A good heist caper can be a lot of fun. What could be more entertaining than a masterful blend of mystery, suspense, intrigue, and often, love? And yet, the thing that makes these movies stand out from others is not the noir-like mise-en-scéne, the suspenseful plotlines, or the cleverly scheming characters, but rather that beautiful and elusive object of desire: the diamond. While there have been quite a few heist movies produced over the years, the silver screen has seen a few notable examples of diamond-stealing at its finest.
1. To Catch a Thief (1955). No one did heist like Hitchcock, and in the master of suspense does not disappoint in this tale of mistaken identity that centers on one man’s quest (the incomparable Cary Grant as John Robie) to catch a copycat thief and clear his name in a string of thefts that culminates with love interest Francis Stevens’ (Grace Kelly) jewelry collection (including a stunning diamond necklace that she famously uses to bait him.
2. The Pink Panther (1964). Who could forget the David Niven as the dashing and debonair cat burglar or Peter Sellers as the mumbling, bumbling Inspector Clousseau? This movie may have poked fun at the heist-movie genre, but not before revealing the pivotal and titular pink stone that spawned the film.
3. A Fish Called Wanda (1988). This madcap caper starts with the theft of $20 million in diamonds and devolves into all-out warfare as the merry band of burglars try to outwit each other into giving up their shares of the loot. This satirical take on the art of thievery and the petty rivalries it inspires is pure hilarity.
4. Snatch (2000). Guy Ritchie directed this violent and modern take on the heist film by pitting a disparate cast of money-grubbing goons against one another as they attempt to get their hands on “a diamond the size of a fist”, an 86-carat flawless beauty. Between the guys who stole it in the first place, the boxing promoter, a Russian gangster, a Jewish jeweler, and a band of misfit amateurs, it’s anyone’s guess where the priceless diamond will end up.
5. Flawless (2007). Michael Caine and a hideously coiffed Demi Moore star as two unlikely thieves who pull off the diamond heist of the century when they decide to rob the bank they both work at (in an attempt to get back at the company that done them wrong).
View our collection of loose diamonds here.
