An elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.An elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.An elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
50 Cent
- Enson Levoux
- (as Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson)
Summary
Reviewers say 'Den of Thieves' is an engaging heist film with standout performances from Gerard Butler and Pablo Schreiber. The movie is lauded for its intense action, well-paced plot, and unexpected twists. However, some critics find it derivative of 'Heat' and fault its length and plot inconsistencies. Cinematography and direction receive mixed reviews, with praise for the gritty atmosphere but criticism for its testosterone-driven focus. Overall, 'Den of Thieves' is considered a solid, though not revolutionary, entry in the heist genre.
Featured reviews
In Christian Gudegast's directorial debut, he did better in directing, than what he's know for, which is writing. There were more clearly obvious holes in the plot than a brick of Swiss cheese. His screenwriting of Gerard Butler's character was way too overboard. It was still a fun flick to see, but lost much potential with the sloppy writing. What is more laughable are all the 8, 9 and 10 reviews for this film... are the producers that dumb not to think anyone can click on a user name and see this film was the only one they rated - clearly fake reviews. This film is a generous and honest 7/10 from me.
"Den of Thieves" is an entertaining crime film with the showdown of Los Angeles County Sheriff "Big Nick" O'Brien and his team, and the criminal Ray Merrimen and his skilled gang of bank robbers. The plot is full of action and twists and the identity of the mastermind is a great surprise. The pace is perfect and the viewer does not feel the 140 minutes running time. The shootout recalls "Heat" and O'Brien´s personal drama with his wife is pointless and only a filler in the story. "Den of Thieves" is not a film for intellectuals and the target audiences will be very satisfied. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Covil de Ladrões" ("Den of Thieves")
Title (Brazil): "Covil de Ladrões" ("Den of Thieves")
If you're into this genre, you know the characters (cops and robbers), you know the storyline (a big heist), and what to expect (money and giant public shootouts). But with this movie, you can't tell where the intention is to honour the clichés, or if the movie is just so ripe with an overabundance of them that it's making a parody of itself.
It feels like the storyline pretty much just relies on the character archetypes to fuel the plot. The misfit hard edged cop with a rough family life. A crew of robbers with a of couple loose cannons and looser lips to play both sides of the law, lead by the "serious" guy in the group. It's all there. And if you're into the genre, you won't hate it but there's just nothing special about it. Nor original. As a matter of fact you'll just start to recognize patterns from good heist films like The Town, HEAT, etc.
The actors do a fair job with the script. Nothing great but no complaints. The plot has some twists and turns that are simple enough to follow, but probably could've been more enthralling with some better editing and plot development. You just never care too much about the stakes, nor any particular character's motivation. There are a few moments that insert themes of family and trust that feel a bit forced, but that's only because they were so brief. Had we gotten a bit more out of the robbers personal side of the story, we may have been more invested in the inevitable outcome for all of these characters when it came down to business.
Entertaining enough to watch and well paced but too much of it was wrapped up in an ending that was somewhat unsatisfying. Again, possibly could've been a better dit of this movie made. It will be a long ways down the list of epic heist movies. But you might still find it somewhere near the middle.
It feels like the storyline pretty much just relies on the character archetypes to fuel the plot. The misfit hard edged cop with a rough family life. A crew of robbers with a of couple loose cannons and looser lips to play both sides of the law, lead by the "serious" guy in the group. It's all there. And if you're into the genre, you won't hate it but there's just nothing special about it. Nor original. As a matter of fact you'll just start to recognize patterns from good heist films like The Town, HEAT, etc.
The actors do a fair job with the script. Nothing great but no complaints. The plot has some twists and turns that are simple enough to follow, but probably could've been more enthralling with some better editing and plot development. You just never care too much about the stakes, nor any particular character's motivation. There are a few moments that insert themes of family and trust that feel a bit forced, but that's only because they were so brief. Had we gotten a bit more out of the robbers personal side of the story, we may have been more invested in the inevitable outcome for all of these characters when it came down to business.
