As part of my efforts to retain some semblance of mental health, I recently binged all the Ocean’s movies (yes, even 8). Beautiful famous people being beautiful and famous (but not getting hurt or hurting anyone) was just what I needed, but since then I’ve been thinking about heists, non-stop. I went down an “Old Blaggers” hole with the Hatton Garden gang (career criminals all pushing or past 70), and am now mentally casting an adaptation of the Alves dos Reis scheme. And what about those wacky teens and their Twitter bitcoin scam last month? Think about how much more they could have gotten if real, smart villains like Debbie Ocean (watch it again, it’s not that bad) were behind the bird.
What about you? What heists delight you, what adaptations best capture their spirit, and which of these true crimes do you think you could do better than they could? (I’m just saying, if I had access to Jeff Bezos’s Twitter…) Let’s come up with a roster of winning heists we can look to and/or study when the shit well and truly hits the fan.
Does The Bling Ring count as a heist? I don't think I'm much interested in heists, but I enjoyed that book (and later the movie, which I watched on a plane to London).
The Hustlers At Scores robberies aren't exactly a heist in the pure sense, but I thought of them immediately. And of course there is the one that inspired Dog Day Afternoon.
The heist I'd like to see is some one getting the "lost" single copy Wu Tang album that the feds seized off of Martin Skreli. Ocean's 9, anyone?
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist - still unsolved. I grew up in MA and it was a very big deal and spawned many theories involving Whitey, etc.
Tell Us Your Favorite Heist
Does The Bling Ring count as a heist? I don't think I'm much interested in heists, but I enjoyed that book (and later the movie, which I watched on a plane to London).
I adore Leverage, it's a such a great alternative to the news these days.
The Hustlers At Scores robberies aren't exactly a heist in the pure sense, but I thought of them immediately. And of course there is the one that inspired Dog Day Afternoon.
The heist I'd like to see is some one getting the "lost" single copy Wu Tang album that the feds seized off of Martin Skreli. Ocean's 9, anyone?
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist - still unsolved. I grew up in MA and it was a very big deal and spawned many theories involving Whitey, etc.
The Buenos Aires Bank Heist. It's got everything. Including a clever plan and folk hero status.
I also think American Animals is a great adaptation splicing dramatic re-enactment with interviews of the real perpetrators. Really loved that.