“Cruel Gun Story” (1964)
Takumi Furukawa’s movies are incredibly obscure but worth tracking down, particularly this high-energy thriller about a racetrack money heist the operates in a similar vein as Stanley Kubrick’s “The Killing.” Like Kubrick’s masterpiece, “Cruel Gun Story” is similarly sadistic and cruel, with ironic twists of fate, and double-crosses at every turn. The film’s subtle bleakness bleeds from its rather drab social context, with the crooks’ criminal choices influenced by their post-war socio-economic status. The protagonist here, played by the unforgettable Joe Shishido, is honorable as he tries to help his paralyzed sister by paying for her operation if the devised heist goes as planned. If mishandled, this plot point could easily become a schmaltzy, lazy melodramatic device. Fortunately, Furukawa gives the proceedings a dark little twist when the doctors decline to operate on his sister’s legs. Without a single minute wasted, “Cruel Gun Story” is an efficient, entertaining caper.
“The Ladykillers” (1955)
Alexander Mackendrick’s off-kilter heist film finds Alec Guinness in top form as the leader of a gang whose members reflect criminals of all walks of life. The ingenious plan is to rent out a room from a sweet old lady while the motley crew pulls off a heist. Dark comedy hovers over the proceedings as the gang has trouble outsmarting a cordial old lady who acts like a grandmother supervising a group of unruly grandchildren. While the original film may be a bit too slow for modern audiences, Alec Guinness is wonderful as the band’s leader, wearing outrageous false teeth, nearly rivaling Lon Chaney as the man of a thousand faces. Take the leap and give this unique movie a chance, one that even the Coen Brothers couldn’t top with their remake.
“The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (1973)
Based on the novel penned by George V. Higgins, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” is a film quite startling in its uncompromising realism. Robert Mitchum portrays the film’s titular anti-hero, Eddie ’Fingers’ Coyle who finds himself between a rock and a hard place facing prison for bootlegging alcohol. Getting ready to flee his fate, Coyle gets involved in the double-dealing of firearms between the feds and his bank robbing “partners.” Eddie’s friends are numerous, but the term friends is suspect, as he concerns himself with only two things in life: himself and his family. Mitchum’s performance as an unrelenting scoundrel elevates the film, helping “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” operate with gritty authenticity, as it unfolds a full-fledged tragedy.
“Big Deal on Madonna Street” (1958)
“Big Deal on Madonna Street” centers on former boxer Peppe il Pantera (Vittorio Gassman) who brings together a band of misfits and organizes the heist of a pawnshop. Initially, a robbery of such small proportions as such appears easy to execute, yet this band of outcasts proves otherwise. While other films in the genre feature elegantly rehearsed thefts, “Big Deal on Madonna Street” deviates from the meticulous elegance and intelligent execution and displaces it all with blundered attempts to achieve riches. Nothing goes right for this group of outsiders yet this erroneous heist of a simple pawnshop churns out comedic bliss. While not as abrasive as other heist films on this list, director Mario Monicelli manages to mix in in some striking social commentary and sympathetically satirizes the urban underbelly of criminal activity. The movie is inventive, full of setbacks and unexpected changes of plans, and humor adding up to one wholly entertaining effort.
“Bonnie & Clyde” (1967)
“Bonnie and Clyde” remains a tour de force in cinematic history, as this criminalized tale of love does not end with a starry-eyed bliss, but in rivers of blood. A fast and furious action drama about a disheveled couple who join hands and rob banks in the face of the disheartening and corrosive Great Depression, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) is a smoldering personality that works harmoniously alongside Bonnie Parker’s (Faye Dunaway) melancholic spirit. The film feels contemporary, and movie’s shootouts have an urgency that will still make your heart beat faster after all these decades later. Penn’s classic is a fusion of devilish violence and jovial absurdity and smartly pauses for delicate moments that let us into the psyche of these anti-heroes. Even as they embark on a collision course with destiny, audiences cannot help but empathize with their fragile human nature, and jaw-dropping finale stings every time.