Story Type: Heist Movies
In Hollywood movie circles, there are genres like Horror or Science Fiction, cross genres like Action-Thriller or Drama-Comedy, and…
In Hollywood movie circles, there are genres like Horror or Science Fiction, cross genres like Action-Thriller or Drama-Comedy, and sub-genres like Romantic Comedy or Mystery Thriller.
Then there are story types, a shorthand way to describe a specific narrative conceit that is almost always tied directly to the movie’s central concept. They can be found in any genre, cross genre, or sub-genre.
Knowledge about and awareness of these story types can be a boost not only to your understanding of film history and movie trends, but also as fodder for brainstorming new story concepts. Mix and match them. Invert them. Gender bend them. Genre bend them. Geo bend them.
Story types exist for a reason: Because they work. Hopefully this series will help you make them work for you.
Today: Heist Movies.
Heist movies. Typically an intricate plot involving a group of people trying to steal something. Or a pair of rival thieves, oftentimes members of the opposite sex who get romantically involved. The focus on heist movies is the intricate plot, twists and turns, who’s going to cheat, and who can you trust.
Some notable examples of heist movies (all plot summaries from IMDb):
The Asphalt Jungle (1950): A major heist goes off as planned, until bad luck and double crosses cause everything to unravel.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968): A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
The Sting (1973): In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker.
The First Great Train Robbery (1979): In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.
House of Games (1987): A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led my a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
The Spanish Prisoner (1997): An employee of a corporation with a lucrative secret process is tempted to betray it. But there’s more to it than that.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001): Hollywood’s A list stars come together to pull off the most daring heist Las Vegas has ever known…11 men, 3 casinos, 150 million dollars, 1 chance to pull it off.
A heist movie you might not know is Du rififi chez les hommes (1955): Tony Stephanois, just out of prison and angry at his girl Mado’s infidelity, decides to join his pals Jo and Mario in an ambitious crime. With Italian safe expert Cesar, they meticulously plan the burglary of a large jewelry establishment. Not a word is spoken as the crime is carried out. And then things begin to go wrong…
It’s definitely worth a watch.
For other Story Type articles, go here.