Matthew Quirk is the author of The 500 and, most recently, The Directive. He spent five years at The Atlantic reporting on crimes, private military contractors, the opium trade, terrorism prosecutions, and international gangs. He lives outside Washington, D.C.

Light Fingered

Even honest people like a great heist in film or fiction. As for the rest of us, we’ll watch anything with turtlenecks and dynamite. But for connoisseurs, here’s the cream of the crop.