Warner Bros.

Featuring big names like Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Jon Hamm, "The Town" hit theaters in 2010 and quickly established itself as one of the best heist movies of all time. Also directed by Affleck, the story is set in Boston, where a gang of crooks stage a bank robbery that almost turns deadly when they take a hostage, bank employee Claire Keesey (Hall). She lives to tell the tale, only to unknowingly enter a relationship with one of her former kidnappers, Douglas MacRay (Affleck). His growing feelings for her and violent double life become harder to ignore as increasingly dangerous heists with the rest of his crew could bring an end to everything.

"The Town," like "Den of Thieves," adopts a gritty and realistic tone, while also featuring plenty of gripping action to bring it all together. Plus the ever-tightening grip of law enforcement, led by Special Agent Adam Frawley (Hamm) adds to the tension, making "The Town" a must-see for any fans of "Den of Thieves."

20th Century Fox

Superstar Bruce Willis's big screen breakout, 1988's "Die Hard" became a cultural phenomenon, as well as everyone's favorite holiday action movie, thanks to its Christmas setting. As classic an '80s action flick as there is, the hero-stuck-in-one-location plot spawned plenty of imitators, not to mention several sequels, with the third entry in the series, 1995's "Die Hard With a Vengeance," being the best of the bunch.

Trading the Los Angeles and Washington D.C. settings of the first two films for '90s New York City, McClane teams up with everyman Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) after he's roped into another terrorist plot — this time a series of explosives set to detonate unless he meets a mysterious criminal's increasingly odd demands. It turns out that the threats of violence are a feint — as in "Den of Thieves" — with a high-stakes heist of a Federal Reserve building truly at the center of the third "Die Hard." 

To bring things full circle, leading the gang's charge is none other than the villainous Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons), brother of Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who McClane chucked off Nakatomi Plaza in the first film. Part loveable '90s action schlock, part buddy cop comedy thanks to the chemistry between Willis and Jackson, "Die Hard with a Vengeance" is one of the most fun entries on our list.

FilmDistrict

While "Olympus Has Fallen" may not seem all that similar to "Den of Thieves" at first glance, bear with us. After a shocking terrorist attack in which the White House is seized by fringe North Korean terrorists, dozens of Americans are dead and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) is taken hostage. With top-level security and military brass flailing, it's up to disgraced former Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) and Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) to save the President, and the country, from nuclear annihilation.

There are no heists in "Olympus Has Fallen," but both this film and "Den of Thieves," of course, share actor Gerard Butler, who is arguably the king of modern action trash. What "Olympus" does have plenty of is some of the most insane action on this list and, if you're willing to accept the inherent absurdity of the plot, a rock-solid viewing experience that makes it the perfect popcorn flick to check out after "Den of Thieves."

Netflix

If you're looking for first-rate action — as good and better than you'll find in "Den of Thieves" — then the first movie you should queue up is Chris Hemsworth's Netflix couchbuster "Extraction." The 2020 film reunites the Marvel star with "Avengers: Endgame" stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, who's promoted to director. Hargrave might seem like an odd choice, but for a movie whose biggest appeal is blood-pumping, nonstop action, Hargrave proves the perfect man for the job.

Like Gerard Butler, Hemsworth plays the leader of a team, but most of the action falls to him. He stars as Tyler Rake, an elite mercenary hired to execute a unique kind of heist: He and his team are being paid millions to sneak into a foreign country and rescue the teenage son of a drug lord who's been kidnapped by a rival in Bangladesh. That means facing off against the private army of a ruthless criminal kingpin, not to mention corrupt local police and government agents. But Rake must also contend with a former henchman of the very man who's hired him — a man who believes he can get back into his boss's good graces by rescuing the boy himself. 

Famous for an extended uncut action sequence that sees Rake mowing down goons like soft grass, "Extraction" might be the best action movie of the past decade and an absolute can't-miss if you love "Den of Thieves." 

Paramount

There are few action heroes on the screen these days with as much presence as Gerard Butler, but Jason Statham is definitely one of them. Star of balls-to-the-wall action classics like "The Transporter" and "Crank," Statham is one of the few remaining stars who can put butts in seats on his name alone, as he helped the recent hit "The Beekeeper" blow everyone away at the box office. But back in 2003, he also appeared in "The Italian Job," an ensemble heist film that makes for an ideal watch in the wake of "Den of Thieves."

