Den of Thieves

(spoiler free)

Previous to ‘Den of Thieves’ director Christian Gudegast’s only notable credit is being a screenwriter for ‘London Has Fallen’, a disaster of a movie by name and by nature. Furthermore, after a recent string of truly awful films, including said action sequel, would reuniting Gerard Butler with Gudegast really work in favour of this new heist movie? It’s fair to say that the odds were firmly stacked against the pair.

The film, which is also written by Gudegast, follows a group of County Sheriff Deputies, lead by Butler’s “Big Nick”, who are attempting to catch a gang of thieves who specialize in bank robberies. Thankfully ‘Den of Thieves’ sees a major improvement in Gudegast’s writing as he crafts a well thought out heist movie rich with good quality action sequences. Albeit, it’s hard to make bank robberies boring but here he takes his time with his narrative which makes the bursts of action all the more exciting. The action, with some shaky cam aside, is largely well filmed with some excellent sound attached to its sequences. You feel right in the centre of the gun fights and it’s electric energy is really enjoyable to witness on the big screen. When the story is stripped of these action sequences though there is a certain frustration that comes with the lack of exposition as the film unfolds. Though, stick with the film as the answers do come as the this issue is remedied in it’s very final moments. Despite this though it has to be said that this frustration does result in a loss of intrigue for quite some time. It causes the film to lose some credibility in the mind of the viewer and although this won’t be an issue upon rewatches it is a problem upon the original viewing experience.

Those frustrations aside though it’s often thoroughly solid stuff. It’s most definitely a return to form for Butler, as he performs in one of his best roles in several years. Whilst he heads up the group of Sheriffs its Pablo Scheriber running the show on the other side of the law. Scheriber is a great presence on screen and he nails his criminal role, hopefully his work here will bring him similarly substantial roles in the future as he’s really proved himself as an effective action asset. Both of these actors contribute well to the more complex tone of the film. This isn’t a simple good cops versus bad criminals affair nor is it the kind of film in which the audience is firmly on the side of the criminals. The morality of all the characters is brought into the spotlight and allows for a more involved experience as viewers will be torn as to who they want to see come out on top. The film also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. in only his third film appearance after ‘Straight Outta Compton’ & ‘Ingrid Goes West’. The young star is three for three so far and continues to exude his charisma and ability, easily standing out amongst a well established cast.  

So although the film’s run-time might allude to it being something more substantial than it really is ‘Den of Thieves’ is still a huge improvement for screenwriter & director Christian Gudegast, a step firmly back in the right direction for Butler and and a continued run of success for Jackson Jr. Once viewers have all the narrative details to appreicate the film becomes far more satisfying but even amongst the potential frustrations whilst waiting for these the strong performances and boisterous action are a more than ample substitute to keep audiences entertained.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 7/10

Question: What is your favourite Gerard Butler movie?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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