Warning: contains spoilers for Doctor Who series 15 episode 3 “The Well”. Me about 20 minutes into this episode: hmm, getting real “Midnight” vibes from this. Me about 25 minutes into this episode: ah! In a surprise sequel to a classic from the Tenth Doctor era, the Doctor and Belinda find themselves on an inhospitable […]
Warning: contains plot spoilers for Doctor Who episode “The Well”.
If they were really concentrating, fans may have got there just before the Doctor did, at the mention of an Xtonic Star. If they were really really concentrating, they could have drawn the connection even earlier, with the very first reference to Galvanic Radiation and a planet where nothing can live.
What connection? The surprise that series 15 episode “The Well” takes place on the same planet as acclaimed series four episode “Midnight”, and features the same baddie – perhaps now retconned as another member of Doctor Who’s growing pantheon of gods, seeing as it survived half a million years between the Doctor’s visits, and appears to have a thing for playing games.
In “The Well”, Fifteen and Belinda’s latest TARDIS “bounce” shoots them 500,000 years ahead of 1952 Miami, to the “cold, lifeless and dead” Planet 6-7-6-7. At least, that’s what it’s known as in that time; it used to go by the rather more poetic “Midnight”. In the 2008 Who episode of the same name, Midnight was where the Doctor was paralysed by a malevolent creature whose mystery he never solved.
And now it’s back.
The June 2008 series four episode saw Donna Noble take some time off from the TARDIS (while Catherine Tate filmed Doctor-lite adventure “Turn Left”). Donna relaxed in a leisure spa while Ten, like the beautiful nerd he is, went on a sightseeing tour of sapphire waterfalls on a planet the surface of which was made of diamond. Except, he never made it to the waterfalls because a shadowy beast attacked their Crusader shuttle and killed four people, very nearly including the Doctor.
Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Alice Troughton, “Midnight” is about two kinds of evil: the faceless horror evil of the entity that possesses the tourists aboard the sightseeing shuttle, and the paranoid, protectionist evil of the passengers themselves. When the shuttle breaks down en-route and one of the group becomes ‘infected’ by the monster, the others turn on her and plan to cast her out into the planet’s deadly irradiated atmosphere. The Doctor appeals to their humanity, which makes them also turn on him. It’s only thanks to a heroic act from someone on board that the Doctor isn’t killed and forced to regenerate on the surface of Planet Midnight (and then presumably, to immediately die of radiation poisoning, regenerate again, immediately die, and so on, forever. Though while we’re thinking about this, it was the Toymaker’s use of UNIT’s Galvanic Radiation beam that caused the Doctor to bi-generate, so perhaps if he had been thrown out onto the planet’s surface, there’d now be thousands of Doctors running around, all sharing the constituent parts of a single outfit. Quite the mental image.)
In “The Well”, Fifteen tells Belinda that the first time he encountered the Midnight monster, he had never been so scared in his life. That reads, remembering the look on David Tennant’s face while he was paralysed by it, and while it parroted his every word through its unfortunate host Sky Silvestry – brilliantly played by Lesley Sharp. Ten was so shaken by his encounter with the creature that when Donna playfully repeats his words in the episode’s closing scene, he earnestly asks her not to, and remains silent when she asked him what he thought the monster was and whether it was still out there. Until “The Well”, the monster from “Midnight” was a rare case of a baddie that the Doctor had never encountered before and also wasn’t able to identify.
Now, showrunner Russell T Davies and “The Well” co-writer Sharma Walfall have returned to that unsolved mystery. Hundreds of thousands of years since it was last encountered, the Midnight creature appears to have evolved a physical form and the ability not just to possess and mimic, but also to hide behind its infected hosts and physically attack anybody who comes within reach. It laid waste to Colony Base 15 when their diamond mine operation awakened it, working its way through their crew and eventually attaching itself to base cook Aliss (Rose Ayling-Ellis), a deaf BSL speaker and lip reader who now has two very good reasons not to want people to turn their backs on her.
Even worse than that: it’s out. Ten couldn’t tell Donna whether or not the creature was still out there after it was blown out of the shuttle in “Midnight”, but we have a hint. In the closing scene of “The Well”, it’s suggested that Trooper Mo is the creature’s new host, so wherever she goes next, it goes too. Another game-playing god unleashed? Is that why whatever’s bouncing the TARDIS around (hello Mrs Flood!) sent it back to Planet Midnight in the first place?
Doctor Who continues with “Lucky Day” on Saturday May 3 on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ around the world.
My mother was never fond of me playing violent games, so I had to sneak sessions of Mortal Kombat and Wolfenstein 3D away from her discerning eye. One game that was so notorious that I had to take extra precautions in playing it, either on our family computer (thanks, shareware!) or even at friends’ houses, […]
Movies and heists are the perfect pairing. Both require a perfect crew, a ton of charisma, and clockwork precision in an environment where everything is ready to go wrong. Though we’ve been trained to understand that the perfect crime is as rare as the treasures that movie thieves endeavor to steal, few things top the satisfaction of watching it all come together and fall apart. The best heist movies draw us in time and time again to the illusion of it all.
And while we’re here to celebrate the best heist movies, please note that identifying a heist movie can be as tall of a task as pulling off the perfect plan. I generally tried to draw a line between crime films, con artist movies, simple robberies, and the heist genre itself. It’s a thin line, but the best heist movies typically focus on the job, the crew, the plan, and, more often than not, the fallout.
