Den of Thieves

A perfect affair after a long time! Gerard Butler plays another great, tough anti-hero, and I don't think he's had a better role since Law Abiding Citizen (it's a shame this dude does comedies, these movies suit him!). There's a great bunch of thieves, all ex-Marines, capable, intelligent, solidly equipped, who plan to rob a bank that no one has ever managed to rob before. There's less action, but when it gets down to it, it's gritty shootouts that with perfect sound, feel gritty and real, and most importantly, strategic. Butler entertained me a lot with his performance and he played the gangster cop brilliantly. Suspenseful, well shot, well thought out with an unexpected twist at the end, with the highlight of course being the bank robbery itself, which left me holding my breath. A proper guy’s flick. 85%. (12/04/2018)

In comparison with Butler’s movies in which he plays a Secret Service agent protecting American presidents, Den of Thieves is a revelation. It’s a gritty crime flick with tough cops acting like gangsters and bad guys who, though they look like prison thugs, know how to always stay one step ahead of the law. The main bank robbery (particularly its setting) is a good idea in the screenplay and the shootouts are properly realistic. The film borrows a lot from the classic Heat, but twenty years later. Mainly, however, if it’s a B-movie version of Mann’s classic, then it’s a damn good B-movie version. (24/12/2019)

Yet another take at cops and robbers, or else Heat with a very likeable array of actors. Butler as the son of a bitch cop at last in his first great role for a long time. Schreiber makes a good opposite number. Top-notch action with a fantastic final shootout in the traffic jam. Great one-liners. Wow. (03/03/2019)

An utterly unoriginal film with very decent action and an insufferably macho Gerard Butler, whose "Big Nick" O'Brian, when not delivering macho one-liners or gesticulating in a macho way, makes chewing gum out of excess testosterone. I can get over the fact that the plot wasn't exactly original, my problem was more with the fact that the filmmakers didn't let me relate to the characters at all. So, I didn't care much about their fate and thus couldn't feel any suspense. And action films without suspense just don’t do it for me. (24/06/2018)

We finally know how Heat could have looked like if Michael Mann hadn't directed it. What's missing here is the precision of direction, the plot sweep, the feel of concrete, the neon of LA and above all the depth and fatality of the characters. Macho Butler is over the top and Schreiber as a villain, though contrived, needed a more resonant persona. The most interesting character is 50 Cent, thanks to his family background. The original is the materialised reality of everyday life, but this copy is "just a film" that also tends to repeat the classics in places. For example, in the end, and then in the opening thrilling ambush of the armoured car. (15/04/2018)