Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sarah Lumley

Top 20 best heist scenes of all time - according to true crime lovers

One in eight true crime viewers reckon they could pull off a bank robbery – after learning tips from film and TV.

The study of 2,000 adults who watch the genre found they view an average of 20 hours of fictional and real-life lawbreaking TV shows a month.

As a result, three in 10 believe they could solve a robbery crime, having picked up tricks from the comfort of their own sofa.

And 24% have even thought about how they might go about pulling off a heist themselves.

More than a third (36%) believe a key skill in any robbery is being a master in disguise and 11% think you’d have to look scary.

The research, commissioned by TV channel Sky HISTORY to launch its new series, Greatest Heists with Pierce Bronsan, also found 26% would swipe a bag of cash they found in a bank – but would never consider stealing from a person or independent business.

And 21% would take unattended gold bars from an open vault.

One in eight true crime lovers believe they'd be able to pull off a bank robbery - due to the skills they've picked up from film and TV (Getty Images)

It also emerged one in six (17%) view stealing from a bank a ‘victimless’ crime, as long as no one gets hurt – with a quarter admitting they wouldn’t go to the police if they discovered their partner had committed this offence.

While 36% admitted they would take a bag full of £20 notes if they found it outside a bank – with 40% of this group willing to spend it on bills and essentials to ease the cost of living crisis.

Criminology expert, Professor Emmeline Taylor, said: “This new series is fascinating as it reveals details about some of the most audacious heists ever attempted.

"Some of the stories from around the world are simply more outlandish than the movies.

"People love watching the extreme lengths criminals will go to driven by sheer greed, and of course see the consequences that criminals face afterwards.”

The survey also revealed the top 20 heist scenes in film, including the sequence in 1996 movie, The Italian Job, the robbery in Bonnie and Clyde and Terry Benedict’s vault in Ocean’s Eleven.

The opening bank heist in The Dark Knight and the first job and getaway in Baby Driver also appeared on the list.

Almost six in 10 (59%) love watching the crime genre as it is escapism from everyday life, and 39% like to watch people try to outsmart each other.

And 71% think some true crime events are wilder and more unbelievable than fictional stories.

However, when watching these shows, 52% of those polled, via OnePoll, want it to be as accurate as possible, so they know exactly what happened in real life.

A spokesperson for Sky HISTORY added: “Documentaries and programmes about bank robbery taps into a life that is so far removed from most people's lives.

“There have been some great scenes in films, that are really realistic as well as entertaining.

“But sometimes it's interesting to watch what really happened – as the research shows, a lot of the time, they are more dramatic than fictional scenes.”

TOP 20 BEST HEIST MOVIE SCENES OF ALL TIME:

  1. The heist in The Italian Job, 1966
  2. The robbery in Bonnie and Clyde, 1967
  3. Terry Benedict's vault in Ocean's Eleven, 2001
  4. The Taking of Pelham 123, 1974
  5. The opening bank heist in The Dark Knight, 2008
  6. The opening job (and getaway) in Baby Driver, 1991
  7. The ex-presidents bank heist in Point Break, 1991
  8. The armoured truck heist in Heat, 1995
  9. The final dream-heist in Inception, 2010
  10. The heist in Inside Man, 2006
  11. The heist-gone-wrong in Dog Day Afternoon, 1975
  12. The Rio de Janeiro bank vault heist in Fast Five, 2011
  13. The spa job in Sexy Beast, 2000
  14. The Mulligan heist in Widows, 2018
  15. The Mappin & Webb jewel heist in Rififi, 1955
  16. The opening bank heist in Out of Sight, 1998
  17. The racing circuit job in Logan Lucky, 2017
  18. Fenway Park job in The Town, 2010
  19. The second bank robbery in Set it Off, 1996
  20. The racetrack job in The Killing, 1956

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.