Thursday, March 31, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks- Heist Movies



Heist movies are quite popular and there are so many to pick from. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what the others have picked.  I stayed away from some fun ones (Ocean's 11) that are more recent. You can even join in if you wish:) Here are my three...

1. THE ASHPHALT  JUNGLE -1950


Talk about a under-rated film that should be better known. A man named "Doc" decides, shortly
after leaving prison, to do a bank heist and needs some goons to help pull it off. This is a quiet but effective heist film without all the smash-em up chases that usually seems to happen in more recent films. It even has a small role for Marilyn Monroe as the mistress of a corrupt lawyer and many think this was her break through role. The characters are well-rounded and not "black and white" ....you really feel for the characters that committed the crime.

2. TO CATCH A THIEF-1955


Talk about a sexy film staring the debonair Cary Grant and the cool sex kitten, Grace Kelly. Grant's character used to be a famous jewel thief but now there is a copycat out there and he must clear his name.  Directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock, it is a film that has beautiful clothes, beautiful people and beautiful scenery, in fact, it was filmed in Monaco where Ms. Kelly met Prince Ranier and became Princess Grace.

3. BONNIE AND CLYDE-1967


Oh, these 2 rascals met, fell in love and decided to rob banks for a living becoming  infamous and still talked about today. Great acting shines (as well as the outfits that became stylish again for a while) as we are led on one car chase from one rural depression town to another. It is not completely accurate and it has the political vibe of the 1960's counter-culture. These 2 people were romanticized in this film as a young couple against an establishment instead of thugs they were (I know, I know, she wrote poetry etc.. but, come on!) but, regardless, it is a good film that propelled Warren Beatty's career to another level(he produced and helped write the film).

Love to know which ones you would pick:)

45 comments:

  1. Bonnie and Clyde were just criminals after all.
    Most of the heist films that come to my mind are popular and recent. One you might not have seen is Inside Man. Very clever heist.

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    1. I have not seen this film and have it marked down to see this movie-Thanks Alex!

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  2. I'll look for those, especially the Grace Kelly-Cary Grant one.

    The Getaway is a nice one too.

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    1. I have not seen The Getaway but it is a good one for this week

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  3. I think Bonnie and Clyde could be popular today. I haven't seen the other two. When I make my Blind Spot list next year, I think I'm just going to come back to all of these posts and pick from here. lol

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    1. hahahaa- glad I'm giving you a lot of Blindspot posts

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  4. I haven't seen any of these, but I've been wanting to see Bonnie and Clyde for a while.

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    1. Bonnie & Clyde is a good one even though I feel it is a little dated because of the underlying commentary for the era

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  5. Hi, dear Birgit!

    I have seen all three of these movies. The Asphalt Jungle reminds me how much I love film noir and how fresh and beautiful Marilyn was in the very early 50s, before she became a "sex bomb." I love Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief starring pretty people Grant and Kelly. I studied Bonnie and Clyde in a film course at college.

    While everybody else names heist movies, I will remind you of the short-lived TV series about a band of blue collar misfits that planned capers designed to take from the rich and give to the poor (themselves). The series was first titled Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum. The name was changed to Let's Rob Mick Jagger and finally to The Knights of Prosperity by the time the series debuted.

    Happy Thursday, dear friend BB!

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    1. I have not even heard of this TV series. Funny that they were going to use real names of entertainers at first

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  6. The Asphalt Jungle! Saw this on TCM a few years back mistakenly thinking it was Blackboard Jungle (the one with Rock Around the Clock and Sidney Poitier) - true story. I loved it anyway. Surprising performance from Marilyn Monroe. This is where I first realized I was in love/lust with Sterling Hayden.

    To Catch a Thief is so swoon-worthy, from the location to the clothes to the stars. Such fun. One of my favorite Hitchcocks.

    Bonnie and Clyde is the best. Just the best. And another one with swoon-worthy stars! GREAT picks this week, Birgit!

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    1. Glad you like my picks! I have seen both jungle movies:) Marilyn was quite good in this and not so sex bomb in this. Sterling gets little love today but he was quite good in his day.

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  7. I did see two of these! To Catch a Thief and Bonnie and Clyde :) I like the Italian Job and the Ocean 11 and Ocean 12 :)

    betty

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    1. The Italian Job is a movie I can watch over and over again ...same with Ocean's 11 and I mean to remakes

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  8. I love old movies. I can't believe I haven't seen any of these! I'll have to check them out.

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  9. LOVE your picks!!! And we match on your first, though I used it as a bonus. Asphalt Jungle is such a huge influence on all the heist films that came after.

    To Catch a Thief is gorgeous to look at and Cary, Grace and especially Jessie Royce Landis are fantastic and yet its not one of my favorite Hitchcock's but a terrific fit for the week.

    Don't know why Bonnie & Clyde never crossed my mind. It's ideal for the week and such a game changer when it came out. Amazing how many, and how many different type, actresses were considered for Bonnie Parker when the role fits Faye so perfectly.

    I'm a big fan of this genre and there are so many choices that I went back and forth on settling on just three but finally managed and then decided I just couldn't leave out Asphalt Jungle. Here's what I came up with.

    The Italian Job (2003)-Sleek adventure of a pair of heists, betrayal and revenge among a group of thieves most of whom are honorable in their way. Beautiful locations, a jaunty tone and sprightly performances by the entire cast filled with familiar faces make this a cut above. Everybody’s good but Seth Green and Mos Def stand out.