Entertaining enough to watch and well paced but too much of it was wrapped up in an ending that was somewhat unsatisfying. Again, possibly could've been a better dit of this movie made. It will be a long ways down the list of epic heist movies. But you might still find it somewhere near the middle.
A bunch of professional thieves knock over a big city bank and butt heads with a not so professional bunch of police.
Now on paper there is a lot to not like about this. All the main characters look like human versions of He-man figures but with neck tattoos. Everything about them just screams ass-hole.
This is actually one of the films strong points. There are no good or bad guys in this film just seriously flawed people acting on some quite ambiguous motivations. I found this made the film more exciting because there is no chance of the "good guy" winning in the last moment.
There are lots of scenes that build on characters but ultimately feel like dead ends in retrospect but does get you invested.
The action is kept to the end and when things ignite it is very exhilarating and feels quite real.
Well shot, acted and produced. The actual heist when it pans out is not particularly clever.
If you are not a big fan of action movies then all the muscle bound guys fist-bumping each other and slapping butts might be a bit of a turn off for you.
Now on paper there is a lot to not like about this. All the main characters look like human versions of He-man figures but with neck tattoos. Everything about them just screams ass-hole.
This is actually one of the films strong points. There are no good or bad guys in this film just seriously flawed people acting on some quite ambiguous motivations. I found this made the film more exciting because there is no chance of the "good guy" winning in the last moment.
There are lots of scenes that build on characters but ultimately feel like dead ends in retrospect but does get you invested.
The action is kept to the end and when things ignite it is very exhilarating and feels quite real.
Well shot, acted and produced. The actual heist when it pans out is not particularly clever.
If you are not a big fan of action movies then all the muscle bound guys fist-bumping each other and slapping butts might be a bit of a turn off for you.
This is a classic cops and robbers tale of the type you don't see anymore, plus being a huge fan of Butler loved it even more. Macho testosterone fueled action of the type Arnold, Stallone and Willis did back in the 80's and 90's.
Butler is Far superior as a action star than Statham or The Rock. A true successor to those 80's icons.
Sure its not gonna win any Oscars but for a plain good time with tons of action and macho posturing, and for a welcome change from all the Netflix Sci-Fi fare, this is all you need!
Plus its has the best gunfights since DeNiro and Pacino went at it in Heat. Trust me you don't wanna miss the gunfights.
Sure its not gonna win any Oscars but for a plain good time with tons of action and macho posturing, and for a welcome change from all the Netflix Sci-Fi fare, this is all you need!
Plus its has the best gunfights since DeNiro and Pacino went at it in Heat. Trust me you don't wanna miss the gunfights.
Did you know
- TriviaGerard Butler and his crew are loosely based on former ATF agent Jay Dobyns, who consulted on the film. Dobyns is best known for his undercover work and his willingness to infiltrate crime organizations, much like Gerard Butler's character. Dobyns makes a cameo in the film at the bar Donnie works at in LA, closing his tab at the bar.
- GoofsHigh security facilities like the Federal Reserve would not allow a guest like Donnie (or any food deliveryman) to walk around unescorted. If an employee ordered food, they would most likely have to come down to the front desk and pick it up themselves. Either that or the deliveryman would be escorted by security the entire time they are in a secure area.
- Quotes
Ray Merrimen: I ain't cuffin' up
'Big Nick' O'Brien: That's ok. I didn't bring my cuffs anyway.
- Crazy creditsOpening cards: 2400 times a year. 44 times a week. 9 times a day. Every 48 minutes. A bank is robbed here. This is the bank robbery capital of the world. Los Angeles.
Gardenia, South Los Angeles. 5:14 am.
- Alternate versionsGerman distributor Concorde chose to cut approx. 16 minutes from the movie to tighten the pace (removed were mostly family related scenes with Butler's character Nick).
- SoundtracksEin Prosit
Traditional
Performed by Munich Beerfest Band
Courtesy of K-Tel Music Inc.
- How long is Den of Thieves?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- El robo perfecto
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $44,947,622
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $15,206,108
- Jan 21, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $80,509,622
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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