Like the chick flick, the sports movie, and the slasher film, many heist pictures succeed by virtue of their inherently satisfying formula: a team of likably raffish cads hatch a devilishly intricate plan to steal something imminently desirable from a stuffy establishment, and either cathartically succeed or ironically fail. The magic, however, is in the sheer malleability of this setup. To this end, the Harvard Film Archive presents an all-night marathon of capers from around the globe, by visionaries ranging from Sidney Lumet (THE ANDERSON TAPES) to John Woo (ONCE A THIEF) to Jules Dassin (TOPKAPI). Come steal a peek!

–Oscar Goff

THE LINEUP:

Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) dir. Mario Monicelli

https://youtu.be/6wSyQvJbDtQ

Le Cercle Rouge (1970) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville

Topkapi (1964) dir. Jules Dassin

Once a Thief (1991) dir. John Woo

https://youtu.be/fKHbZV8V3cs

Kansas City Confidential (1952) dir. Phil Karlson

The Anderson Tapes (1971) dir. Sidney Lumet