    Dog Day Afternoon (1975)-On a hot summer day in Brooklyn what starts as a poorly planned bank heist quickly devolves into both a hostage situation and a media circus when it becomes a police standoff. Brilliant Sidney Lumet directed film features three award caliber performances at its core from Al Pacino, Charles Durning and John Cazale.

    5 Against the House (1955)-Two college buddies Ronnie and Roy are pulled in briefly in connection with the attempted robbery of a Reno casino in which they had no part. Waiting to be released Ronnie overhears one of the cops say the casino can’t be successfully robbed and becomes obsessed with figuring out how to plan the perfect heist. Initially just an intellectual challenge until one of their other buddies, violent war vet Brick, discovers the plan and forces them to proceed involving the unsuspecting Al (Guy Madison) and his girlfriend, nightclub-singer Kaye (Kim Novak) along the way. Decent heist film that is rare among 50’s film in its allusions to Brick’s war experience (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) being at the root of his erratic behavior.

    Honorable Mention-The Asphalt Jungle (1950)-Ex-con Dix (Sterling Hayden) plans to steal a cool million in jewels. He gathers a team of small-time crooks together to pull the job, which is a success until a stray bullet kills one of the men. As they scramble to cover themselves the men become entangled in a web of treachery and murder. John Huston keeps the tension tight in this landmark noir that provided the first real step forward for Marilyn Monroe in the small part of Angela, one of the men’s kept woman.

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    1. Glad you mentioned Asphalt Jungle since the actual heist is so great. I love The Italian Job and can watch that movie over and over. I have not seen Dog Day Afternoon in years but loved Chris Sarandon. Now I have to see 5 Against the House. This sounds like a stellar film and I am so interested in PTSD

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  10. Bonnie and Clyde is a brilliant film. Glad to see that get some love. Haven't seen the others, yet. Great job.

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    1. I thought that was a good movie for this week. Thanks:)

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  11. I love a good heist movie! But somehow I missed The Asphalt Jungle. I'm definitely going to have a look for it and watch it!

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    1. I think you will love that film because the heist is a big part of the film

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  12. Seen the last one indeed. Heard of the second and first too. I guess that is kinda 3 for 3, right? haha I'm with Alex, Inside Man was the first to pop in. Heat was great too.

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    1. Heat is excellent. There are so many films that this could be part of. I guess you kind of have 3for3:)

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  13. Lots of mentions for The Italian Job in the comments, I see. The original, of course.
    The Glasgow Gallivanter

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    1. Yes The Italian Job is a fun film but I am talking about the remake. I have to see the original stilly

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  14. To Catch A Thief is one of my all time favorites, as is Cary Grant. What a sexy man.

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  15. Every time I come here I think to myself, "Self, there are so many good old movies that you should watch." Believe it or not, I just had this conversation (yet again) with myself. Thanks Birgit!

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    1. I hope you get a chance to see a couple of these movies:)

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  16. I haven't seen the first one. But I like the other two.

    Heat, with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, is good. Though I think the ending was botched.

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    1. Heat is a good movie but I didn't mind the ending all that much

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  17. The only one I've seen out of these is To Catch a Thief. Love Cary Grant! All of his Hitchcock movies were awesome.

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    1. This is a great film and love the innuendo.....like the fireworks scene

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  18. All good movies I've thoroughly enjoyed.

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  20. Another set I haven't heard of/seen. I'm really behind on movies. These sound great, though. My favorite's probably Inception. You can't go wrong with a good ol' fashioned triple-layer-dream-heist.

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    1. Inception was big for this week and it is an excellent film that one needs to see more than once

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  21. I've only seen To Catch a Thief. But once upon a time, my dad took us kids to some car thing, and they had the actual car that Bonnie and Clyde were in when they, er, met their end. Full of bullet holes...

    (whoops, typo)

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    1. Oh wow, you saw the actual car! That is cool if not a bit sobering considering all the bullet holes

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  22. Bonnie and Clyde never occurred to me. Great pick!

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  23. BIRGIT ~
    Fantastic choices all! And I've seen all three (#1 and #3 a few times each).

    It's funny, when I saw the title of this blog bit, the very first movie that jumped into my mind was the Film Noir 'THE ASPHALT JUNGLE'. And then I came here and found it was the first one on your list.

    This is a really great topic because there are so many quality movies that qualify.

    My list would need to include 'THE WILD BUNCH', which is one of my Top 5 favorite movies of all time!

    And how about 'THE STING'? That qualifies as a "Heist" movie, doesn't it?

    If I allowed my mind to wander, I'm sure I could come up with countless great movies that would qualify under this category.

    BTW, when I was a kid circa 1972 or '73, I got to see the real "BONNIE & CLYDE" death car on display in Virginia City, Nevada. And I still have a photograph of it that I took. Amazing! There were more "holes" than there was "car". Lesson: Don't make bankers mad.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. We were on the same wavelength with the ASHPHALT Jungle. Such a great movie. I thought The Sting was going to be picked left and right so I didn't go with that one but it is brilliant. the Wild Bunch is a great, great movie and I love the choreography of the many scenes-brilliantly done. There are the great like Trouble in Paradise to the new ones like The Town and Ocean.s 11

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  24. These are all such great picks! Although I am yet to see The Asphalt Jungle.

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