Great characters in movies can belong to all sorts of professions. There are blue-collar worker characters,there are writer characters, and—of course—there are criminals. These can be some of the most interesting of the bunch, making for compelling crime films that evaluate the complexities of morality and the deeply human nuances of something like, for instance, theft.
As it turns out,movie characters who happen to be thieves also happen to be one of the art form’s most compelling characters. From indie classics likePulp Fictionto massive crime blockbusters likeInception, there are plenty of films that have outstanding examples of such characters. to qualify, the thief in question mustn’t be based on a real person (sorry,Bonnie and Clyde).
‘Pickpocket’ (1959)
Written and directed byRobert Bresson, a master of cinematic minimalism and one of France’s greatest and most influential filmmakers ever,Pickpocketis one of the director’s best. It’s the story of Michel, who passes the time by picking pockets while under close watch of the police. His friend may suspect his misdemeanors, while both men have their eyes locked on the pretty neighbor of Michel’s ailing mother.
Pickpocketis packed with everything that makes Bresson such an acclaimed auteur.
One ofthe best arthouse crime movies of all time,Pickpocketis packed with everything that makes Bresson such an acclaimed auteur, from the airtight storytelling with surprisingly hard-hitting emotional outcomes to the fascinating characters.Michel himself has a riveting arc, which sets the foundation for the film’s questioning of what drives people to criminality. The fact that this character study is centered on just a petty thief speaks volumes about the huge human stories that Bresson was able to tell with the smallest premises.
Watch on Criterion
9Pumpkin and Honey Bunny
‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
One ofthe 1990s' best R-rated crime movies,as well as arguably the decade’s single best and most influential indie film,Pulp FictionisQuentin Tarantino’s magnum opus. It’s a dark comedy that interweaves multiple stories: That of two mob hitmen, that of a boxer and his girlfriend, that of a gangster and his wife, and that of a pair of diner bandits.
This gripping tale of violence and redemption broke new ground and started a trend of multi-narrative films that took quite a while to slow down. All of its characters are engaging, but the diner thieves in particular—codenamed Pumpkin and Honey Bunny—are among the film’s most memorable. There’s a good reason why the film opens with them. Their dynamic is entertaining, their dialogue flows like honey, and their storyline is the perfect way of both beginning and closing this unforgettable story.
Pulp Fiction
8Danny Ocean
‘Ocean’s’ Franchise
First played by the legendaryFrank SinatrainLewis Milestone’s 1960 heist filmOcean’s 11, and later byGeorge ClooneyinSteven Soderbergh’sOcean’strilogy, Danny Ocean is one of the coolest characters of the heist genre.Ocean’s Elevenis about a gangster rounding up a band of associates to stage an elaborate casino heist, which involves robbing three Vegas casinos simultaneously during a boxing event.
There are plenty of reasons whyOcean’s Eleventends to be considered one ofthe best heist movies of the 21st century, and though neither the original nor the sequels truly live up to it, this is still a phenomenal and somewhat underrated franchise. Slick, charming, and prone to taking risks that are always guaranteed to delight the audience,Danny Ocean is as awesome as crime film protagonists come.
Ocean’s Eleven
Watch on NBC
‘Aladdin’ (1992)
People looking fora feel-good movie to cheer them upwhen they’re feeling under the weather needn’t look further than a gem from Disney Animation’s Renaissance era. Of course, one of the best among them isAladdin, inspired byThe Thousand and One Nights. It’s the story of a poor street urchin named Aladdin, who spends his time stealing food from the market. His luck suddenly changes when he meets a beautiful young girl, and later finds a magical lamp containing a genie that’ll grant him three wishes.
Romantic, uplifting, and full of enchanting magic,Aladdinis one of Disney’s most beautiful animated classics.The protagonist is one of the most charming and well-written princes in the House of Mouse’s library, with surprising moral ambiguities that make him a much more complex character than one may think. But though he’s a slippery thief at the beginning of the film, his journey of growth is one that’s nothing if not entertaining.
‘Inception’ (2010)
At this point, it feels likeInception, which may just beChristopher Nolan’s most popular film, doesn’t need much of an introduction. This exhilarating action epic is about a thief who steals corporate secrets using dream-sharing technology. One day, he’s given the task of doing the reverse: Using his gadget to plan an idea in the mind of a powerful magnate, but his tragic past puts the mission and his team at risk.
With some of the coolest visuals and most entertaining fight sequences in Nolan’s filmography, as well as one ofthe best scores of Hans Zimmer’s career,Inceptionis a legendary spectacle.Its protagonist, Dom Cobb, is one of the most complex and compelling in any Nolan film. His tragic backstory may not have much layeredness to it, but with an actor as good asLeonardo DiCaprioplaying the part with such emotion and energy, it’s hard to go wrong.
