A Glean movie guide
Masterminds & Misdirection
Don't trust the plan.
Heist movies where the biggest score is the one you didn't see coming.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Usual Suspects
A masterclass in narrative misdirection that redefined the crime thriller ending.
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
- 02
The Sting
A charming, high-stakes con where the audience is just as much a mark as the villain.
A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con and swindling a fortune from a big-time mobster.
- 03
Inside Man
A brilliant bank robbery where the true objective is hidden in plain sight.
When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
- 04
Inception
A high-concept heist that uses dream layers to pull off the ultimate mental theft.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
- 05
The Handmaiden
A lush, three-part puzzle of deception where every perspective shift changes the game.
1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sookee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.
- 06
Ocean's Eleven
A slick, star-studded Vegas robbery that keeps its best cards hidden until the very end.
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny's hand-picked crew of specialists will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess.
- 07
Nine Queens
A sharp Argentinian thriller that proves the smallest scams can lead to the biggest surprises.
Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps, the "nine queens".
- 08
Logan Lucky
A clever "hillbilly heist" that hides a sophisticated plan behind a blue-collar exterior.
Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy and Clyde Logan set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- 09
Widows
A gritty, grounded robbery that anchors its tension in a shocking mid-film revelation.
A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses' criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, they join forces to pull off a heist.
- 10
Bad Genius
A high-tension academic thriller that applies heist mechanics to a high-stakes exam.
Lynn, a brilliant student, after helping her friends to get the grades they need, develops the idea of starting a much bigger exam-cheating business.
- 11
The Thomas Crown Affair
A stylish game of cat-and-mouse between a billionaire thief and the woman hired to catch him.
Bored billionaire executive Thomas Crown entertains himself by stealing a Monet from a reputed museum with an elaborate diversion. When Catherine Banning, the insurance company's investigator, takes an interest in Crown, he may have met his match, and a complicated back-and-forth game with seductive undertones begins between them.
- 12
Heist
A fast-talking crime drama where shifting loyalties make it impossible to know who is conning whom.
Joe Moore has a job he loves. He's a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman, reneges on the money he's owed, and his wife may be betraying him with the fence's young lieutenant. Moore and his partner, Bobby Blane, and their utility man, Pinky Pincus, find themselves broke, betrayed, and blackmailed. Moore is forced to commit his crew to do one last big job.