Stealing stuff is cool. Lets just clarify that right now. Whether its diamonds from a jewellery store, dollars from a locked vault or the dusky landscapes of a Dutch master from a New York art gallery; stealing is cool. So is starting fires but thats another story for another day. Back to stealing though, and the pinnacle of fashionable crime has to be the bank job. Theres just something intrinsically loveable about a group of classically handsome men standing around a pool table with the blueprints to a vault laid out on it. All dressed in perfectly tailored suits, drinking old-fashioneds, smoking Gauloises and cracking wise about the entire situation. In a world where weve become somewhat jaded and numb towards money being stolen through white collar crimes such as Ponzi schemes and dodgy derivative dealings carried out by rich white men in boardrooms that are bigger than your house; theres just something uplifting and romantically old school about a proper heist and heist movie. These men are a throwback to the days of the gentleman criminal to whom heisting was merely a leisurely pastime; similar to playing polo, betting on baccarat or bedding married women.
10. The Thomas Crowne Affair
Bored, British playboy whos in it for the Monet is essentially the crux of this heist movie remake. While it may not have the subtlety, the Steve McQueen or the sexiest game of chess ever caught on camera that the original does, the 1999 remake does possess some slick misdirection and briefcase based shenanigans all to the tune of Nina Simone. And look, Im not going to tell you how to rob an art gallery, but if your plans dont involve any Nina Simone, then you need to seriously rethink your whole strategy. Pierce Brosnan is your prototypical playboy with a penchant for power sailing, looking swanky and gliding. And lets be honest, youve just got to love a man with a glider. Rene Rousso does. Its your standard cat and mousetraps caper but with that traditional Hollywood glossy shine and standard product placement that every big budget movie got in the late nineties. Aside from the really quite weird dancing scene about halfway through, its a perfect movie for a Sunday night.