Statham stars alongside Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, and Mark Wahlberg as members of a group of expert career criminals. One year after a botched robbery leaves one of them dead, the group reassembles to get revenge on the man who betrayed them and ran off with their biggest score. 

A loose remake of a 1969 classic starring Michael Caine, "The Italian Job" is a tense, fast-paced, no-holds-barred caper classic. Full of nail-biting car chases, boat chases, charismatic characters, and expert direction from future "Fast and Furious" helmer F. Gary Gray, it's a joyride from start to finish.

Warner Bros.

From a story perspective, few entries on our list are as close to "Den of Thieves" as Michael Mann's 1995 classic "Heat." Endlessly imitated for decades, it's tough to find a heist thriller that compares. It consists of a truly star-studded cast, featuring Val Kilmer, Robert De Niro, Danny Trejo, and Tom Sizemore as a band of criminals who conspire to pull off one big high-stakes robbery of an L.A. bank after a number of smaller heists. Al Pacino also stars as Vincent Hanna, a troubled cop hot on their heels, with Natalie Portman in one of her earliest film roles as his stepdaughter Lauren.

Based on a real-life robbery (even if there's a lot it doesn't tell you about the true story), there's plenty of overlap between "Heat" and "Den of Thieves." From its L.A. setting, to the deep game of cat-and-mouse between detective Hanna and criminal ringleader McCauley, it all leads to a climactic gunfight on the streets that's so real it's reportedly been used to train servicemen on battle tactics — a testament to just how much care went into making "Heat" one of the most gripping crime thrillers you'll ever watch.

Netflix

Take "Den of Thieves" and surround Gerard Butler with an all-star cast, and you'd get something like "Triple Frontier," a Netflix original that flew under most people's radar in 2019. It's pretty amazing that it went largely unnoticed, too, because the cast is one of the best you'll find in recent memory, headlined by Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, and Garret Hedlund. Unlike "Den of Thieves," however, the team of former soldiers in this film is the one on a mission to steal the loot.

As the film begins we meet Santiago "Pope" Garcia (Isaac), a former Delta Forces operative who now works in South America fighting drug lords as a gun for hire. But when he learns of the location of infamous kingpin Gabriel Martin Lorea, he hatches an elaborate plan to break into his jungle stronghold and make off with $75 million in cash. To do it, he'll need the help of his old team, a group of battle-hardened soldiers who are struggling to make ends meet years after leaving the service.

The action is solid and the tension is palpable, but just as Butler is one of the biggest reasons to watch "Den of Thieves," the cast of "Triple Frontier" is the real highlight here.

Open Road Films

If you thought "Triple Frontier" had a top-notch cast, don't sleep on the similarly titled "Triple 9," another heist movie brimming with stars. In this case, it's Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot, and Woody Harrelson. While some heist movies go for broke on thrills, and others lean toward serious drama, "Triple 9" threads the needle, weaving in some pulp-inspired action much like "Den of Thieves."

The "Triple 9" in the title refers to an officer-down scenario, which a group of daring daylight robbers plan to use as cover for their latest heist. The group consists of former Navy SEALs Michael (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Russell (Reedus), disgraced former cops Gabe (Aaron Paul) and Franco (Clifton Collins Jr.), plus corrupt detective Marcus (Anthony Mackie). They plan to use Marcus's new partner Chris (Affleck) as a patsy to lure every cop in the city away from their target. But after the death of one of their own, Gabe gets cold feet and threatens to unravel the entire scheme.

A film that relies heavily on the strength of its cast and stripped-down, streamlined action, "Triple 9" won't disappoint you if you loved the action and thrills of "Den of Thieves."

First Look Pictures

Starring Nicolas Cage in one of his most outlandish roles ever, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" came out in 2009, some 17 years after the Harvey Keitel-led "Bad Lieutenant." The two have very little in common, other than their basic premise of following a dirty cop on a rampage. Here, Cage plays New Orleans police officer Terence McDonagh, who is so corrupt and despicable that it's hard to believe he's the hero of the movie.

Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we meet McDonagh as his life is falling apart — he's in debt up to his eyeballs, addicted to painkillers, and resorts to stealing evidence to survive. His relationships with both his girlfriend (Eva Mendes) and his partner (Val Kilmer) are falling apart when he's assigned to a new murder case after the discovery of a series of dead bodies.

Directed by Werner Herzog, "Bad Lieutenant" won't be winning any awards, but like "Den of Thieves," it's full of so much satisfying craziness that it's hard not to love. And the performance of Nicolas Cage is a big reason why. 