5Bilbo Baggins
‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy
Back in the beginning of the 21st century, New Zealand directorPeter Jacksonshocked the whole world with his unexpectedly flawless adaptation ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium in hisLord of the Ringstrilogy. Sometime later, he released a prequel trilogy. ThoughThe Hobbitfilms aren’t nearly as good as their three predecessors, they’re still far above the vast majority of fantasy movies being made today. They tell the story of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who’s unexpectedly snatched into an adventure led by a group of dwarves meaning to reclaim their homeland from the dragon that hijacked it many years prior.
Bilbo is more of a burglar than a thief, really (at least officially), but semantics don’t matter much when a particular shiny object he steals becomes the pivotal event that kicks off the beginning of the end of Middle-earth’s Third Age.Courageous, yet vulnerable; kind, yet imperfect; and played tremendously well by Martin Freemanat the top of his game, Bilbo is the perfect protagonist for such an entertaining series of films. He may not be one ofMiddle-earth’s strongest heroes, but he sure is one of its most valuable.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
4Harry and Marv
‘Home Alone’ (1990)
An iconic Christmas classic without equal,Home Aloneis a consistently fun watch no matter what time of the year one is watching it at. It’s about eight-year-old Kevin, a troublemaker who’s mistakenly left home alone after his family leaves for a long holiday. So, he’s his home’s last line of defense when a pair of burglars break in on Christmas Eve.
One of fewfamily movies that are genuinely close to perfection,Home Aloneis both touching and whimsical, both funny and surprisingly well crafted, with two of the funniest villains in movie history. One shouldn’t underestimate Harry and Marv’s thieving abilities;after all, they were facing off against cinema’s most terrifying one-boy army. Their shenanigans are filled with fantastic slapstick moments, andJoe PesciandDaniel Stern’s performances are so perfect that these characters stand out as two of the best parts ofHome Alone.
Home Alone
3Sonny Wortzik
‘Dog Day Afternoon’ (1975)
It was withSidney Lumet’sDog Day Afternoonthat the iconicAl Pacino ended what might be the greatest three-year streak of any actor ever(Lumet’sSerpicoin 1973,The Godfather Part IIin 1974, and then this gem). It’s about three amateur bank robbers planning a nice, simple bank heist. However, the supposedly uncomplicated robbery suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could possibly go wrong goes wrong.
The film was inspired by a wild true story, but isn’t fully factual — illustrated by the fact thatSonny Wortzik wasn’t a real person, and was actually only inspired by the real thief of the story,John Wojtowicz. Pacino plays the part masterfully, imbuing him with complexity and personality. He may not be a particularly good person, but in Pacino and Lumet’s expert hands, he’s surprisingly sympathetic and endearing.
Dog Day Afternoon
2Neil McCauley
‘Heat’ (1995)
FilmmakerMichael Mannis well-known for his unique approach to storytelling and masterful directing approach, yet in all of his illustrious career, he’s never been able to top what most people would agree is his masterpiece:Heat. It’s an engrossing character drama withcrime action genre tropes in its DNA, telling the story of a group of high-end professional thieves starting to feel the heat from the LAPD after a terrible slip-up at their latest height.
This is a slow-burning cop drama at heart, but with action scenes so thrilling, suspense so effective, character work so intricate, and performances so impressive thatit’s impossible to take one’s eyes off the screen at any point during the journey.Robert De Nirois exceptional as Neil McCauley, the leader of the gang of thieves. He’s as much the villain of the story as he is the co-protagonist, embodying the film’s themes of redemption, corruption, and the thrill of the chase. Written so exceptionally and performed so flawlessly by De Niro, McCauley may just be one of the best characters in the history of cinema.
1Robin Hood
‘Robin Hood’ Movies
There aren’t many thief characters more legendary than the Prince of Thieves. Of course, it’s Robin Hood, a legendary heroic outlaw from English folklore who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.It’s a character archetype that’s become endlessly influential in movies, but it all started here: with a vigilante that’s been the subject of dozens upon dozens of adaptations of varying quality.
You have yourRussell CroweRobin Hoods and yourErroll FlynnRobin Hoods, yourKevin CostnerRobin Hoods and yourCary ElwesRobin Hoods. The character isn’t always particularly well written, but that’s precisely the charm and magic ofmovies about characters in the public domain: They can make them funny or epic, complex or one-dimensional, action heroes or dashing romantic leads. That’s certainly the case with Robin Hood, the most iconic—and best—thief character in all of cinema.
