Christian Gudegast’s “Den of Thieves” wasn’t supposed to work. At first glance, the film seemed like a pastiche of Michael Mann’s Heat and countless other cop-and-robber thrillers. In fact, the film is often derivative, with a final twist that not only owes a lot to Heat but also shamelessly “borrows” from The Usual Suspects. And yet…the “den of thieves” inexplicably took control. While no one could accuse this film of being unoriginal, the end result was very interesting and enjoyable. I don’t mean it in the ironic sense of “so bad it’s good.” Violent, charming, funny, and unapologetically sassy, Den of Thieves is down and dirty. It’s a dirty, filthy action movie about angry men firing guns. It’s not high art, it’s high trash, but I absolutely love it.
It’s hard to dislike a movie where the main character, hulking cop Big Nick O’Brien, grabs a donut off the ground and devours it at an outdoor murder scene. Not long after this moment, Big Nick is seen drinking directly from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Big Nick, played by Gerard Butler, always seems to have a hangover. If I told you Butler drank half a bottle of Jack Daniel’s before filming a scene, I’d believe you. Big Nick, a swaggering macho man always on the verge of burping, was a flawed, unruly beast, unfaithful to his wife, and prone to bending the laws he was sworn to uphold to get his way. . And in the end, Big Nick lost.
“Den of Thieves” follows Big Nick and his crew as they pursue a group of bank robbers led by Marine veteran Ray Merrimen, played by Pablo Schreiber. As the gang begins to plan their latest project, Big Nick uses getaway driver Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) as an informant to infiltrate the group. It all culminated in a massive gunfight in which multiple people were killed, including Merrimen. But in a final twist, Big Nick realizes that Merrimen is It wasn’t like that The mastermind of the gang. Instead, the entire robbery was set up by Donnie. Donnie was secretly a criminal genius and was the only survivor who ended up bringing home all of the stolen gold. The Den of Thieves story could have ended there, but there was more to it. And, to everyone’s great surprise, the film became a much bigger hit than expected. A sequel has been announced, this time in the form of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. Rather than trying to recreate the raucous energy of his previous L.A. crime films, Gudegast takes the story to Europe and creates something of a greater scope, with a group of big-guy buddies who bond while committing crimes. He created a movie that felt like a comedy. This is an absolute blast and a triumph for Dude’s Rock movies. Long live Big Nick O’Brien, one of the greatest characters in movie history.
