Love a Good Heist? These 5 Glamorous Jewel Theft Movies Are Stylish, Suspenseful and So Fun

By now you’ve probably heard that a group of robbers stole millions of dollars of jewelry from the Louvre museum in Paris, news that had many people saying, “Wait, I think I’ve seen this exact thing happen in a movie before.” And they would be right! There have been dozens of jewel and museum heist movies over the years, and we’ve rounded up the five best ones below. From Ocean’s 8 to Marilyn Monroe’s The Asphalt Jungle, these flicks are must-watches right now. 

‘Ocean’s 8’ (2018) 

The latest installment in the Oceans franchise follows Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock)—sister of Danny Ocean (George Clooney)—after she assembles a team of female friends to help steal priceless gems from the annual Met Gala. Along with Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina and Rihanna also star in this fan favorite film, 

“I realized as women we have been isolated for a while. I don’t even want to touch on that other subject, but women are now taking care of each other. We all were like, okay, let’s just take care of each other for these six months and relish this opportunity we’re being given,” Bullock said in 2017, per Glamour. “But we don’t want it to be just for women. This is not man-hating. We love men. There’s men in this movie. We love them. But this one heist needs women.”

Ocean’s 8 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

‘To Catch a Thief’ (1955) 

Starring both Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this classic jewel heist film is a must watch. After a series of crimes appears to be a cheap copycat of his past life, cat burglar John Robie (Grant) tries to clear his name. That becomes difficult though when one of the victims—Francie (Kelly)—turns out to be his former lover. Now. John must prove he’s innocent and win back the heart of the woman he loves before it’s too late.  

To Catch a Thief is available to stream on Paramount+. 

‘The Asphalt Jungle’ (1950) 

In this underrated Marilyn Monroe film Handley (Sterling Hayden), who was recently recleased from prison, comes up with a plan to steal $1 million in jewels. To do so, he pulls together a team of lowlife criminals, who start to turn on one another as soon as things begin to get tough. The Asphalt Jungle was nominated for four Oscars, including best screenplay. 

“I played a vacuous, rich man’s darling attempting to carry herself in a sophisticated manner in keeping with her plush surroundings,” Monroe said of the film, per Classic Movie Hub. “I saw her as walking with a rather self-conscious slither and played it accordingly.”

The Asphalt Jungle is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

‘The Pink Panther’ (1963)

In 1963, the beloved Pink Panther made its feature film debut. The plot follows thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) as he tries to steal the priceless Pink Panther jewel. Doing so won’t be easy, though, because his cousin George (Robert Wagner) is also after the jewel, and the police inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is hot on his trail. Will he be able to pull it off? Or will Charles be forced to spend the rest of his life in jail? Only time will tell. 

The Pink Panther is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (1988) 

A Fish Called Wanda proves that sometimes jewel heists can be funny. In it, four wannabe criminals team up in London, England to try and execute a massive diamond heist. But it’s only a short matter of time before they begin turning on one another and that’s when the hilarious chaos begins to ensue. 

“I laugh. I had to develop—because of my experience on A Fish Called Wanda—tools to not laugh,” star Jamie Lee Curtis said, per Vanity Fair. “Because I ruined a lot of Kevin’s [Kline, another actor in the film] work. If you freeze-frame the scene outside on the wharf, when he says, ‘Apes don’t read philosophy,’ I’m already laughing. I feel like I ruined many good takes of his.” 

A Fish Called Wanda is available to stream on Fandango.