“It’s not your fault you’ve been brainwashed by America.” With these words, revolutionist Delilah Benson offers cold comfort to returning Vietnam War vet Anthony Curtis and neatly summarizes the spirit that elevates this heist film from directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes.
Much like they did with Menace II Society, the Hughes brothers use this story of people forced to turn to a life of crime to shine a light on the struggles that plague many Black people who’ve been forced to the outskirts of society. With Dead Presidents, though, they zoom out a bit further to look at how so many soldiers returning home from war (especially the Vietnam War) were forced into lives back home they never imagined they would have to suffer through. It’s heavy material but the Hughes Brothers keep it infinitely watchable thanks to their incredible visual style, some killer performances, and one of the best soundtracks of the ‘90s.
14. Three Kings (1999)
Director David O. Russell was reportedly drawn to the concept for Three Kings as soon as he saw the words “heist set in the Gulf War.” From there Russell proceeded to piss off pretty much everyone (including story creator John Ridley and star George Clooney) as he shepherded that brilliant elevator pitch through a nightmarish filming process. And while the director ultimately delivered a heist movie set in the Gulf War, somewhere along the way, Three Kings became something much greater.
As it turns out, much of the drama in Three Kings doesn’t come from three soldiers trying to find a fortune in gold bullion during the final days of the Gulf War. That part proves to be surprisingly simple. Things become far more complicated when those same soldiers try to overcome the moral dilemma of what they are about to get away with. Three Kings features the kind of nuanced observations about America’s involvement in the Middle East that we wouldn’t see again for a long time after 9/11. It also wraps them around an incredible heist adventure that tackles the ethics of thievery.
13. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
At the risk of needlessly glorifying crime, it must be said that there is something especially slick about being an art thief. Anyone can recognize at least the monetary value of stealing cash or jewels, but art thieves inherently exhibit a taste for the finer things in life. That suave criminality is a big part of the reason why 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair stands out from the pack.
While this 1999 remake of the 1968 original movie benefits from improved pacing (what else would you expect from legendary action director John McTiernan?), the heart of the film is still its two leads. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo enjoy a genuinely sexy (and refreshingly age-appropriate) love affair based on their desires, interests, and growing respect for each other’s abilities. It all builds toward a genius final heist that nourishes the soul and mind.
12. Hell or High Water (2016)
Hell or High Water dances around that thin line which separates the heist genre from other crime films, but it’s ultimately too difficult to ignore the ways this movie views the economic and class factors that contribute to the decision to “steal.”
Written by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame, Hell or High Water focuses on two brothers who begin to rob banks to fulfill that timeless storytelling goal: saving the family farm. Essentially a Western heist film, Hell or High Water is packed with people trying to carve something for themselves out of a corner of the world that time seems to have forgotten. The desperation of criminality is brilliantly explored in this movie that suggests “getting even” is another way to say you are merely trying to free yourself of impossible debts.
11. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Given that many movie heists ultimately go wrong in spectacular ways, it’s a little surprising that there aren’t more (or better) comedy heist flicks. Even if there were, it would be hard for them to beat the offbeat brilliance of A Fish Called Wanda.
What would otherwise be a relatively straightforward heist story about a jewelry robbery soon becomes complicated by both criminal circumstances and the truly unhinged personalities of the job’s willing (and unwilling) main players. Yes, Kevin Kline steals the show in a performance that is more Oscar worthy than it is typically remembered as, but the real joy is found in witnessing the ensemble constantly try to get one over each other, even when they are theoretically working together.
10. Inception (2010)
It feels odd to call Inception a heist movie. It most certainly is, but Christopher Nolan’s story of a group of operatives who perform corporate espionage by diving into people’s dreams goes to such… places that it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s a heist at the heart of it all.
Yet it’s that heist that allows Nolan to explore the wild conceptual and visual places he so often explores in Inception. The best heist stories are fundamentally twisty tales that find ways to keep us engaged through every turn. Nolan just takes that concept to entirely new levels by bending reality itself around the story of this crew trying to get the goods and get out before it all comes crashing down around them. By regularly returning to that simple genre conceit, Nolan delivers some of the most mind-bending concepts we’ve ever seen in a major release without losing too much of the enraptured audience.
9. The League of Gentlemen (1960)
There is a quaintness to The League of Gentlemen that speaks to both its pure, essential “Britishness” and the fact that it was made well before the typical heist movie formula was finalized. Some may even find this story of specialists slowly coming together to rob a bank a bit slow and familiar.
But The League of Gentlemen deserves a lot of love for being one of the earliest examples of this kind of “getting the gang together” style of heist film. It’s also one of the most lovable, clever, and strangely wholesome versions of that concept. Nothing is taken for granted in this foundational heist movie, and the cast and crew’s enthusiasm about the cleverness of the whole thing makes navigating those always enjoyable genre tropes (before they were tropes) that much more enjoyable. This also remains one of the best examples of a movie that wants us to love its thieves while still delivering the “crime doesn’t pay” finale that this era of film demanded.
8. Inside Man (2006)
I will eternally envy those who get to watch Inside Man for the first time. What begins as a seemingly standard tale of a cop trying to thwart a bank robbery that frankly feels below director Spike Lee’s standards morphs into one of the cleverest logistical heist films ever made.
Though many heist movies revolve around “the plan,” few movies celebrate the art of slowly watching that plan unfold as well as Inside Man does. Every piece reveals another layer about the growing cast of characters who are swept up in this incredible unfolding event. By the time you get to the final reveal, you’ll be reaching for a cigarette regardless of whether you ever smoked.
