Den of Thieves was released January 19th, 2018, and was directed by Christian Gudegast. This was actually his directorial debut. The movie was put out by STXfilms and stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and 50 Cent. It’s an action crime movie that mixes a gritty cop drama with a big bank heist. If you’ve seen Heat, it’s kinda like that, just shorter and more chaotic. The movie didn’t get great reviews when it dropped. Critics were pretty mixed on it, but it picked up more attention later on, mostly through streaming. A lot of people didn’t see it in theaters, but it’s the kind of movie that found an audience over time. They even released a sequel for it. Here’s a quick overview of the plot:
The movie opens by letting you know exactly what kind of world you are stepping into. It literally tells you that Los Angeles is the bank robbery capital of the world, and from that point on, it just throws you right into it. The very first scene is a heist, and it’s not clean or cool like something out of Oceans Eleven, it’s loud, messy, and brutal. The crew ends up stealing an armored truck and killing a bunch of cops in the process, which immediately tells you this movie is not messing around. After that, you get introduced to the main players. On one side, you have the crew of robbers led by Merrimen, played by Pablo Schreiber. He is a former Marine and runs his team like a military unit. Everything they do is tight, controlled, and planned down to the second. His team includes Enson Levoux, played by 50 Cent, who handles a lot of the muscle and intimidation, and Donnie, played by O’Shea Jackson Jr., who works as their driver and inside guy. Donnie comes off like a smaller player at first, but he ends up being a lot more important to the whole story than you would expect.
On the other side, there is Big Nick, played by Gerard Butler. He is an absolute wreck of a cop. He drinks too much, cheats on his wife, and pretty much does whatever he wants. But he is also smart and knows how to handle guys like Merrimen because in a lot of ways he is just like them. He is not above using shady tactics to get the job done, and honestly the only thing separating him from the people he is chasing is a badge.
The whole movie builds toward this one big heist, which is robbing the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown LA. Merrimen’s crew is planning something massive, and Nick’s crew is trying to figure out what it is before it goes down. There is a cat and mouse vibe going on where both sides are trying to stay one step ahead of the other. Nick starts tailing Donnie and tries to squeeze info out of him while Merrimen keeps tightening his plan, and you can feel the tension start to build with every scene. What’s cool is that the movie does not treat either side like straight up good or bad guys. You are not really rooting for anyone, you are just watching to see who is going to outsmart who. There are also a few really solid moments where things don’t go how you’d expect, and the movie leans into the idea that these guys live in a world where violence is just part of the job. It is not trying to glamorize anything. It is messy and brutal, and people get hurt. A lot. By the time the actual heist goes down, the movie has done a good job of making you feel like it could go either way. It throws in some twists without trying to be clever just to be clever, and it pays off pretty well.
🧠Final Thoughts🧠
*Spoiler Warning*
Overall I really enjoyed the movie. It kept me interested the whole way through, and the action was solid from start to finish. What really stood out to me was the last half hour. Once the heist actually starts happening, the movie kicks into another gear and had me locked in all the way to the end. I liked how it built everything up, and I never felt like it lost its grip on the story. The twist at the end was one of my favorite parts. Finding out that Donnie was actually the mastermind behind everything was such a cool way to close it out. I didn’t see that coming, and it actually made me want to go back and rewatch it just to catch all the stuff I missed the first time. If I had one real complaint, it would be the final shootout. I get that it was supposed to be intense and chaotic, but it felt like it went on a little too long. It kind of dragged for me, and the way it ended didn’t really hit as hard as I wanted it to. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to how strong everything else was leading up to it. Other than that, I thought it was a solid, enjoyable movie. It does exactly what it sets out to do, and even though it has some flaws, it worked for me.
Den of Thieves isn’t trying to be deep or groundbreaking. It’s a gritty crime movie with some cool characters, a strong setup, and a few solid surprises. The action is heavy, the tension builds nicely, and even when it starts to feel familiar, it still keeps things interesting. It’s not perfect, and a few parts didn’t totally land for me, but I still had a good time with it. If you’re into movies like Heat or Triple 9 and want something with a little more roughness around the edges, this one is worth checking out. It’s the kind of movie that does exactly what it says on the box. For me, Den of Thieves is a:
B👀 Worth a Look