If you’re like me and keep taking your DVD of The Score off your shelf more than 25 years after it hit theaters, then you’re in the right place to read this guide. While we didn’t know it at the time, The Score would kick off the fantastic and timeless crime caper heist in the 2000s. However, besides the star-studded cast, including Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, and Edward Norton, The Score actually managed to put a twist into the twist that we can’t get enough of watching crime caper films. For an encore, these are the best movies in our expert cinema opinion that match up to The Score.
1. Heat (1995)
Directed by Michael Mann, Heat is a mid-90s blast of a film, pun intended. Many of the explosive action sequences carry over into The Score. One of the reasons why Heat is so beloved is the reunion between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro since The Godfather Part Two in 1973.
Al Pacino plays Los Angeles detective Vincent Hanna, who is obsessed with capturing Neil McCauley and his crew as they pull off massive heists. Val Kilmer also stars in Heat, where revenge, greed, and obsession all collide in an explosive climax.
2. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The 1999 remake adds a new twist to the 1968 classic version starring the late Steve McQueen and the iconic Faye Dunaway. Pierce Brosnan of the James Bond films and Remington Steele television series, stars as the eccentric Thomas Crown. A bored billionaire, Crown steals precious art simply to satisfy his boredom.
Rene Russo of the Lethal Weapon series stars as Catherine Banning, an insurance investigator hot on Crown’s trail. However, her determination to capture Crown leads to romantic obsession.
3. Heist (2001)
The title gives the plot away. Following the fantastic success of The Score, Heist sees fans of the late Gene Hackman back in a familiar role: the mastermind. Before he retires, Hackman stars as Joe Moore, a master thief plotting to rob a jewelry store before riding into the sunset. Having to work around his unscrupulous boss, played by Danny Devito, Joey must also deal with turncoat members while staying one step ahead of the law.
4. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Steven Soderbergh expertly directs the 2001 remake of the legendary 1960 film of the same title that starred Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack. This time, George Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, an ex-convict looking to make one last big score before riding off to the sunset.
The score involves a talented group of con men, including Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and Brad Pitt. However, for Danny, the real prize isn’t robbing the top biggest casinos in the USA, it is stealing back the love of his life, played by Julia Roberts from the casino barren, starring Andy Garcia.
The Ocean’s Eleven remake went on to be one of the highest-grossing films of 2001. It also went on to produce two sequels.
5. The Italian Job (2003)
The 2003 version of The Italian Job reimagines the legendary 1969 film starring Michael Caine. Instead of featuring British actors, the 2003 version is told from an American point of view. Mark Wahlberg leads a pack of experienced thieves as they accomplish a daring gold heist in Italy, much like the original plot.
However, betrayal kicks in when Edward Norton’s character double-crosses the team by stealing the gold and killing the father of Mark Wahlburg’s mentor and the father of his love interest. Determined to even the score, Mark Walhburg’s crew tracks down Edward Norton and decides to get even. Once again, the remake features amazing usages of the Mini Cooper as well as the biggest traffic jam in Los Angeles.
6. Matchstick Men (2003)
Directed by Ridley Scott, Nicholas Cage stars as Roy Waller, a gifted con artist who struggles to keep his emotions in check and his impulses. Roy partners with another talented con man, Frank Mercer, who he takes under his wing. As Roy battles through his tic syndrome, he realizes he didn’t plan for one big loose end – meeting the daughter he never knew he had.
As he tries to bond with his daughter, Roy’s daughter Angela, actually wants to learn more about her father’s unique life as a con man. Looking to help him with the con, unexpected breakdowns happen, as do unbelievable twists and turns.
7. Inside Man
One of the surprise films of 2006 was The Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee. A departure from Lee’s directorial style, Inside Man adds a twist to the bank robbery genre. Clive Own plays Russel Dalton, a determined conman with a grudge against one of the oldest banks in Manhattan. After boldly taking hostages, a long standoff ensues.
Denzel Washington stars as Detective Keith Frazier, who tries to negotiate the end of the robbery. However, he soon picks up that this is no ordinary robbery. In fact, nothing was stolen except some precious memorabilia that the bank owner would do anything to prevent seeing the light of day.
8. 21 (2008)
For those who like blackjack, 21 is a must-watch film. Based on the real life story, Kevin Spacey plays a MIT professor who moonlights teaching a group of his students who are gifted in math about card counting. Because card counting is illegal at casinos, part of the joy of 21 is watching the detection that the MIT has in breaking down the mathematical probabilities of blackjack card counting and the elaborate cons they go through to pull it off.
However, once success kicks in, so does greed. The team crashes and burns. However, the table is set, pun intended, for the team to pull off one massive con in ways that nobody saw coming.
Conclusion
These films in the list are only some of the best films that do The Score justice. Other notable films on the list include Catch Me If You Can, and the Now You See Me series, which focuses on magic and illusion to pull off crime capers. Besides the joy of the team pulling off cons, these films also show the hidden motivations as to why they do crime and the incredible bonds that form between thieves.
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