7. Sexy Beast (2000)
Though strangely conventional by director Jonathan Glazer’s standards, Sexy Beast is rather unconventional by those of the heist movie. The heist itself occurs at the very end of the film and is a remarkably low-tech affair that accentuates the brutality of its perpetrators rather than trying to wow you with their criminal cleverness. The bulk of the movie instead focuses on Gal: a former safecracker who receives an unwelcome visit from an old accomplice named Don Logan, who is determined to get him to pull off one last job.
As Don Logan, Sir Ben Kingsley delivers one of the greatest and most terrifying performances in the history of crime cinema. If anything, “in the history of crime cinema” is a superfluous qualifier that limits the scale of what he achieves in a taut 89-minute thriller. If you can look past Kingsley’s magnetic madness, you’ll find a quieter, slightly surreal film that gives the pull of the underworld a physical form and grapples with the horror of the idea that you’ve already made the decision that will define your life.
6. Jackie Brown (1997)
Jackie Brown is an airline stewardess who has just been caught smuggling cash for her gun-running employer. Her employer wants her dead, and the DEA wants her to cooperate. However, Jackie forms a bold plan to escape prosecution, steal her employer’s money, and cash out on the bad hand that life has dealt her.
Time is almost always a factor in heist movies. Crews are forced to race against the clock before the cops show up and the game is over. And while there is a time-sensitive plan to steal $500,000 in Jackie Brown, most of our characters are racing against time itself. In this brilliant thriller anchored by career-best performances from Pam Grier and Robert Forster, the only thing scarier than getting caught is realizing that you missed your shot. Due respect to Inglourious Basterds, but this character-driven heist thriller adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel may be Quentin Tarantino’s real masterpiece.
5. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
In this Jean-Pierre Melville classic, three men at the end of their ropes find their way into each other’s lives just in time to pull off a spectacular jewelry heist. The setup may seem familiar to fans of the genre, but Melville is less interested in subverting the genre than he is in gathering and sharing every ounce of cinematic majesty that can be mined from that concept.
And unlike the film’s protagonists, we’re all left richer at the end of the experience. Le Cercle Rouge is perhaps the most visually striking heist movie ever made and one of Melville’s great stylistic achievements. The minimalist dialog allows us to lose ourselves in this tour of wonderfully imagined noir locales guided by some of the most cinematically cool, but morally empty, criminals you’ll spend time with on either side of the screen.
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
After directing some of the greatest noir and adventure films ever made, John Huston decided to combine both styles in a crime movie that proved to be one of the foundational pieces of the entire heist genre. And while you could argue that any movie that combines John Huston in his prime, a young Marilyn Monroe, and the incomparable Sterling Hayden is bound to be at least entertaining, The Asphalt Jungle offers so much more than the pure wattage of its star power.
This story of criminals all trying to claim their piece of the perfect plan is wonderfully sweaty in the ways that only the best noirs from this era are. Desperate crooks gather in smoky backrooms to discuss the upcoming job with a kind of blue-collar professionalism that exhibits their casualness without underselling the scope of what they are about to do. While it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that things don’t go according to plan (it was 1950, after all), the way Houston empathizes and celebrates these criminals set us on the path for the next 75 years of filmmaking in the heist genre and far beyond.
3. Heat (1995)
Does any line summarize the heist genre as well as “don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner”? While Michael Mann showcased his crime story credentials in his brilliant debut feature film, Thief, there are very good reasons why Heat is often thought of as the director’s definitive crime film.
Like the best heist crews, Heat features an all-star cast doing what they do best in almost perfect unison. While this movie is rightfully remembered for its breathtaking bank robbery shootout (perhaps the best shootout ever put on film), the many, many rewatches of this movie we’ve all enjoyed often reveal something equally incredible during those quieter moments. Heat may benefit from the gruff hyper-masculine coolness seen in the best David Mamet works, but it’s ultimately a story of professionals struggling to deal with how much of themselves they can leave behind.
2. Rififi (1955)
Made by blacklisted director Jules Dassin during his exile to France, Rififi exhibits that seemingly impossible blend of rage and craft that Dassin himself seemingly possessed at that unique time in his life. It may not be the first heist movie, but nearly every heist film that follows owes a debt to the way it balanced “the job” with what happens next.
Rififi’s stunning heist sequence (which is shot in real time and presented without dialogue) is conceptually brilliant and actually seems to go off without much of a hitch. The problems come later when the heist crew tries to work together in the world as they did on the job. Rififi explores the curse of sudden fortune by showing how money can not alter the paths that led to these men doing something so desperate in the first place.
1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Many of the best heist movies ultimately deal with the futility and tragedy of crime. That’s understandable and morally responsible. However, we are also often attracted to heist movies because they are so damn cool. And while there are many cool criminals and crews in the wide world of heist films, no heist film is cooler than Ocean’s Eleven.
Steven Soderbergh’s story of a man named Danny Ocean, who is assembling the perfect heist crew after being paroled, is one of the most relentlessly entertaining movies ever made. Perfectly paced, gorgeously shot, and loaded with incredible performances, it’s even somehow cooler than the 1960 original that starred the Rat Pack. It rightfully remains the go-to option for millions who simply want to enjoy the art of the heist.
