I had low expectations going in to Den of Thieves. My biggest concern, for good reason, was the undercurrent in the trailers that reinforces negative stereotypes of law enforcement. There has been a cultural assault on law enforcement for the past few years, making me cringe a bit at the thought of a completely rogue anti-crime unit within a sheriff's office. I decided to grit my teeth and check this film out anyway. Regardless of Butler's last flop, Geostorm, I like him. The film did seem to have some decent qualities beyond the incredible premise.
Nick Flanagan (Gerard Butler) heads the major crimes unit at the LA County Sheriff's Office. He is as gritty as he is violent. A string of sophisticated armed robberies over the past decade seem to point to a crew of former Marines. Led by a recently released convict, Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), the bank crew has plans to pull off a major job at the federal reserve in Los Angeles. Flanagan believes he has an inside man when he attempts to "turn" Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) who drives for the crew. This is not your typical cops and robbers scenario, as the blurred lines lead to intentional path crossing. And line crossing. The posturing seems destined for an explosive conclusion at the federal reserve. But everything may not be as it seems.
Let me start by saying that the entire premise of this film is laughable. I had to suspend belief going into the film and leave it suspended. Beyond the blatant disregard for rule of law, the film had quite a few technical errors. Mostly small stuff, but that stuff irritates me. This looked like a big budget film. Continuity is important. It is almost guaranteed you are going to see more bullets fired than a magazine can hold (check), but there were also some continuity issues. Things as simple as a "Sheriff" patch appearing on Flanagan's vest halfway through the action. The way the dealt with injuries, chose engagements and even cleared rooms was also irritating. I wanted to yell out "dig the corners" or "watch your muzzle."
In addition to Butler, Schreiber and O'Shea, the film features Jordan Bridges as an FBI agent, 50 Cent and Evan Jones on the bank robbery crew, and Maurice Compte as Flanagan's partner. The casting was solid. The bank robbery crew had the right look to be convicted criminals that were also Marines. They had to be likable bad guys, which the casting managed to pull off. Butler was strong in the lead role. While I didn't like the nature of the role, Butler delivered the goods. He was far better than the tepid Geostorm performance (which was largely the writing). The casting added a level of credibility to the film.
Den of Thieves lacked credibility, but it was a decent story. The film uses a bit of misdirection to deliver a twist ending. While I saw it coming, it was still subtle and well constructed. The pacing was solid and the performances spot on. With great casting and solid dialogue, this film exceeded my expectations. The film was too long at two hours, twenty minutes. Yet it didn't feel that long due to strong pacing and solid story telling. The film received an R rating for some brief nudity, language, lots of violence, death, and language. It is not a film for younger viewers. Teens and above should be adequate.
Den of Thieves is more of a guy film. As a guy, I enjoyed it. Probably more than I should have. I'm not sure it will appeal as much to female audiences, although my wife didn't complain much about it. The film requires you to suspend belief and reinforces negative stereotypes about law enforcement. But the story was good, the pacing was pulsating, the performances were spot on and the action was riveting. Overall, it was a mixed bag good enough for a matinee theater recommendation. 7.5/10.
