AVQ&A: What's your favorite movie heist?

Is Museo‘s central heist an act of reclamation or merely one of late-adolescent rebellion? That’s just one of several tantalizing questions that director Alonso Ruizpalacios raises in his second feature film, which was inspired by the real-life theft of 140 artifacts from Mexico’s National Museum Of Anthropology. What’s never in doubt is Ruizpalacios’ ability to craft a heist scene that’s at once exhilarating and meditative. Veterinary students Juan Núñez (Gael García-Bernal) and Benjamin Wilson (Leonardo Ortizgris) swipe Mesoamerican artifacts in a wordless (save for the voiceover narration) sequence that recalls How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Ocean’s Eleven. Their methods are decidedly lo-fi, making the ransacking of a nation’s culture seem like child’s play—a striking contrast to the systemic theft perpetrated by institutions like, well, museums. Bernal’s face remains as impassive as the jade mask of Pakal that Juan covets and eventually cops, capturing the ambiguity that stretches throughout the film. [Danette Chavez]

I’ve already written about National Treasure for a previous AVQ&A, but this is serious business that requires 100% honesty, and my honest (and firm… and resolved…) answer is that Nicolas Cage stealing the Declaration Of Independence is the best heist in movie history. Okay, maybe it’s because it’s the first one I ever saw and I really, really love National Treasure, but it did set a high bar. From the perfect declaration (ha) of intent, to the whole fake thumb champagne flute switcheroo, to the unnecessary stop at the gift shop, to every single line that comes out of Justin Batha’s mouth, it really crafts a not-so-invisible map to some ridiculous fun at the movies. Throw in Sean Bean’s dumb cronies blowing stuff up on the sidelines and, of course, the Nicolas Cage of it all, and that guide is clear as day. No lemon juice required. [Emma Keates]

“It’s called Hinckley Cold Storage. Here are just a few of the key ingredients: dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers—can you see how incredible this is going to be?—hang gliding. Come on!” None of Dignan’s (Owen Wilson) grand plans come to fruition in his first big score. In fact, the whole thing falls apart quickly once Bob (Robert Musgrave), whose house is being cleaned out by veteran thief Mr. Henry (James Caan), leaves his post, allowing workers at the facility to casually stroll in with their fast food. (It also doesn’t help that the job’s master safe cracker, portrayed by the great early Wes Anderson repertory player Kumar Pallana, can’t, you know, crack safes.) Throw in a heart attack, some ridiculous yellow jumpsuits, a police chase set to The Stones’ “2000 Man,” and a phenomenally funny script by Anderson and Wilson, and this is a movie-heist fuck-up for the ages. [Tim Lowery] 

Too many canonically great movies also feature heists, so rather than pick the best movie pulling the best job, I decided to go for a con that scratches one of my more specific itches. The Trust sees crappy corrupt cops Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood try to crack into a gang’s safe that they’ve stumbled onto. The pair, schlubby and uncool, work magic together, but what makes it so fun is how directors Alex and Ben Brewer approach the robbery with the kind of A-to-B, process-oriented filmmaking that helped ground The Martian and made The Taking of Pelham One Two Three a credible public transit thriller. I love that Cage and Wood screw up, fail, and jerk each other around—that’s heists, baby! But what makes The Trust special is that it can make drill bits and blueprints exciting without the flashy style of something like Thief. [Jacob Oller]

A good heist is all about showmanship, coming preloaded with “let’s put on a show” energy. The film says, “We’re going to do this, and this is how we will do it. Sit back and be amazed.” Few do it with as much panache as George Roy Hill’s 1973 The Sting. Reuniting Butch Cassidy and Sundance, Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as depression-era grifters who swindle a mobster (Robert Shaw) out $500,000 via “The Big Con.” Like Inception and Ocean’s 12, Hill uses the grift as a metaphor for filmmaking. Our stars cast a production, build a set, and create a shared reality—in this case, creating a fake off-track betting parlor. Hill’s masterstroke is, despite knowing it’s a scam, the viewer falls for it, too. With a final swerve, Redford and Newman remind us they’ve been grifting their way into our hearts. It works every time. [Matt Schimkowitz]

What better way to acknowledge the impact of Ocean’s Eleven than to celebrate Logan Lucky, the Ocean’s Eleven of the people? Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) matches Danny Ocean’s swagger with an equal amount of unpretentiousness, planning a heist of the Charlotte Motor Speedway during a NASCAR race. Instead of swanky casinos and high-tech infiltration equipment, Jimmy and his crew use painted cockroaches and sodium-free salt to break into the vault under the racetrack, vacuuming loose cash and one errant prosthetic arm into trash bags. Maybe calling the heist “Ocean’s 7-Eleven” was just director Steven Soderbergh’s way of nodding to his own work, but it’s still accurate, and Soderbergh might be the only living director who could pull off making a whole new film that so thoroughly responds to the impact of his previous work while also deconstructing and sending up the politics of the original. [Jen Lennon]