There are a million stories in the Naked City. This is one of them.
Nick Flanagan (Gerard Butler) leads the Regulators, a group of Los Angeles County Sheriffs who like to blur the line of ethical and illegal as they chase down criminals. After an armored car is stolen from a doughnut shop heist, a game of cat and mouse ensues with a group of criminals led by Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) who decide to rob one of the most secure Federal bank buildings in the country. And thus is “Den of Thieves”.
If you have done any research on this film, the most glaring aspect of it comes with the run time. Clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes, first time director but writer of “A Man Apart” and “London Has Fallen” Christian Gudegast gets really bold with this story that seems at first to be a simple premise. With a supporting cast that includes Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Dawn Oliveri, Cooper Andrews, and Maurice Compte, this is a case where a trailer does not disappoint what ends up on the screen. Told at a break-neck pace that still keeps the audience from constantly chasing what is going on with the story, this works on multiple levels with characters that are more than just dudes with guns. Each and every character has their own motivations for being involved in this caper on both sides of the law: some are as simple as getting paid, while others by family struggle, and even others by loyalty to themselves and each other. I really got the feel here that this is “Heat” meets the original “Point Break” without trying to be either one of those films.
To say that “Den of Thieves” exceeded my expectations for it is an understatement. Shot beautifully, well-executed, and featuring a number of twists and turns all the way up until the end credits, this is a film that I hope will get the respect from audiences that it deserves. This is yet another example of how the January release does not have to be the cautious path to the theater that it has been in the past. Get your popcorn ready, strap in, crank up the sound, and just enjoy this film!