Film

Tower Heist

Name: Tower Heist
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 2011
Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick

A heist comedy where a condo manager and his working-class staff turn to petty crime to recover money stolen by a Wall Street fraudster living in their building. It's got charm, chemistry, and the warm pleasure of underdogs scheming together. Perfect if you like your action movies funny and your comedies genuinely rooting for people.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy caper comedies built on a crew of mismatched pros bickering through a clever heist, with Stiller's straight-man panic bouncing off Murphy's wisecracks.

Skip it if you need a tight, meticulous heist with clever mechanics, since the scheme feels loose and improvised, and the broader slapstick and shouting can grate when the jokes thin out.

What it asks of you: Runs a brisk 104 minutes and stays in a lively, noisy register from first scene to last, so it rewards quick attention more than quiet patience.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Ocean's Eleven2001

A masterclass in ensemble heist cinema with style, humour, and genuine warmth. Clooney, Pitt, and the crew make stealing look effortlessly fun, and the film never takes itself seriously enough to sink.

But The plot is deliberately surface-level; if you need stakes that matter, you'll feel the lightness as thinness.

Ghostbusters1984

Misfits becoming a team through chemistry and dialogue rather than expensive set pieces. Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis make ordinary people doing impossible things feel natural and hilarious.

But The special effects are very 1984, and the pacing meanders in ways modern audiences sometimes find slow.

The Italian Job2003

A compact, colour-coded heist with genuine wit and an ensemble that actually clicks. It knows exactly how dumb it is and leans into that with real affection.

But It's deliberately silly; if you want heist plotting to make logical sense, this will frustrate you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tower Heist

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Inside Man2006

Both films are about characters using theft to expose or punish a bigger villain, and both get their momentum from ensemble chemistry rather than spectacle.

A heist film that's actually about something: a bank robber (Clive Owen) playing chess with a detective (Denzel Washington) while using the heist as cover for a deeper agenda. Smart, taut, genuinely surprising.

But It requires attention and pays off the set-up differently than you expect. If you want a straightforward crime film, you'll feel tricked.

Trading Places1983

Eddie Murphy before he became a brand, working opposite Dan Aykroyd in a revenge comedy with real satirical teeth. Sharp about class, extremely funny, genuinely clever.

But The 1980s satire of finance feels quaint now, and some comedic beats haven't aged gracefully.

Intolerable Cruelty2003

Coen Brothers directing George Clooney in a con-artist rom-com with gorgeous visuals and rapid-fire dialogue. It's frivolous and stylish in a way that feels rare now.

But The plot is wafer-thin and the Coens seem more interested in surfaces than story. Some find it emotionally hollow.

Going in Style1979

Three older men robbing a bank just to feel alive again. It's funny, sad, and treats its characters with real dignity. The original, before the remake.

But It's quieter and slower than Tower Heist; the humour is drier and the melancholy genuine.

Bottle Rocket1996

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson's debut about incompetent criminals. It's oddly tender, funny without trying, and has a specific weird charm that lingers.

But The crime plot barely exists and the pacing is languid. It's more interested in mood than narrative momentum.

The Ladykillers2004

The Coen Brothers remake a heist film where criminals pose as musicians in a New Orleans boarding house. Tom Hanks plays against type, the Southern setting is vibrant, and it's absurdly entertaining.

But It's messier and broader than their usual work, which some fans see as a misfire.

After the Sunset2004

Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson as a con man and an FBI agent playing cat-and-mouse. It's warm, funny, and has genuine affection for its characters despite the thin plot.

But It's forgettable and relies entirely on charisma. The story doesn't matter and the film knows it, which bothers some people.

Le Samouraï1967

Both are films about professionals—criminals, skilled workers—where competence and code matter more than emotion. But where Tower Heist is about belonging to a group, Le Samouraï is about the cost of standing alone.

Alain Delon as a Tokyo hitman in 1960s Paris, glacial and precise. It's a portrait of professionalism, style, and solitude: the inverse of Tower Heist's warmth. Hypnotic.

But It's extremely slow, visually austere, and entirely interior. Delon barely speaks; if you need plot or dialogue, this will feel like punishment.

The Sting1973

Both films are about underdogs using their wits to take down someone more powerful, and both treat the con as a moral act of justice. But The Sting adds genuine tragedy and loss; Tower Heist stays warm and fun.

A Depression-era con film with Newman and Redford that's essentially a play—two acts, intermission, elaborate revenge plot. Beautifully made, genuinely moving underneath the grift, with real stakes that matter.

But The long con means slow pacing in the middle, and if you're not on the emotional wavelength by the end, the craftsmanship won't carry you.