A crash course in careful planning, quiet tension and nice suits
Legend has it that an L.A. times reviewer called Rififi a “master class in breaking and entering, as well as filmmaking.” we can’t account for its use as a burglary training video, but we agree with the rest. that got us thinking, if we wanted to teach someone the ins and out’s of heist films, where would we start? Well, how about these four?
Jules Dassin - 1955
Rififi is basically the template for a half century of heist films. From the careful planning, to the methodical execution, to the post-robbery fallout, Jules Dassin’s massively influential film is overflowing with grit and tension.
Sat (11/22) - 2:10
Mon (11/24) - 7:00
Wed (11/26) - 4:25
Troy Kennedy Martin - 1969
By 1969 the heist genre was well established, but Troy Kennedy Martin and Micheal Caine gave it an invigorating burst of British cool. The Italian Job has since become known as one of the best films to come out of the UK, and its iconic Mini-Cooper escape down the streets of Paris has been etched permanently into pop culture memory.
Sat (11/22) - 4:45
Tue (11/25) - 4:45
Wed (11/26) - 7:00
Michael Mann - 1981
Micheal Mann directed several top-notch heist films, but we opted for his first film, Thief. Though not terribly successful at the time, it has since grown in both renown and impact. While James Caan’s performance as Frank, a career safecracker looking to retire, stands as a charismatic highlight of his career.
Sun (11/23) - 7:00
Mon (11/24) - 4:20
Christopher Nolan - 2010
Chrisopher Nolan has made a career of taking genre films to unexpected, visually arresting, and complex places. Inception re-framed the heist film for a new era, where information is the ultimate prize, and the human mind is the ultimate target.