Stabbings. Bludgeonings. Splitting men from groin to throat. Slipping on entrails. Killing a warhorse with a single punch. And corpses so mangled after battle that they’re only identifiable by their shoe size. Such are the rumoured feats of the Westerosi war knights recently announced by Variety as having been cast in House of the Dragon […]
Movies and heists are the perfect pairing. Both require a perfect crew, a ton of charisma, and clockwork precision in an environment where everything is ready to go wrong. Though we’ve been trained to understand that the perfect crime is as rare as the treasures that movie thieves endeavor to steal, few things top the satisfaction of watching it all come together and fall apart. The best heist movies draw us in time and time again to the illusion of it all.
And while we’re here to celebrate the best heist movies, please note that identifying a heist movie can be as tall of a task as pulling off the perfect plan. I generally tried to draw a line between crime films, con artist movies, simple robberies, and the heist genre itself. It’s a thin line, but the best heist movies typically focus on the job, the crew, the plan, and, more often than not, the fallout.
“It’s not your fault you’ve been brainwashed by America.” With these words, revolutionist Delilah Benson offers cold comfort to returning Vietnam War vet Anthony Curtis and neatly summarizes the spirit that elevates this heist film from directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes.
Much like they did with Menace II Society, the Hughes brothers use this story of people forced to turn to a life of crime to shine a light on the struggles that plague many Black people who’ve been forced to the outskirts of society. With Dead Presidents, though, they zoom out a bit further to look at how so many soldiers returning home from war (especially the Vietnam War) were forced into lives back home they never imagined they would have to suffer through. It’s heavy material but the Hughes Brothers keep it infinitely watchable thanks to their incredible visual style, some killer performances, and one of the best soundtracks of the ‘90s.
14. Three Kings (1999)
Director David O. Russell was reportedly drawn to the concept for Three Kings as soon as he saw the words “heist set in the Gulf War.” From there Russell proceeded to piss off pretty much everyone (including story creator John Ridley and star George Clooney) as he shepherded that brilliant elevator pitch through a nightmarish filming process. And while the director ultimately delivered a heist movie set in the Gulf War, somewhere along the way, Three Kings became something much greater.
As it turns out, much of the drama in Three Kings doesn’t come from three soldiers trying to find a fortune in gold bullion during the final days of the Gulf War. That part proves to be surprisingly simple. Things become far more complicated when those same soldiers try to overcome the moral dilemma of what they are about to get away with. Three Kings features the kind of nuanced observations about America’s involvement in the Middle East that we wouldn’t see again for a long time after 9/11. It also wraps them around an incredible heist adventure that tackles the ethics of thievery.
13. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
At the risk of needlessly glorifying crime, it must be said that there is something especially slick about being an art thief. Anyone can recognize at least the monetary value of stealing cash or jewels, but art thieves inherently exhibit a taste for the finer things in life. That suave criminality is a big part of the reason why 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair stands out from the pack.
While this 1999 remake of the 1968 original movie benefits from improved pacing (what else would you expect from legendary action director John McTiernan?), the heart of the film is still its two leads. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo enjoy a genuinely sexy (and refreshingly age-appropriate) love affair based on their desires, interests, and growing respect for each other’s abilities. It all builds toward a genius final heist that nourishes the soul and mind.
12. Hell or High Water (2016)
Hell or High Water dances around that thin line which separates the heist genre from other crime films, but it’s ultimately too difficult to ignore the ways this movie views the economic and class factors that contribute to the decision to “steal.”
Written by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame, Hell or High Water focuses on two brothers who begin to rob banks to fulfill that timeless storytelling goal: saving the family farm. Essentially a Western heist film, Hell or High Water is packed with people trying to carve something for themselves out of a corner of the world that time seems to have forgotten. The desperation of criminality is brilliantly explored in this movie that suggests “getting even” is another way to say you are merely trying to free yourself of impossible debts.
11. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Given that many movie heists ultimately go wrong in spectacular ways, it’s a little surprising that there aren’t more (or better) comedy heist flicks. Even if there were, it would be hard for them to beat the offbeat brilliance of A Fish Called Wanda.
What would otherwise be a relatively straightforward heist story about a jewelry robbery soon becomes complicated by both criminal circumstances and the truly unhinged personalities of the job’s willing (and unwilling) main players. Yes, Kevin Kline steals the show in a performance that is more Oscar worthy than it is typically remembered as, but the real joy is found in witnessing the ensemble constantly try to get one over each other, even when they are theoretically working together.
10. Inception (2010)
It feels odd to call Inception a heist movie. It most certainly is, but Christopher Nolan’s story of a group of operatives who perform corporate espionage by diving into people’s dreams goes to such… places that it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s a heist at the heart of it all.
Yet it’s that heist that allows Nolan to explore the wild conceptual and visual places he so often explores in Inception. The best heist stories are fundamentally twisty tales that find ways to keep us engaged through every turn. Nolan just takes that concept to entirely new levels by bending reality itself around the story of this crew trying to get the goods and get out before it all comes crashing down around them. By regularly returning to that simple genre conceit, Nolan delivers some of the most mind-bending concepts we’ve ever seen in a major release without losing too much of the enraptured audience.
9. The League of Gentlemen (1960)
There is a quaintness to The League of Gentlemen that speaks to both its pure, essential “Britishness” and the fact that it was made well before the typical heist movie formula was finalized. Some may even find this story of specialists slowly coming together to rob a bank a bit slow and familiar.
