If you loved the gritty, suspenseful crime thriller The Town, then you’re in for a treat. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, this 2010 film follows a group of Boston bank robbers who find themselves in an increasingly dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with law enforcement. With its complex characters, intense action sequences, and exploration of morality amidst a life of crime, The Town struck a chord with audiences and critics alike.
Luckily, there are plenty of other great movies out there that capture a similar vibe and deliver the same kind of edge-of-your-seat thrills. Whether you’re drawn to stories about professional thieves, conflicted antiheroes, or the blurred lines between cops and criminals, this list has something for you. Here are the 15 best movies like The Town that any fan of the heist/crime genre needs to check out.
1. Heat (1995)
Directed by Michael Mann, this epic crime saga pits Al Pacino’s obsessive LAPD detective Vincent Hanna against Robert De Niro’s master thief Neil McCauley in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Heat is a classic of the genre, beloved for its intricate heists, pulse-pounding shootouts, and the iconic face-to-face meeting between Pacino and De Niro’s characters.
Like The Town, Heat dives deep into the personal lives of both the criminals and those pursuing them, blurring the lines between protagonist and antagonist. It’s a study of men consumed by their professions, and the toll it takes on their souls and relationships. The riveting performances, sleek cinematography, and unforgettable set-pieces make Heat an all-time great.
2. The Departed (2006)
Martin Scorsese’s The Departed transplants the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs to the mean streets of Boston. The labyrinthine plot follows two moles – one a cop embedded in the Irish mob (Leonardo DiCaprio), the other a gangster working as a police officer (Matt Damon) – as they try to uncover each other’s identities.
While not a heist movie per se, The Departed shares The Town‘s focus on Boston’s criminal underworld and the tense, twisty storytelling. It’s a brutal, engrossing thriller with incredible performances from its all-star cast, including Jack Nicholson as a terrifying mob boss. The film won Scorsese his long-overdue Best Director Oscar.
3. Point Break (1991)
Before The Town, director Kathryn Bigelow delivered this adrenaline-fueled classic about a young FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) who goes undercover to catch a gang of bank-robbing surfers led by the charismatic Bodhi (Patrick Swayze). Point Break features some of the most exciting heist sequences ever filmed, as well as groundbreaking skydiving and surfing footage.
Like The Town‘s Doug MacRay, the robbers of Point Break lead a double life, posing as spiritual thrill-seekers by day while pulling off daring heists by night. The bond that forms between Reeves and Swayze’s characters forms the emotional core of this stylish, high-octane thrill ride.
4. Inside Man (2006)
Spike Lee’s Inside Man stars Clive Owen as Dalton Russell, a brilliant thief who takes hostages in a Manhattan bank in order to pull off the perfect robbery. Denzel Washington plays the NYPD hostage negotiator tasked with resolving the crisis, while Jodie Foster is a mysterious power broker with her own agenda.
Inside Man keeps the audience guessing with its clever plot twists and unreliable characters. It’s a taut, intelligent thriller that, like The Town, finds fascinating human drama in a high-stakes heist situation. The powerhouse cast elevates the material, creating a slick, satisfying puzzle of a movie.
5. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Based on a true story, Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon stars Al Pacino and John Cazale as two first-time crooks whose plan to rob a Brooklyn bank spirals wildly out of control, turning into a hostage situation and media circus. Pacino gives one of his most iconic performances as Sonny, the desperate mastermind behind the heist.
While Dog Day Afternoon has a more tragicomic tone than the deadly serious The Town, both films offer humanizing portraits of criminals in over their heads. Dog Day Afternoon‘s relatively small scale belies its emotional and thematic richness, using its botched robbery to comment on everything from media exploitation to LGBT rights. It’s a true classic.
6. The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Derek Cianfrance’s ambitious crime epic follows the interconnected lives of a motorcycle stunt rider turned bank robber (Ryan Gosling) and an ambitious cop (Bradley Cooper) over 15 years. Like The Town, Pines uses the framework of a crime thriller to explore questions of fatherhood, legacy, and whether we can escape our pasts.
With its triptych structure and mix of pulse-pounding action with intimate family drama, The Place Beyond the Pines is a uniquely novelistic film. Its raw performances and haunting exploration of the ripple effects of violence set it apart as a powerful, contemplative crime saga.
7. Hell or High Water (2016)
A neo-Western crime thriller with shades of No Country for Old Men, David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster as two brothers robbing banks across West Texas, pursued by Jeff Bridges’ crafty lawman. Like The Town‘s Doug MacRay, the brothers are driven to crime by economic desperation and loyalty to family.
Hell or High Water uses its heists to paint a portrait of a dying way of life in rural America, where poverty, debt, and greed have created the conditions for moral compromise. With its rich sense of place, captivating performances, and surprising moments of dark humor, it’s a smart, soulful thriller that lingers in the mind.
