stock car racing event, getting some help from old friends along the way.

Channing Tatum and Adam Driver may seem like an odd pairing on paper, but in action, they play a believable set of brothers one can’t help but root for. Boasting a hilarious, yet respectful depiction of life in the Deep South and all the culture that comes with it, Logan Lucky drives circles around The Pickup.