But The League of Gentlemen deserves a lot of love for being one of the earliest examples of this kind of “getting the gang together” style of heist film. It’s also one of the most lovable, clever, and strangely wholesome versions of that concept. Nothing is taken for granted in this foundational heist movie, and the cast and crew’s enthusiasm about the cleverness of the whole thing makes navigating those always enjoyable genre tropes (before they were tropes) that much more enjoyable. This also remains one of the best examples of a movie that wants us to love its thieves while still delivering the “crime doesn’t pay” finale that this era of film demanded.
8. Inside Man (2006)
I will eternally envy those who get to watch Inside Man for the first time. What begins as a seemingly standard tale of a cop trying to thwart a bank robbery that frankly feels below director Spike Lee’s standards morphs into one of the cleverest logistical heist films ever made.
Though many heist movies revolve around “the plan,” few movies celebrate the art of slowly watching that plan unfold as well as Inside Man does. Every piece reveals another layer about the growing cast of characters who are swept up in this incredible unfolding event. By the time you get to the final reveal, you’ll be reaching for a cigarette regardless of whether you ever smoked.
7. Sexy Beast (2000)
Though strangely conventional by director Jonathan Glazer’s standards, Sexy Beast is rather unconventional by those of the heist movie. The heist itself occurs at the very end of the film and is a remarkably low-tech affair that accentuates the brutality of its perpetrators rather than trying to wow you with their criminal cleverness. The bulk of the movie instead focuses on Gal: a former safecracker who receives an unwelcome visit from an old accomplice named Don Logan, who is determined to get him to pull off one last job.
As Don Logan, Sir Ben Kingsley delivers one of the greatest and most terrifying performances in the history of crime cinema. If anything, “in the history of crime cinema” is a superfluous qualifier that limits the scale of what he achieves in a taut 89-minute thriller. If you can look past Kingsley’s magnetic madness, you’ll find a quieter, slightly surreal film that gives the pull of the underworld a physical form and grapples with the horror of the idea that you’ve already made the decision that will define your life.
6. Jackie Brown (1997)
Jackie Brown is an airline stewardess who has just been caught smuggling cash for her gun-running employer. Her employer wants her dead, and the DEA wants her to cooperate. However, Jackie forms a bold plan to escape prosecution, steal her employer’s money, and cash out on the bad hand that life has dealt her.
Time is almost always a factor in heist movies. Crews are forced to race against the clock before the cops show up and the game is over. And while there is a time-sensitive plan to steal $500,000 in Jackie Brown, most of our characters are racing against time itself. In this brilliant thriller anchored by career-best performances from Pam Grier and Robert Forster, the only thing scarier than getting caught is realizing that you missed your shot. Due respect to Inglourious Basterds, but this character-driven heist thriller adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel may be Quentin Tarantino’s real masterpiece.
5. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
In this Jean-Pierre Melville classic, three men at the end of their ropes find their way into each other’s lives just in time to pull off a spectacular jewelry heist. The setup may seem familiar to fans of the genre, but Melville is less interested in subverting the genre than he is in gathering and sharing every ounce of cinematic majesty that can be mined from that concept.
And unlike the film’s protagonists, we’re all left richer at the end of the experience. Le Cercle Rouge is perhaps the most visually striking heist movie ever made and one of Melville’s great stylistic achievements. The minimalist dialog allows us to lose ourselves in this tour of wonderfully imagined noir locales guided by some of the most cinematically cool, but morally empty, criminals you’ll spend time with on either side of the screen.
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
After directing some of the greatest noir and adventure films ever made, John Huston decided to combine both styles in a crime movie that proved to be one of the foundational pieces of the entire heist genre. And while you could argue that any movie that combines John Huston in his prime, a young Marilyn Monroe, and the incomparable Sterling Hayden is bound to be at least entertaining, The Asphalt Jungle offers so much more than the pure wattage of its star power.
This story of criminals all trying to claim their piece of the perfect plan is wonderfully sweaty in the ways that only the best noirs from this era are. Desperate crooks gather in smoky backrooms to discuss the upcoming job with a kind of blue-collar professionalism that exhibits their casualness without underselling the scope of what they are about to do. While it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that things don’t go according to plan (it was 1950, after all), the way Houston empathizes and celebrates these criminals set us on the path for the next 75 years of filmmaking in the heist genre and far beyond.
3. Heat (1995)
Does any line summarize the heist genre as well as “don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner”? While Michael Mann showcased his crime story credentials in his brilliant debut feature film, Thief, there are very good reasons why Heat is often thought of as the director’s definitive crime film.
Like the best heist crews, Heat features an all-star cast doing what they do best in almost perfect unison. While this movie is rightfully remembered for its breathtaking bank robbery shootout (perhaps the best shootout ever put on film), the many, many rewatches of this movie we’ve all enjoyed often reveal something equally incredible during those quieter moments. Heat may benefit from the gruff hyper-masculine coolness seen in the best David Mamet works, but it’s ultimately a story of professionals struggling to deal with how much of themselves they can leave behind.
2. Rififi (1955)
Made by blacklisted director Jules Dassin during his exile to France, Rififi exhibits that seemingly impossible blend of rage and craft that Dassin himself seemingly possessed at that unique time in his life. It may not be the first heist movie, but nearly every heist film that follows owes a debt to the way it balanced “the job” with what happens next.
Rififi’s stunning heist sequence (which is shot in real time and presented without dialogue) is conceptually brilliant and actually seems to go off without much of a hitch. The problems come later when the heist crew tries to work together in the world as they did on the job. Rififi explores the curse of sudden fortune by showing how money can not alter the paths that led to these men doing something so desperate in the first place.
