1995 Hit Film Ranked the 'Greatest Heist Thriller' of All Time
1995 Hit Film Ranked the 'Greatest Heist Thriller' of All Time
Nicole MooreSat, April 18, 2026 at 2:34 AM UTC
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While not every heist movie is a hit, there are plenty of thrilling films from the genre that are beloved and timeless. Collider recently shared a list of the "10 greatest heist thrillers of all time," which included hits like The Killing from 1956, 1992's Reservoir Dogs, The Usual Suspects from 1995, and 1975's Dog Day Afternoon.
Heat, released in 1995, secured the top spot on Collider's list, which was published on April 11. According to the publication, Heat should be recognized as the best heist thriller because it has interesting characters, incredible action-packed scenes, and a well-written script.
Michael Mann, who wrote and directed the film, discussed making Heat following a showing of the 1995 movie at TIFF in 2015. He said that he always wanted Al Pacinoto play Vincent Hanna, Jon Voight for the role of Nate, and Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley.
In addition, Mann said that the cast and crew did their research regarding Los Angeles crime before the film's production. He said that he spent time with a Los Angeles Police Department commander for about nine months to understand what a LAPD Robbery Homicide Detective, like Vincent, would go through.
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"Every Friday and Saturday night, I'd go hang out with him and we would just answer radio calls about 9:00 p.m. to like 2:00 in the morning on Friday or Saturday night, just rolling through the city on whatever was happening," shared Mann while speaking before an audience.
According to Mann, Ashley Judd, who played Charlene Shiherlis, also had conversations with former sex workers before filming Heat.
"Ashley Judd talking to middle-aged real estate women who are very respectable, who 15 years earlier had been turning tricks," said the filmmaker. "On Ventura Boulevard because they had three kids and their husbands were in prison."
In addition, the actors who played members of Neil's crew "actually cased a bank" to make the situation more real.
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
