Review of Den of Thieves (2018) by Chris M — 25 Jan 2018

Den of Thieves was a crime saga that had me on the edge of my seat the entire movie. The movie was based on a heist planned by a crew of career criminals. This wasn't just any heist; this was the mother of all heists. They planned to hit the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles. Den of Thieves wasn't the average cop and robber movie either. The good guys in the movie were actually more ruthless than the criminals. Gerard Butler plays Lieutenant 'Big Nick' O'Brien who is completely out of control from the moment we are introduced to him. At the beginning of the movie, he enters a homicide/robbery crime scene and eats a donut from a box that is on the ground near the dead body. CLASSIC. During the movie, we get a peek into his life as a devoted Sheriff and terrible husband/father. There is so much accuracy in this depiction of an officer that goes undercover and/or works special units. They get wrapped up in the underworld they are working in and often neglect their families when working long strenuous hours.

On the other side, Pablo Schreiber gives us a villain you want to root for in Ray Merrimen. Merrimen and his crew are all ex-military, and they have a set of skills that can't be matched. They are almost as sophisticated as the crew from Takers, but with the training and weaponry of a small militia. We don't get a look at Merrimen's personal life, but they give us a little history of his work. O'Shea Jackson (Donnie Wilson) and 50 Cent (Enson "Levi" Levoux) both also give commendable performances. Wilson is so unpredictable in the movie and leads us up to one of the greatest endings you could ask for. The keys to this movie were the strong scenes and relatable characters. The heists are all detailed and wrap you while watching the plans unfold. During the bank heist, I found myself being in in the shoes of a Sheriff and wondering what their plan was, especially after the explosion. There's also a great plot twist at the end that no one will see coming. Surprisingly, I found myself laughing hard during several scenes in the movie.

Overall, Den of Thieves will be considered one the best modern heist movies. It doesn't have the typical bank or armored car robbery plot. They also don't have the decorated "good" cop that saves the day or the typical gang bangers looking for a quick come up. I believe this movie goes against the grain when it comes to heists and it worked. It also has an EPIC shootout scene.