1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Many of the best heist movies ultimately deal with the futility and tragedy of crime. That’s understandable and morally responsible. However, we are also often attracted to heist movies because they are so damn cool. And while there are many cool criminals and crews in the wide world of heist films, no heist film is cooler than Ocean’s Eleven.
Steven Soderbergh’s story of a man named Danny Ocean, who is assembling the perfect heist crew after being paroled, is one of the most relentlessly entertaining movies ever made. Perfectly paced, gorgeously shot, and loaded with incredible performances, it’s even somehow cooler than the 1960 original that starred the Rat Pack. It rightfully remains the go-to option for millions who simply want to enjoy the art of the heist.
Movies and heists are the perfect pairing. Both require a perfect crew, a ton of charisma, and clockwork precision in an environment where everything is ready to go wrong. Though we’ve been trained to understand that the perfect crime is as rare as the treasures that movie thieves endeavor to steal, few things top the […]
Movies and heists are the perfect pairing. Both require a perfect crew, a ton of charisma, and clockwork precision in an environment where everything is ready to go wrong. Though we’ve been trained to understand that the perfect crime is as rare as the treasures that movie thieves endeavor to steal, few things top the satisfaction of watching it all come together and fall apart. The best heist movies draw us in time and time again to the illusion of it all.
And while we’re here to celebrate the best heist movies, please note that identifying a heist movie can be as tall of a task as pulling off the perfect plan. I generally tried to draw a line between crime films, con artist movies, simple robberies, and the heist genre itself. It’s a thin line, but the best heist movies typically focus on the job, the crew, the plan, and, more often than not, the fallout.
“It’s not your fault you’ve been brainwashed by America.” With these words, revolutionist Delilah Benson offers cold comfort to returning Vietnam War vet Anthony Curtis and neatly summarizes the spirit that elevates this heist film from directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes.
Much like they did with Menace II Society, the Hughes brothers use this story of people forced to turn to a life of crime to shine a light on the struggles that plague many Black people who’ve been forced to the outskirts of society. With Dead Presidents, though, they zoom out a bit further to look at how so many soldiers returning home from war (especially the Vietnam War) were forced into lives back home they never imagined they would have to suffer through. It’s heavy material but the Hughes Brothers keep it infinitely watchable thanks to their incredible visual style, some killer performances, and one of the best soundtracks of the ‘90s.
14. Three Kings (1999)
Director David O. Russell was reportedly drawn to the concept for Three Kings as soon as he saw the words “heist set in the Gulf War.” From there Russell proceeded to piss off pretty much everyone (including story creator John Ridley and star George Clooney) as he shepherded that brilliant elevator pitch through a nightmarish filming process. And while the director ultimately delivered a heist movie set in the Gulf War, somewhere along the way, Three Kings became something much greater.
As it turns out, much of the drama in Three Kings doesn’t come from three soldiers trying to find a fortune in gold bullion during the final days of the Gulf War. That part proves to be surprisingly simple. Things become far more complicated when those same soldiers try to overcome the moral dilemma of what they are about to get away with. Three Kings features the kind of nuanced observations about America’s involvement in the Middle East that we wouldn’t see again for a long time after 9/11. It also wraps them around an incredible heist adventure that tackles the ethics of thievery.
13. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
At the risk of needlessly glorifying crime, it must be said that there is something especially slick about being an art thief. Anyone can recognize at least the monetary value of stealing cash or jewels, but art thieves inherently exhibit a taste for the finer things in life. That suave criminality is a big part of the reason why 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair stands out from the pack.
While this 1999 remake of the 1968 original movie benefits from improved pacing (what else would you expect from legendary action director John McTiernan?), the heart of the film is still its two leads. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo enjoy a genuinely sexy (and refreshingly age-appropriate) love affair based on their desires, interests, and growing respect for each other’s abilities. It all builds toward a genius final heist that nourishes the soul and mind.
12. Hell or High Water (2016)
Hell or High Water dances around that thin line which separates the heist genre from other crime films, but it’s ultimately too difficult to ignore the ways this movie views the economic and class factors that contribute to the decision to “steal.”
Written by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame, Hell or High Water focuses on two brothers who begin to rob banks to fulfill that timeless storytelling goal: saving the family farm. Essentially a Western heist film, Hell or High Water is packed with people trying to carve something for themselves out of a corner of the world that time seems to have forgotten. The desperation of criminality is brilliantly explored in this movie that suggests “getting even” is another way to say you are merely trying to free yourself of impossible debts.
11. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Given that many movie heists ultimately go wrong in spectacular ways, it’s a little surprising that there aren’t more (or better) comedy heist flicks. Even if there were, it would be hard for them to beat the offbeat brilliance of A Fish Called Wanda.
What would otherwise be a relatively straightforward heist story about a jewelry robbery soon becomes complicated by both criminal circumstances and the truly unhinged personalities of the job’s willing (and unwilling) main players. Yes, Kevin Kline steals the show in a performance that is more Oscar worthy than it is typically remembered as, but the real joy is found in witnessing the ensemble constantly try to get one over each other, even when they are theoretically working together.
10. Inception (2010)
It feels odd to call Inception a heist movie. It most certainly is, but Christopher Nolan’s story of a group of operatives who perform corporate espionage by diving into people’s dreams goes to such… places that it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s a heist at the heart of it all.
