Heist films are typically filled with tropes and clichéd action sequences. Den of Thieves offers a new perspective on crime action films. The film stars O’Shea Jackson Junior (Straight Outta Compton) and Gerard Butler (300) on opposite sides of the law. Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr) is a new member of a bank heist crew focused on robbing the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles. Gerard Butler heads up a special division of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department that is determined on stopping this crew.
The film delves deeper than typical films of this genre. Instead of having one-dimensional characters who are either career criminals or law enforcement officers seeking to be heroes, we find characters that are much more than their description. The criminals are cerebral and men of action. We see them as flawed beings who have families, friendships, and goals of eventually leaving crime.
For those on the side of the law, we witness how these heroes are only valiant on the outside. We see them as vulnerable, overzealous, and skirting the law as they view themselves as the embodiment of the law.
Den of Thieves demonstrates that crime action films can have well-developed storylines that don’t rely on the action to carry the film forward. The film will have audiences speculating about the next move and progression of the stories and crimes in a way that would make Ocean’s Eleven envious in its creativity. The characters have you confused and conflicted as who to pull for as they make the criminals relatable and sympathetic.
Den Of Thieves raises the bar for the genre of heist movies.
4/5
