Christian Gudegast’s “Den of Thieves” shouldn’t have worked. At a glance, the film appeared to be little more than a knock-off of Michael Mann’s “Heat” and countless other cops-and-robbers thrillers. Indeed, the film is frequently derivative — not only does it owe a huge debt to “Heat,” but it even throws in a last-minute twist shamelessly “borrowed” from “The Usual Suspects.” And yet … “Den of Thieves” inexplicably ruled. While no one could accuse the flick of being original, the end result was wildly entertaining and enjoyable, and I don’t mean in a cynical “so bad it’s good” sort of way. Violent, engaging, funny, and unapologetically brash, “Den of Thieves” is down and dirty stuff — a scuzzy, dirtbag action flick about angry men shooting loud guns. It’s not high art, it’s high trash, and I love it with all my heart.Â
It’s hard to hate a film that introduces its hero, bulky cop Big Nick O’Brien, grabbing a donut off the ground at an outdoor murder scene and taking a big bite. Not long after this moment, Big Nick can be seen chugging directly from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. As played by Gerard Butler, Big Nick seems perpetually hungover — if you told me Butler had downed half a bottle of Jack Daniels before he shot his scenes, I’d believe you. A swaggering, macho mess who seems constantly on the verge of belching, Big Nick was a flawed, rough beast, unfaithful to his wife and prone to bending the law he’s sworn to uphold in order to get his way. And in the end, Big Nick lost.Â
“Den of Thieves” saw Big Nick and his crew on the trail of a gang of bank robbers lead by Marine vet Ray Merrimen, played by Pablo Schreiber. As the gang set about planning their latest score, Big Nick tried to infiltrate the group by turning their getaway driver, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), into an informant. It all culminated in a big shootout that left multiple people, including Merrimen, dead. In one final twist, though, Big Nick was shocked to learn that Merrimen wasn’t the gang’s mastermind. Instead, the entire heist was cooked up by Donnie, who was secretly a criminal genius and ultimately the only survivor who ended up getting away with all of the stolen money. The “Den of Thieves” saga could’ve ended there, but there was also room for more — and, in a big surprise, the film ended up being a much bigger hit than expected. A sequel was announced, and now it arrives in the form of “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.” Rather than try to recreate the scuzzball LA crime movie energy of the first film, Gudegast takes the story to Europe, crafting something larger in scope and creating a film that almost feels like a buddy comedy about big, beefy guys bonding while committing some crimes. It’s an absolute blast, and a triumph of Dudes Rock cinema. Long live Big Nick O’Brien, one of the greatest characters in movie history.Â