There’s something about a heist movie which seems to particularly chime with audiences in the States. The fascination of pitting the good guys against the bad guys and then blurring the lines. Rooting for the underdog and then watching the bad guy take down the system. Cat and mouse chases, outsmarting your enemy and pulling off the big one. Den of Thieves borrows from all these tropes and clichés whilst spinning its own unique yarn.
When Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) and his crew rob an armoured truck, one of the guards ends up being killed. Detective Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler), who has been tracking Merrimen’s gang for a while, smells a rat as no money was taken. He shakes-down a bartender (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who he suspects is involved and learns that they’re planning on hitting the Federal Reserve later that week. Nick is determined to catch them in the act.
Den of Thieves is a cleverly plotted and intelligently scripted crime thriller. Director Christian Gudegast’s film introduces a lot of familiar elements but somehow manages to juggle everything in a way which ties together nicely in a gripping finale. The acting is decent enough but it does feel a trifle too long. It could easily have been edited down into a much tauter and slicker movie. Having said that, Den of Thieves pulls off a highly intricate slight of hand with aplomb.
Den of Thieves is out now on Digital Download ,Blu Ray and DVD.
