Den of Thieves
Starring: Gerard Butler
Is there any genre more cliched than the “clever heist“ film?
Let me present Exhibit A, Den of Thieves, a slightly better than paint by the numbers crime thriller currently hitting the multiplexes.
More than most, this film emphasises the cop/crim, two sides of the same coin argument.
Certainly, the cop crew headed by Gerard Butler look and act like bad guys, and seem to have more substance abuse problems than the crooks.
Their opponents are a crack ex-military bank-robbing crew who are making hay in LA, the bank robbery capital of the world, we’re told.
There are some worthy twists and turns in the plot, which raise it above the average crime flick.
And Butler’s turn as the burnt-out cop on the edge – yes, of course you’ve seen it before – is well worth the price of admission.
Credit where credit’s due, too – the gunfights are well done and, pleasingly, they’ve got the sound of the blasts just right – it’s an art often neglected.
Watch also for the Keyser Soze moment – can’t say any more – but I certainly didn’t see it coming, so they out-foxed me.
– Jason Beck
