A heist movie, sometimes known as a caper film, is a type of criminal film that focuses on the preparation, execution, and aftermath of a massive robbery. The Asphalt Jungle (1950), which ‘nearly single-handedly popularized the genre for mainstream cinema,’ according to Film Genre 2000, was one of the early films.
It followed a group of criminals whose personal flaws ultimately led to the robbery’s failure. Armored Car Robbery (1950), The Killing (1956), and The Getaway (1957) were all films that used this technique (1972). Heist films began to ‘experiment and play with these conventions in the 1990s, incorporating elements such as comedy into heist stories.
While aspects of heist films may be found in films as early as The Great Train Robbery (1903), the genre didn’t really take off until the late 1940s and early 1950s. John Huston’s 1950 film The Asphalt Jungle, starring Sterling Hayden and Sam Jaffee, is largely regarded as the first in the genre (with Marilyn Monroe in a supporting cast).
Throughout the 2000s, this newfound interest resulted in a high number of heist films. These include British films such as Snatch (2000) and Sexy Beast (2000), as well as children’s films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and remakes of heist classics such as The Italian Job (2003). The remake of Ocean’s 11 (2001) and its sequels Oceans 12 (2004) and Oceans 13 (2007) are among the most popular heist flicks of this age. These films were box office hits at their initial release and remain popular today.
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