A Glean movie guide
Masterminds & Misdirection
Don't trust anyone.
From legendary double-crosses to hidden motives, these heists aren't what they seem.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Usual Suspects
A legendary mystery where a sole survivor’s testimony leads to one of cinema’s most famous final reveals.
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
Inside Man
A brilliant bank robber plays a high-stakes game of chess where the true goal 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.
- 03
The Sting
This classic caper keeps the audience in the dark until the final second of an elaborate "big con."
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.
- 04
Ocean's Eleven
A slick, high-energy casino robbery that saves its most clever trick for the final "how-they-did-it" reveal.
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.
- 05
Inception
A high-concept "mind heist" that uses layers of reality to build toward a famously ambiguous conclusion.
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.
- 06
The Handmaiden
A lush period piece that uses a massive mid-film perspective shift to completely recontextualize the central con.
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.
- 07
Logan Lucky
A clever "blue-collar heist" that subverts genre tropes with a surprising reveal about the actual loot.
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.
- 08
Nine Queens
This Argentine masterpiece is a masterclass in misdirection, culminating in a twist that changes everything.
Two con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps, the "nine queens".
- 09
Reservoir Dogs
A tense, post-heist pressure cooker focused on unmasking the police informant hiding among the crew.
A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.
- 10
Widows
A gritty, character-driven robbery that features a shocking narrative pivot regarding the motivation for the job.
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.
- 11
Snatch
A fast-paced London crime caper where a stolen diamond and a fixed boxing match collide in a series of reveals.
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookies, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
- 12
Rififi
Famous for its silent heist sequence and a tragic, ironic twist of fate in the aftermath.
Out of prison after a five-year stretch, jewel thief Tony turns down a quick job his friend Jo offers him, until he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has become the lover of local gangster Pierre Grutter during Tony's absence. Expanding a minor smash-and-grab into a full-scale jewel heist, Tony and his crew appear to get away clean, but their actions after the job is completed threaten the lives of everyone involved.