Classic Cinema Zone

With intricate plots, multiple twists and turns, and gritty characters who live on the edge, heist movies have long been a Hollywood staple. Sometimes the thieves suffer the consequences of their action and sometimes they get away with their crimes, but their carefully hatched plans almost always go awry. Here are nine of the best heist movies from Classic Hollywood.

This 1969 Italian-made crime thriller tells the gripping saga of a hardened ex-con, who emerges from a long prison stint to find his grown son has turned into a small-time hustler with a new–and criminal–job opportunity. It all leads to a major heist and double cross with the Mafia.

A postal inspector looks into the murder of a colleague and the trail leads him to the killing’s sole witness, a nun who is able to identify the assassin in this 1951 crime drama co-starring Jack Webb, Harry Morgan & Ed Begley.

When a botched oil deal leads to murder and draws the attention of the law, the head of a crime syndicate finds himself marked for elimination at the hands of his bodyguard in this 1955 film noir favorite.

In recent years, they brought original films of great imagination and visual beauty to the screen – but what classic movies influenced the Coen Brothers’ strange blend of crime, noir and comedy? ‘The Big Sleep,’ naturally, but how about a war movie, a screwball comedy, and a road trip classic? Here are some of the classic films that influenced the Coen brothers.

Dick Tracy versus the mysterious Spider and his secret crime organization.

Dick Tracy versus the mysterious Spider and his secret crime organization.

Dick Tracy versus the mysterious Spider and his secret crime organization.

Dick Tracy versus the mysterious Spider and his secret crime organization.

Dick Tracy versus the mysterious Spider and his secret crime organization.