Heist Movie Bracket: Vote on the Sweet 16

By Jake Skubish

Welcome to the Break-In Bracket, where we are voting for the best heist movie since 1975 in honor of the 45th anniversary of Dog Day Afternoon. Voting buttons for each matchup are below. You can follow along with the progress of the bracket here.

The Clay Region

(1) Reservoir Dogs vs. (4) Now You See Me

The Matchup: Reservoir Dogs is genuinely cool, and it has continued to adorn dorm room walls since it was released 25 years ago. Now You See Me is like what would happen if those college kids with Reservoir Dogs posters grew up to become magicians: trying to emulate that slickness but producing something gaudy and ridiculous instead. It’s a fun movie, but Tarantino’s inventive timeline-shifting, and Tim Roth’s legendary performance, are enough for me to toss my vote to Dogs.

(2) Ocean’s Eleven vs. (3) Baby Driver

The Matchup: I thought Ocean’s Eleven was going to be a powerhouse in this bracket, but the love for Baby Driver is real; it crushed The Italian Job in round one. As much as I love director Edgar Wright, though, Baby Driver really crashes in its final 30 minutes. Ocean’s Eleven is a smooth ride the whole way through.

The Gondorff Region

(1) Heat vs. (4) Good Time

The Matchup: Say what you will about the in-your-face meticulousness of Michael Mann movies, but the director has a distinct style. The same can be said of the Safdie brothers, whose Good Time is a unique adrenaline rush. But the best was set to come for them, while Heat may still be Mann’s masterpiece. Give me Pacino.

(2) Inside man vs. (6) Logan Lucky

The Matchup: I’m happy Logan Lucky made it out of the first round, but I’d be disappointed if it advanced any farther than that. It’s a fun romp, but there’s not a whole lot of meat on its bones. Inside Man is both a thrilling heist movie and a searing commentary on the historical nature of power and injustice. Oh, and it gives us yet another all-time Denzel performance. It has to be Inside Man.

The Bonnet Region

(1) The Usual Suspects vs. (4) Fast Five

The Matchup: This is the toughest matchup of the round for me. The Usual Suspects is one of the movies that got me into movies in the first place, and even though I know what’s coming that ending is still incredible. But Fast Five has my heart, and aside from the first film Fast Five is my favorite in the franchise. The Usual Suspects has some all-time storytelling, but they drive a bank vault through the streets of Rio in Fast Five. Hell yeah.

(2) The Town vs. (6) National Treasure

The Matchup: We are ripe for an upset with this matchup. National Treasure over Rogue One was not something I saw coming, although the nostalgia for the Nicholas Cage film is really strong. It didn’t just beat the Star Wars film, it crushed it, while The Town eked out a first round win over Set It Off. The Town is a little too bullet-dependent for my taste, and I hope National Treasure can pull off another unlikely upset.

The Sonny Region

(1) Die Hard vs. (4) Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Matchup: Many people have confronted me about whether Die Hard is actually a heist movie. On its surface, this question seems silly: of course it is. It’s about a heist. But what it lacks is anything showing the process of the heist: how it was planned, or its aftermath. It’s self-contained. But something like Fantastic Mr. Fox gets at the full picture, and it’s a visual delight. It has my vote.

(2) Jackie Brown vs. (6) Widows

The Matchup: I’m an ardent defender of Widows; I think the movie is whip-smart and has some visual touches that few other directors than Steve McQueen could pull off. But every time I watch Jackie Brown it gets better. Every performance is amazing, but the most recent revisit brought out just how incredible the late Robert Forster is. Jackie Brown deserves to move on.