Debapriya Bhattacharya
Based on the ‘Parker’ book series by Donald E. Westlake, penned under the pseudonym of Richard Stark, the Shane Black directorial ‘Play Dirty’ stars Mark Wahlberg as Parker, a professional robber who specializes in high-risk heists. The narrative follows Parker and his crew, which includes Grofield (LaKeith Stanfield) and Zen (Rosa Salazar), as they undertake a heist that pits them against a billionaire, the NewYork mafia, and a South American dictator, all at once. Amazon Prime Video’s action thriller delivers on high-adrenaline drama punctuated by humor. If you find the film to be your cup of tea, the following movies similar to ‘Play Dirty’ would be perfect for watching next.
12. Coin Heist (2017)
Adapted from Elisa Ludwig’s novel of the same name, ‘Coin Heist’ follows four students from Dennington Prep School who decide to rob the Philadelphia Mint after their headmaster is arrested for allegedly embezzling $10 million. The ramifications of the allegation have been far-reaching, with funding to the institution being cut off and students being deprived of scholarships. The students who attempt the heist as a possible solution to their problems include Alice, a skilled hacker; Jason, son of the arrested headmaster; Dakota, Jason’s ex-girlfriend; and Benny, a scholarship student who knows his way around machines. Like ‘Play Dirty,’ the students take on a target that pits them against the government in the Emily Hagins directorial.
11. Den of Thieves (2018)
Written and directed by Christian Gudegast, ‘Den of Thieves’ centers around Nicholas O’Brien (Gerard Butler), a detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Nicholas is the leader of the Regulators, a trigger-happy group of officers who pursue major criminals. When a group of veterans named Outlaws decides to go rogue and pull a heist at the Federal Reserve Bank of LA, the Regulators are charged with stopping them. The confrontation becomes a far cry from an easy operation for the Regulators, as the Outlaws are highly trained in combat and led by former MARSOC Marine Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber). Similar to ‘Play Dirty,’ it is the heist that drives the plot forward.
10. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
A remake of the eponymous 1960 film, ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ revolves around Danny Ocean (George Clooney), a professional con artist who is released from a New Jersey prison and immediately begins planning his next heist. Bringing together ten of his old associates, he sets out to rob three casinos in Las Vegas simultaneously during a popular boxing event, for a sum total of $150 million. The Steven Soderbergh directorial traces an elaborately planned heist from its ideation to execution, much like ‘Play Dirty.’
9. The Italian Job (2003)
Inspired by a 1969 British film of the same name, ‘The Italian Job’ directed by F. Gary Gray tells the story of a group of professional thieves led by Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg), who are betrayed by their team member Steve Frazelli (Edward Norton) after they successfully steal gold bars worth millions from Venice. During the double cross, Steve kills the group’s elderly member, John Bridger (Donald Sutherland), making the remaining members hell bent on wanting vengeance. With the help of John’s daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron), the group embarks on a mission to make Steve pay. The high-stakes double heist across international borders is reminiscent of ‘Play Dirty.’
8. Inside Man (2006)
Helmed by Spike Lee, ‘Inside Man’ chronicles Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), a criminal mastermind who sets out to pull off the perfect bank robbery. The plan involves taking hostages at a Wall Street banking establishment, which drags NYPD hostage negotiator Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) into the scene. As Keith tries to get ahead of the situation, he finds his work being compromised by Madeleine White (Jodie Foster), a fixer working for the bank’s founder, whose only objective is to see to her client’s private interests. As the situation devolves, Keith begins to suspect that Dalton has plans for something much greater than a simple bank robbery. The high-stakes heist with layered objectives is reminiscent of ‘Play Dirty.’
7. The Town (2010)
Adapted from Chuck Hogan’s novel ‘Prince of Thieves,’ ‘The Town’ is directed by and stars Ben Affleck as Doug MacRay, leader of a gang of bank robbers from Boston. With his father in prison, the only free person Doug considers family is James (Jeremy Renner), whom he considers his brother. While robbing a bank one day, they take employee Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage. When Doug realizes that she lives in the same neighborhood, he seeks her out again later and finds himself falling for her. However, their romance is marred by federal agents circling around the gang. Much like ‘Play Dirty,’ the film not only depicts the action-packed heists but also the drama surrounding them.
6. Ronin (1998)
Directed by John Frankenheimer, ‘Ronin’ stars Robert De Niro as former CIA agent-turned mercenary Sam, who gets recruited by IRA operative Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) to retrieve a mysterious briefcase. Sam is to work with a team of operatives, whose motives come under doubt as the mission gets underway. With the interests of various countries linked to the score, the situation soon devolves into chaos. The narrative parallels ‘Play Dirty,’ where a group of rival con artists work together despite not fully trusting each other.
5. Heat (1995)
Inspired by real-life events and based on director Michael Mann’s own TV film ‘L.A. Takedown,’ ‘Heat’ follows the cat and mouse chase between criminal mastermind Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and LAPD Police Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Neil plans a big heist before retirement as his gang of men starts to go rogue. On the other hand, Vincent deals with troubles in his personal life, including his wife being unfaithful and his daughter having mental health issues. As they work against each other, Neil and Vincent slowly begin to admire each other. Similar to ‘Play Dirty,’ the rapport between the opposing parties adds to the thrill of the heist.
4. Triple 9 (2016)
Helmed by John Hillcoat, ‘Triple 9’ follows a group of bank robbers whose job in Atlanta goes downhill, leading to a shootout on the Atlanta freeway while they escape. Disappointed, they are assigned another mission by their Russian mob boss, Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet). However, things get complicated as Marcus Belmont (Anthony Mackie), a dishonest cop who is a part of the gang, gets partnered with the straight arrow Chris Allen (Casey Affleck) in his day job. The crew plans to work their way around the situation before deciding to trick Chris into becoming a part of their plan. The scale of the operations and the violent turn that the operations take make ‘Triple 9’ fall along the line of ‘Play Dirty.’
3. King of Thieves (2018)
‘King of Thieves,’ directed by James Marsh, follows a group of retired thieves who decide to pull off a massive burglary in the jewelry district of London to relive their glory days for one last time. With the help of their young accomplice, Michael “Basil” Seed (Charlie Cox), they manage to pull it off. However, their individual greed comes in the way of everyone driving off into the sunset. Based on the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015, the movie balances comedy with the high-stakes heist and its aftermath, similar to ‘Play Dirty.’
2. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Based on a 1972 robbery at a Chase Manhattan branch in Brooklyn, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ follows Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), a rookie criminal who sets off to rob a bank with his team. However, as fate would have it, everything that can possibly go wrong does so on the day, turning the event into a hostage situation. Despite not being prepared, Sonny and his partner, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try to remain in control of the situation, which begins to slip away with the arrival of the FBI at the scene. Like ‘Play Dirty,’ the conmen find themselves in the middle of a heist far out of their league.
1. The Bank Job (2008)
Inspired by the 1971 burglary of Lloyds Bank safety deposit boxes in Baker Street, ‘The Bank Job’ revolves around Terry Leather (Jason Statham), a former petty criminal who becomes a car dealer to turn his life around. After struggling financially to build a life with his wife and kids in London, he decides to join in on a bank heist being planned by his former girlfriend, Martine (Saffron Burrows). With a ragtag crew, he sets to work only to later discover the true objectives of the people involved. Similar to ‘Play Dirty,’ the real objective of the heist involves not only money, but things that can reshape global political dynamics.
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