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 […]
The post Doctor Who’s “The Well” Callback Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.
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.
15. Dead Presidents (1995)
“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.