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Universal Pictures

Known for directing over-the-top action thrillers, Michael Bay returned in 2022 with "Ambulance," a remake of a 2005 Danish film of the same name. Brothers Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and William Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Marteen II) conspire to rob a Los Angeles bank to cover the exorbitant costs of life-saving surgery for William's wife. But when the heist goes wrong and turns into a life-or-death shootout between members of their crew and the law, an officer is left gravely injured. In a desperate bid to escape with their lives, William and Danny hijack an ambulance with the wounded officer aboard, leading police on an action-packed chase through the streets of L.A.

Like "Den of Thieves," a risky heist is central to the plot of "Ambulance," before it quickly transforms into one of the most exciting chase movies in recent memory. The drama truly begins as the pair speed away with two hostages aboard, EMT Camille Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez) and the dying policeman, Zach Parker (Jackson White), forced to dodge everything the LAPD can throw at them while butting heads over whether to keep their two unwilling passengers alive. Though it's unmistakably a film by Michael Bay, who's become one of the more divisive filmmakers in modern cinema, his bombastic style works well for the nail-biting premise that "Ambulance" lays out, making it distinct but just as entertaining as "Den of Thieves" in every way.

20th Century Fox

Turn back the clock to the early '90s and you'll find plenty of movies like "Den of Thieves." One of the most memorable is 1991's "Point Break," probably most famous today for helping to make a young Keanu Reeves an action hero years before "The Matrix." But it's also a first-rate thriller and classic caper film in the vein of "Den of Thieves," with a dedicated cop out to stop a mysterious gang of bank robbers.

Set in Southern California amid the easy, breezy, freewheeling surfer sub-culture, "Point Break" finds FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) investigating a mysterious gang of thieves who target banks while donning rubber masks of former U.S. presidents and may be members of the surfing community. Going undercover to join their inner circle, Utah meets the charming but dangerous Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), the leader of the group, who seems only interested in the adrenaline rush of the heist and is clever enough not to get caught. Utah has a crisis of conscience when he falls in love with Tyler (Lori Petty), a member of the gang and Bodhi's ex. 

A '90s movie through and through, it's got everything you could ask for if you loved "Den of Thieves": enough shootouts, fist fights, and bank heists to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Buena Vista Motion Picture Distribution

A few years after "Point Break" came "Dead Presidents," another film about a group of criminals perpetrating bank robberies, this time in New York City. Set in the 1970s, the 1995 thriller follows a group of Vietnam vets who've returned home only to find themselves struggling to survive while also dealing with the trauma of their wartime service. Unlike "Point Break" and "Den of Thieves," though, these crooks are not the villains — but aren't exactly heroes either.

In the thick of the Vietnam War in 1968, we meet Anthony Curtis (Lorenz Tate), a young man who is hoping that military service will get his life on track. But after suffering the loss of most of his squad, and forced into acts he never thought possible, Curtis finds it impossible to reacclimate into society upon his return home five years later. Reuniting with several former compatriots, all of whom are suffering in their own ways, Curtis and his former Marines are joined by militant activist Delilah (N'Bushe Wright) in a plan to knock over an armored car.

A fine action thriller and a heartfelt drama about the difficult choices we must sometimes make to survive, "Dead Presidents" wasn't a classic — but perhaps deserves to be. 

Universal Pictures

Debuting in summer 2001 with "The Fast and the Furious," the Vin Diesel and Paul Walker-led "Fast and Furious" franchise began with simple street racing and petty crimes, only to evolve into Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his crew saving the world on a regular basis. With the series becoming a veritable who's-who of Hollywood stars, "Fast Five" introduced Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to the mix as Luke Hobbs, a federal agent who's hunting the crew under the false belief that they're guilty of murder. At the same time, Toretto and the rest of the family are scheming to plunder Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), the criminal kingpin actually responsible for the murders, out of millions of dollars in the heist of a lifetime.

Riding the line between the simpler stories the series was founded on and the more outlandish elements it would embrace, "Fast Five" was a notable change in direction for the franchise. Part "Ocean's Eleven," part "Fast and Furious" reunion — thanks to the number of characters from the series who reappear as the gang plan their big score — "Fast Five" proved to be one of the most well-received entries in the entire saga, and one that, while distinctly different tonally, is a pretty fun follow-up to watching "Den of Thieves."