“The Den of Thieves” by Christian Gudegast should not have worked. At first glance, the film appeared to be little more than a knockoff of Michael Mann’s “Heat” and countless other cops-and-robbers thrillers. Indeed, the film is often derivative – not only does it owe a huge debt to “Heat,” but it even adds a last-minute twist shamelessly “borrowed” from “The Usual Suspects.” And yet… “The Cove of Thieves” reigned inexplicably. While no one could accuse the film of being original, the end result was extremely entertaining and enjoyable, and I don’t mean that in a cynical “so bad it’s good” way. Violent, engaging, funny and unapologetically brash, “Den of Thieves” is dirty, dirty stuff – a scuzzy, dirty action movie about angry men shooting loud guns. It’s not high art, it’s trash, and I love it with all my heart.
It’s hard to hate a movie that features its hero, big cop Big Nick O’Brien, grabbing a donut off the ground at an outdoor murder scene and taking a big bite. Shortly after, Big Nick can be seen drinking straight from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Played by Gerard Butler, Big Nick seems perpetually hungover – if you told me Butler drank half a bottle of Jack Daniels before filming his scenes, I’d believe you. A swaggering, macho mess who constantly seemed on the verge of belching, Big Nick was a flawed and brutal beast, unfaithful to his wife and prone to bending the law he was sworn to uphold to get what he wanted. And ultimately, Big Nick lost.
“Den of Thieves” saw Big Nick and his team on the trail of a gang of bank robbers led by Navy vet Ray Merrimen, played by Pablo Schreiber. As the gang began planning their latest score, Big Nick attempted to infiltrate the group by turning their getaway driver, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), into an informant. This all culminated in a large shootout that left several people dead, including Merrimen. However, in a final twist, Big Nick was shocked to learn that Merrimen was not the mastermind of the gang. Instead, the entire heist was concocted by Donnie, who was secretly a criminal mastermind and ultimately the only survivor who ended up getting away with all the stolen money. The “Den of Thieves” saga could have ended there, but there was also room for more – and, much to the surprise, the film ended up being a much bigger success than expected. A sequel has been announced, and now it’s coming in the form of “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.” Rather than trying to recreate the LA cop movie energy of the first film, Gudegast takes the story to Europe, creating something larger in scope and creating a film that almost feels like a buddy comedy about guys big and strong guys who bond while committing 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 cinema history.