Yet it’s that heist that allows Nolan to explore the wild conceptual and visual places he so often explores in Inception. The best heist stories are fundamentally twisty tales that find ways to keep us engaged through every turn. Nolan just takes that concept to entirely new levels by bending reality itself around the story of this crew trying to get the goods and get out before it all comes crashing down around them. By regularly returning to that simple genre conceit, Nolan delivers some of the most mind-bending concepts we’ve ever seen in a major release without losing too much of the enraptured audience.
9. The League of Gentlemen (1960)
There is a quaintness to The League of Gentlemen that speaks to both its pure, essential “Britishness” and the fact that it was made well before the typical heist movie formula was finalized. Some may even find this story of specialists slowly coming together to rob a bank a bit slow and familiar.
But The League of Gentlemen deserves a lot of love for being one of the earliest examples of this kind of “getting the gang together” style of heist film. It’s also one of the most lovable, clever, and strangely wholesome versions of that concept. Nothing is taken for granted in this foundational heist movie, and the cast and crew’s enthusiasm about the cleverness of the whole thing makes navigating those always enjoyable genre tropes (before they were tropes) that much more enjoyable. This also remains one of the best examples of a movie that wants us to love its thieves while still delivering the “crime doesn’t pay” finale that this era of film demanded.
8. Inside Man (2006)
I will eternally envy those who get to watch Inside Man for the first time. What begins as a seemingly standard tale of a cop trying to thwart a bank robbery that frankly feels below director Spike Lee’s standards morphs into one of the cleverest logistical heist films ever made.
Though many heist movies revolve around “the plan,” few movies celebrate the art of slowly watching that plan unfold as well as Inside Man does. Every piece reveals another layer about the growing cast of characters who are swept up in this incredible unfolding event. By the time you get to the final reveal, you’ll be reaching for a cigarette regardless of whether you ever smoked.
7. Sexy Beast (2000)
Though strangely conventional by director Jonathan Glazer’s standards, Sexy Beast is rather unconventional by those of the heist movie. The heist itself occurs at the very end of the film and is a remarkably low-tech affair that accentuates the brutality of its perpetrators rather than trying to wow you with their criminal cleverness. The bulk of the movie instead focuses on Gal: a former safecracker who receives an unwelcome visit from an old accomplice named Don Logan, who is determined to get him to pull off one last job.
As Don Logan, Sir Ben Kingsley delivers one of the greatest and most terrifying performances in the history of crime cinema. If anything, “in the history of crime cinema” is a superfluous qualifier that limits the scale of what he achieves in a taut 89-minute thriller. If you can look past Kingsley’s magnetic madness, you’ll find a quieter, slightly surreal film that gives the pull of the underworld a physical form and grapples with the horror of the idea that you’ve already made the decision that will define your life.
6. Jackie Brown (1997)
Jackie Brown is an airline stewardess who has just been caught smuggling cash for her gun-running employer. Her employer wants her dead, and the DEA wants her to cooperate. However, Jackie forms a bold plan to escape prosecution, steal her employer’s money, and cash out on the bad hand that life has dealt her.
Time is almost always a factor in heist movies. Crews are forced to race against the clock before the cops show up and the game is over. And while there is a time-sensitive plan to steal $500,000 in Jackie Brown, most of our characters are racing against time itself. In this brilliant thriller anchored by career-best performances from Pam Grier and Robert Forster, the only thing scarier than getting caught is realizing that you missed your shot. Due respect to Inglourious Basterds, but this character-driven heist thriller adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel may be Quentin Tarantino’s real masterpiece.
5. Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
In this Jean-Pierre Melville classic, three men at the end of their ropes find their way into each other’s lives just in time to pull off a spectacular jewelry heist. The setup may seem familiar to fans of the genre, but Melville is less interested in subverting the genre than he is in gathering and sharing every ounce of cinematic majesty that can be mined from that concept.
And unlike the film’s protagonists, we’re all left richer at the end of the experience. Le Cercle Rouge is perhaps the most visually striking heist movie ever made and one of Melville’s great stylistic achievements. The minimalist dialog allows us to lose ourselves in this tour of wonderfully imagined noir locales guided by some of the most cinematically cool, but morally empty, criminals you’ll spend time with on either side of the screen.
4. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
After directing some of the greatest noir and adventure films ever made, John Huston decided to combine both styles in a crime movie that proved to be one of the foundational pieces of the entire heist genre. And while you could argue that any movie that combines John Huston in his prime, a young Marilyn Monroe, and the incomparable Sterling Hayden is bound to be at least entertaining, The Asphalt Jungle offers so much more than the pure wattage of its star power.
This story of criminals all trying to claim their piece of the perfect plan is wonderfully sweaty in the ways that only the best noirs from this era are. Desperate crooks gather in smoky backrooms to discuss the upcoming job with a kind of blue-collar professionalism that exhibits their casualness without underselling the scope of what they are about to do. While it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that things don’t go according to plan (it was 1950, after all), the way Houston empathizes and celebrates these criminals set us on the path for the next 75 years of filmmaking in the heist genre and far beyond.
3. Heat (1995)
Does any line summarize the heist genre as well as “don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner”? While Michael Mann showcased his crime story credentials in his brilliant debut feature film, Thief, there are very good reasons why Heat is often thought of as the director’s definitive crime film.
Like the best heist crews, Heat features an all-star cast doing what they do best in almost perfect unison. While this movie is rightfully remembered for its breathtaking bank robbery shootout (perhaps the best shootout ever put on film), the many, many rewatches of this movie we’ve all enjoyed often reveal something equally incredible during those quieter moments. Heat may benefit from the gruff hyper-masculine coolness seen in the best David Mamet works, but it’s ultimately a story of professionals struggling to deal with how much of themselves they can leave behind.
