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The heist film or Big Caper film is a subgenre of crime film, consisting of films that focus on the planning execution and aftermath of a large robbery.

One of the early defining heist films was The Asphalt Jungle (1950), which Film Genre 2000 wrote "almost single-handedly popularized the genre for mainstream cinema". It featured robbers whose personal failings ultimately led to the failure of their robbery. Similar films using this formula were Armored Car Robbery (1950), The Killing (1956), and The Getaway (1972). By the 1990s, heist films "experiment and play with these conventions" incorporating things like comedy into heist stories.

Characteristics of the genre[edit]
While there is sometimes some confusion as to what counts as a heist film there are a set of characteristics that most films in the genre follow.

The most basic of these is that films in the genre tend to follow the planning execution and aftermath of one large robbery. While there can be smaller crimes leading up to the major crime, this major crime is the centerpiece of the film and is the event which informs much of the film's plot. As a result of this, Heist films tend to focus on the process of the heist, often showing how the criminals plan the heist in great detail. They also tend to devote a large portion of the runtime to the heist itself, giving the viewer a detailed look of how the criminals complete the heist.

The sub genre is also distinct for almost exclusively following the people who are committing the crime rather than following the people trying to stop the criminals. This often leads to the viewer building some form of sympathy or respect for the criminals. Another common characteristic of the heist film is the assembling of a team to complete the Heist. Each team member often has some unique skill or set of skills which are needed to complete the heist.

Over time filmmakers have taken these characteristics and changed them to create interesting plays on the genre. For example Reservoir Dogs (1992) skips the planning and execution of the heist instead choosing to focus exclusively on the aftermath. Another example of this is The Italian Job (1969) which shows the planning and execution of the heist but doesn't fully show the aftermath.

While those characteristics stand as the defining characteristics of the genre there are a couple tropes and trends which frequently appear throughout the genre. One such trend is the failure of the heist due to some failing of the criminals involved in the heist. These failings range from one of the criminals inmoved in the heist getting injured during the heist to one of the criminals betraying the others during or after the heist. This trend started as a result of the initial films in the genre being made in Hollywood during the Motion Picture Production Code. Under the code criminals were not allowed to get away with crime so the heists in these early movies all fail, establishing it as a trend in the genre. In the years since the code filmmakers have made heist films where the criminals get away however the trope of failed heists still exists in modern films. One of the most dynamic examples is Reservoir Dogs which focuses solely on trying to figure out which of their group members betrayed them after a failed heist. Another popular trope is the one last job trope whereby a criminal looking to stop being a criminal enlists the team to do one last heist so they will have money for the rest of their life. This can be seen in early films such as The Asphalt Jungle (1950) as well as more recent films like Heat (1995).

History[edit]
See also: Category:Heist films

While elements of the heist film can be seen in movies as early as The Great Train Robbery the genre didn't begin until the late 1940s and the early 1950s. The film widely agreed upon as the first film in the genre is John Huston's 1950 film The Asphalt Jungle, starring Sterling Hayden and Marylin Monroe. The film contains many of the hallmarks of the genre, the most obvious of which is its following of the planning execution and aftermath of a single heist from the criminal's perspective. It also devotes a large amount of time to the heist itself and involves a group of variously skilled criminals who are brought together to complete the crime. Even though The Asphalt Jungle is Commonly seen as the start of the genre there are two films before it which  some consider earlier examples of the genre. Those two films are Criss Cross (1949) and The Killers (1946). While these films do follow the planning execution and aftermath of a single heist from the criminals perspective, critics argue that they devote too much time to the planning and aftermath of the heist and too little to the actual heist. As a result they are frequently cited as key films in the development of the genre but not the start of the genre itself. All of these films are also notable for having elements which are indebted to the film noir genre. This includes their moody expressionistic black and white cinematography as well as a dark and fatalistic tone key in film noir. As a result Scholars such as Daryl lee refer to this era of heist films  as “noir heists”.

The period between 1955 - 1975 is considered by scholars to be the most productive period of the heist genre. This period began with American filmmakers continuing the noir heist trend in films like Five against the house (1955), and The Killing (1956).The 50s also saw the release of the first international heist films. One place with a notable output was France which produced a handful of heist films influenced by and responding to the American noir heists. The two most notable films are Rififi (1955) which is known for its detailed 30 minute heist sequence and Bob Le Flambeur (1956) for its playful ending which plays with the conventions of the heist genre. The 50s also marked the beginning of British heist films with the most important ones being The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Lady Killers (1955). These films are important because they introduce comedy to the heist genre, something which was not common in other heist films of the time but would become more common in later heist films. Another notable heist film from this period is the Italian film Big Deal on Madonna Street, (1958) a parody of the heist genre.

In the 1960s heist stories became more mainstream. This led to glossier higher budget heist films which began to move away from the fatalism and darkness present in the earlier noir heists. Two examples of this from the early 60s are the British film The League of Gentleman (1960) and the American film Seven Thieves (1960). Despite having conventional heist plots about gathering together a group to commit a heist both films balance comedy and drama in such a way that make them lack the darkness of the noir heist films. The shift mainstream as well as a growing cultural interest in travel lead to a wave of glossy heist films involving exotic international locals. These films include Topkapi (1964) and How to Steal a million (1966) In France Rififi spawned a number of lower budget crime films which often used Rififi as part of there title. These include films such as Rififi in Tokyo (1963) and Du rififi à Paname (1966). As the decade continued the French also began to produce more glossy heist films which served as star vehicles for big stars of the time. These films include Any Number Can win (1963) Staring Alain Delon and Greed in The Sun (1964) staring Jean-Paul Belmondo.The most celebrated French heist films of this time where directed by Jean Pierre Melville whose heist film Le Cercle Rouge (1970)  is often regarded as one of the greatest heist movies of all time. This expansion of the genre in the 1960s also led to remakes of older heist movies with an early example being Cairo (1963) which is a remake of The Asphalt Jungle. In 1968 the motion picture production code was abolished. In the wake of this change came a number of Heist films that didn't shy away from portraying graphic violence. This included films like Charley Varrick (1973) and The Getaway (1972). Another important 1970s heist film is Sidney Lumet's 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon which is regarded by some critics as the last important heist film of the genre's most productive era.

The time period between 1975 and the early 1990s are considered a low point for productivity in the heist genre. While there were some films being made in the genre like Thief (1981) and a remake of Big Deal on Madonna Street called Crackers (1984) critics don't consider these films as  meaningful developments of the genre and thus aren't seen as important. The 90s would see the return of the heist genre with a number of films creating new interest in the genre. While Films like John Woos Once a thief (1991) and Steven Soderberg's Out of Sight (1998) would bring some interest in the genre the three films which brought the genre back to prominence were Reservoir Dogs (1992), Heat (1995) and The Usual Suspects (1995). This is due to all of them being hits thus reintroducing a large audience to the pleasures of the heist genre.

This renewed interest led to a large output of heist films throughout the 2000s. This period is notable for the These range from British films like Snatch  (2000) and Sexy Beast (2000) to kids films like The Fantastic Mr.Fox (2009) to popular Hollywood films like Inside man (2006) and remakes of heist classics like The Italian Job (2003). Some of the most popular heist films of this era are the remake of Ocean's 11 (2001) and its sequels Oceans 12 (2004) and Oceans 13 (2007). These films were big hits on release and are still incredibly popular today.