Review of Den of Thieves (2018) by Thomas D — 23 Jan 2018

I admittedly had not even heard of Den of Thieves before a month or so ago. It's not like I'm seeking out every Gerard Butler movie out there anyway. However, Den of Thieves proved to be a film that will take more than a day or two to forget. And for a January release, I'd say that's an accomplishment.

This is far from an A-movie action film. It doesn't have a ton of levels of direction, acting, or writing. In fact, it's mostly a beat for beat remake of Heat, with De Niro & Pacino. But sometimes all I want is to enjoy some well-shot and heart pumping action sequences with some inconsequential thrills along the way. Den of Thieves give me just that, and surprisingly a couple chuckles as well (whether they were intentional or not).

The highlight of the movie is clearly Butler's "Big Nick" Flanagan (or is it O'Brien? I honestly don't remember and I've seen conflicting answers online) and his back and forth with Pablo Schreiber. The latter is quietly building himself a solid career with this, American Gods, and his upcoming film with Damien Chazelle. Watch out for this guy. But he's very entertaining, as is Butler, flexing their muscles and manhood all the way through this Heat rip-off heist thriller. Seriously though, this movie is literally Heat.

However, it's worth noting that just because this film lacks originality, doesn't mean it lacks in quality. Albeit definitely 20 minutes too long, it's hard to think of a better action film from January that I can remember. This is most certainly a 5.99 blu ray bin purchase this summer.

6.9/10.