2. Rififi (1955)
Made by blacklisted director Jules Dassin during his exile to France, Rififi exhibits that seemingly impossible blend of rage and craft that Dassin himself seemingly possessed at that unique time in his life. It may not be the first heist movie, but nearly every heist film that follows owes a debt to the way it balanced “the job” with what happens next.
Rififi’s stunning heist sequence (which is shot in real time and presented without dialogue) is conceptually brilliant and actually seems to go off without much of a hitch. The problems come later when the heist crew tries to work together in the world as they did on the job. Rififi explores the curse of sudden fortune by showing how money can not alter the paths that led to these men doing something so desperate in the first place.
1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Many of the best heist movies ultimately deal with the futility and tragedy of crime. That’s understandable and morally responsible. However, we are also often attracted to heist movies because they are so damn cool. And while there are many cool criminals and crews in the wide world of heist films, no heist film is cooler than Ocean’s Eleven.
Steven Soderbergh’s story of a man named Danny Ocean, who is assembling the perfect heist crew after being paroled, is one of the most relentlessly entertaining movies ever made. Perfectly paced, gorgeously shot, and loaded with incredible performances, it’s even somehow cooler than the 1960 original that starred the Rat Pack. It rightfully remains the go-to option for millions who simply want to enjoy the art of the heist.
“Lux” saw the Doctor make like Bob Hoskins, and fight a cartoon (and as it happens, MrRing-a-Ding was animated by one of the artists who worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Seeing the Doctor fight a 1930s-style animated monstrosity was the kind of thing that madeyou wonder why the Doctor hadn’t done it before (it’s because […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward. Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.
In half of his scenes in The Accountant 2, Jon Bernthal‘s character Braxton eats something sweet. Sometimes he’s finishing a quart of ice cream. Sometimes he’s sucking on a lolly. But he’s always eating. And yet, during an extended comic scene in which Braxton wears nothing but black undies and black socks, there’s not a […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.
This article contains spoilers for You season 5. For five seasons, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) in You has literally gotten away with murder, and his list of victims has only continued to grow. In the show’s final season, however, the past finally catches up to Joe as Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) ends up being the […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.
This article contains full spoilers for Havoc. For all the blood and guts and general nastiness it contains, Havoc is toughest to watch in its first three minutes. That’s when we watch as Detective Walker sits pensively and thinks about what he’s done. Under a monologue about tough choices made for one’s family intercuts shots […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.
The sun is shining, temperatures are rising, and that can only mean one thing: the Summer of Superman is here! And it’s not just a publishing initiative. It’s a celebration of all things Superman, and tonight, Den of Geek and eBay Live have got something special for you. Starting at 7:00 pm Eastern, we’re hosting […]
After a long, WGA strike-mandated wait, the second season of 2022 Netflix hit Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the lead role is finally nigh, and this time the Addams Family are taking a step forward.
Not only is Wednesday’s younger brother Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joining Nevermore Academy this semester, but parents Morticia and Gomez (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) will also have “an increased presence on campus” according to the show’s creators. Tango instructors for this year’s annual Rave’N Dance, perhaps?
The new trailer shows Pugsley in Nevermore uniform, using some new-found magical powers he appears to have inherited from his electricity-zapping Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen). We also see Morticia and Gomez trot out a few of their famous dance steps, and are given a glimpse of new characters Hester Frump (aka Grandmama) played by Joanna Lumley, and Principal Dort, played by Steve Buscemi.
Take a look at the teaser trailer:
It’s another two-batch delivery from Netflix, which is straddling the season’s release over two consecutive months. The first set of episodes will arrive on the streamer on Wednesday August 6, followed by the rest on Wednesday September 3.
Pugsley’s debut at Nevermore won’t be a smooth one, according to creator Tim Burton, who says he feels for “Poor Pugsley” and describes him as “an outcast among outcasts.” Add to that the “rare new form of torture” that comes in the form of his and Wednesday’s parents’ presence at the school. Addams kids usually like torture, don’t they?
Not a great deal is yet known about Joanna Lumley’s new character Grandmama, aka Hester Frump, seen here looking just as glamorously tailored and put together as her daughter (in the long and varied history of the Addams family cartoons and TV series, Grandmama has variously been Gomez and Morticia’s blood relative, which seems fitting for this messed-up Gothic family). Described as “Wednesday’s closest ally”, she’ll likely be providing the third kind of heat in the Wednesday/Morticia mother-daughter relationship central to the series.
Even less is known about Steve Buscemi’s new school head, who was brought in to replace Gwendoline Christie’s sadly departed season one Principal Weems. Buscemi told Netflix “Barry Dort is a bit of a mysterious figure. Something about him is not right, but he loves the school and he has real outcast pride.”
There’s no sign as yet of Lady Gaga’s previously announced guest turn in the series, nor any indication as to which character she’ll be playing. A new teacher, or parent, or – as many fans are crossing their fingers and hoping for – another addition to the Addams family in the form of Morticia’s upbeat blonde sister Ophelia, perhaps?
Elsewhere, we see the returns of fan-favourite character Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) with a new ‘do and a creepy doll lookalike complete with human hair, plus love interest Tyler (Hunter Doohan), frenemy Bianca (Joy Sunday), plus of course, Thing (Victor Dorobantu) – the disembodied hand/BFF no girl should be without.
Wednesday season two part one streams on Netflix from August 6. Season two part two follows on September 3.