8. Thief (1981)
Michael Mann’s feature debut stars James Caan as Frank, a professional safecracker and ex-convict looking to leave the criminal life behind after one last big score. When a dangerous mobster (Robert Prosky) forces him to take on a partner for a major diamond heist, Frank’s plans – and life – start to unravel.
Like The Town, Thief is a stylish, gripping character study of a criminal yearning to go straight, only to find himself pulled back into a world of violence. Caan’s intense performance and Mann’s meticulous attention to the details of the heists lend the film a gritty authenticity. Thief set the template for Mann’s later crime epics like Heat.
9. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Quentin Tarantino’s blistering debut follows the aftermath of a jewelry store robbery gone violently wrong, as the surviving thieves (including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen) try to figure out if they were set up by one of their own. The film’s non-linear structure keeps the actual heist offscreen, unfolding the mystery through tense conversations and flashbacks.
Like The Town, Reservoir Dogs immerses us in the world of professional criminals, where trust is scarce and betrayal is just a trigger-pull away. With its profane, pop-culture-laden dialogue, shocking violence, and killer soundtrack, Tarantino’s debut rewrote the rules for crime thrillers and remains hugely influential.
10. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending sci-fi blockbuster stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, a professional thief who steals corporate secrets by infiltrating his targets’ dreams. For his final job, Cobb must plant an idea in a powerful businessman’s subconscious – a near-impossible feat known as “inception.”
While its high-concept premise is far from the gritty realism of The Town, Inception is still a heist thriller at heart, depicting Cobb and his team planning and executing an intricate mental break-in. The film’s astonishing visuals, labyrinthine plot, and powerful emotional undercurrents made it a cultural phenomenon and one of 2010’s defining hits.
11. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Bryan Singer’s Oscar-winning neo-noir centers on the interrogation of Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey), a small-time crook and the only survivor of a bloody gun battle on a ship in San Pedro Bay. As Verbal recounts the events that led him there, involving four other criminals and a shadowy underworld kingpin, the mystery deepens and the lines between truth and fiction start to blur.
Like The Town, The Usual Suspects is a twisty, gripping crime thriller with a stacked cast (including Benicio del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, and Chazz Palminteri) and a knockout ending. Its jigsaw-puzzle structure and unreliable narrator keep the audience guessing until the last frame.
12. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Arthur Penn’s groundbreaking film stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the infamous Depression-era bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, whose crime spree across the American Southwest turned them into unlikely folk heroes. Bonnie and Clyde‘s mix of humor, romance, and shocking violence revolutionized American cinema and kicked off the New Hollywood era.
While set in the 1930s, Bonnie and Clyde shares The Town‘s fascination with the allure and tragedy of the criminal lifestyle. Beatty and Dunaway’s electric chemistry and the film’s still-startling bloodshed make it a classic outlaw romance and a key influence on generations of filmmakers.
13. Rififi (1955)
Jules Dassin’s masterful French crime film follows a quartet of thieves (including Jean Servais and Robert Manuel) as they plan and execute an intricate jewel heist. The centerpiece of Rififi is an extended, nearly silent sequence depicting the robbery in meticulous detail, a virtuoso feat of filmmaking that has inspired countless imitators.
Like The Town, Rififi finds both thrills and poignancy in its criminal protagonists, painting a fatalistic picture of men undone by their own greed and hubris. Dassin’s taut direction and the film’s existential themes elevate it from a procedural to a true work of art. It remains the gold standard for heist movies.
14. Jackie Brown (1997)
Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown stars Pam Grier as the title character, a flight attendant caught smuggling money for a dangerous arms dealer (Samuel L. Jackson). To stay alive and out of prison, Jackie must play the cops (Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen) against her ruthless employer, with help from a smitten bail bondsman (Robert Forster).
Adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, Jackie Brown is a more subdued crime thriller than the likes of The Town or Tarantino’s own Reservoir Dogs. But its colorful characters, crackerjack dialogue, and intricate, double-crossing plot make it a hugely entertaining riff on classic Blaxploitation movies and crime capers. Grier is a revelation in the lead role.
15. Widows (2018)
Steve McQueen’s stylish thriller follows four women (Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo) who team up to pull off a dangerous heist after their criminal husbands are killed on a botched job. Facing pressure from a corrupt politician and a vicious crime boss, the widows must navigate a web of violence and betrayal in the heart of Chicago.
Co-written by Gone Girl‘s Gillian Flynn, Widows puts a fresh spin on the heist genre by centering its story on complex female characters. Like The Town, it’s a gripping, socially conscious crime drama with an all-star ensemble cast and a keen eye for the human toll of violence. It’s a smart, gripping thriller for grown-ups.
From pulse-pounding action to richly drawn characters, these 15 movies capture the thrills and moral complexity of The Town. Whether you’re a fan of gritty crime dramas, stylish heists, or emotionally charged thrillers, these films offer a similar mix of suspense, style, and substance. Fire up your favorite streaming service and get ready for a wild ride through the world of cinematic robbery.
