Ben Affleck’s Top 11 Heist Movies

Posted by on January 7th, 2011   Filed under: Lists, Thriller
Source: The Daily Beast

With the release of The Town on DVD and Blu-ray just before Christmas, Ben Affleck’s second film continues to build positive buzz heading into awards season. It turned up on a number of critics’ best of 2010 lists, and now we’re all waiting to see if it will get any love at the Oscars this year. In the meantime, The Daily Beast caught up with Affleck and convinced him to put together a list of his favourite heist flicks of all time.

His list has a good mix of old classics and more recent entries (even Inception made the cut), but above all it reminded me that I’ve had the Criterion release of Peter Yates’ The Friends of Eddie Coyle sitting on my shelf for a while now and it really needs to be watched. Do you agree with Affleck’s picks? Check out the full list after the jump, and read his descriptions of each over at The Daily Beast.


1. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
2. Rififi (1955)
3. Heat (1995)
4. Inception (2010)
5. Ocean’s Eleven (1960)
6. The Bank Job (2008)
7. The Usual Suspects (1995)
8. The Killing (1956)
9. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
10. Snatch (2000)
11. Point Break (1991)



  • Not bad. Reminds me that I still have to catch Inception.

    One film that I rarely see end up on these lists that should be up there is Charley Varrick. You will believe that Walter Matthau is a goddamn sex machine.

  • Colin

    Motherfucker ranked The Bank Job and the original Ocean’s 11 over The Usual Suspects and Snatch?

    Fuuuuuuuuuuck ‘em.

  • Mark In Ottawa

    HOW THE HELL IS “HEIST” NOT ON THIS LIST ?

    It goes to show Matt Damon is clearly the talented one.

    “My motherfucker is so cool, when he goes to bed, sheep count him.”

  • Kurt

    @MarkinOttawa, I heart Ricky Jay. You could make a top 10 list out of films where he is simply in them. It’d be a con-man flick list, but still. Heist is sort of a hybrid of a heist and con-artist Flick.

    Surprised to see no love for DOG DAY AFTERNOON or INSIDE MAN.

    Hell, speaking of Hybrids, How about THREE KINGS (Heist/War/Farce) or MAN ON WIRE (Documentary) or QUICK CHANGE (Comedy)

    Furthermore on Walter Matthau, the original TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3, The Original Italian Job, and oddly enough, the Heist portions of the Remake of THE THOMAS CROWNE AFFAIR are all top-shelf. As is the very, very short, but very bafflingly sweet heist section of SEXY BEAST.

    I could go on about this genre for ever because I love it. I’m glad to see RIFIFFI so high on the list.

  • schizopolis

    The Killing and Le Cercle Rouge should be on that list.

  • schizopolis

    My mistake…The Killing is on the list.

  • Fatbologna

    @Sean,
    Eddie Coyle is amazing and now you can see just how much it influenced Affleck (AND Chuck Hogan) in making The Town. Although don’t expect the same level of action as Coyle’s a slower character driven film.

    @Wintle,
    Charley Varrick is FUCKING AWESOME! I wish Matthau had made more crime films as he’s got the perfect look for the schlubby noir character OR the older dude who knows the game. The Laughing Policeman’s another also a great Matthau film that’s anything but funny.

    @Mark In Ottawa
    The Heist is, indeed, awesome. I recommend you check out the kick ass Night Moves also starring Gene Hackman and a surprisingly hot, young Melanie Griffith!

  • Cy-Ed

    seems like a solid list

  • Mark In Ottawa

    Wow, Kurt. I think this is the first time I agree with you on something.

    Ricky Jay is so cool. He gives us fat guys hope.

    Thanks for the suggestion “Fatbologna”, i think it’s on my zip.ca list.

    Anything Hackman is in is awesome, well except “Welcome to Mooseport”.

  • Kurt

    Not to derail the thread, but absolutely check out RICKY JAY AND HIS 52 ASSISTANTS, a short documentary on Magic and History directed by David Mamet as pretty much a 1-take capture of one of Ricky Jay’s stage-shows. MAGNIFICENT.

    Jay is in nearly all of Mamet’s flicks (and TV productions) and can deliver Mamet-dialogue with the best of them. One of my favourite lines. “Beware of all enterprises requiring new clothes” – delivered with gusto in Mamet’s criminally underrated THE SPANISH PRISONER by Jay.

  • GfC

    How the hell is Snatch a heist film? The same goes about Reservoir Dogs (they rob a bank, but this never happens and is only a part of the backstory of the plot).

  • Kurt the big letter guy

    HI I AM KURT. EVERY MOVIE I WRITE HAS TO BE IN BIG LETTERS. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH!

  • Maopheus

    The Killing, what an awesome movie. Almost hard to believe that this was a Kubrick movie but it showed his meticulousness even at that early stage. Probably the most tightly plotted and focused heist movie I’ve seen. I mean in terms of focusing only on one heist and it’s plotting and execution.

  • alechs

    If we’re talking about Mamet heist films: Glengarry Glen Ross. Yeah it’s a stretch.

    Le Cercle Rouge is alright – I really enjoyed the ending.

    I think Heat embodies what I want from an urban heist film – neurotic leads, visceral gunfights and the environment of the city being a character in the film.