A triumph of Dude Rock Cinema

Christian Gudegast's “Den of Thieves” should not have worked. At first glance, the film seemed like nothing more than a knock-off of Michael Mann's “Heat” and countless other cop-and-robber thrillers. Indeed, the film is often 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 reigned. While no one could fault the film for being original, the end result was highly entertaining and enjoyable, and I don't mean cynically “so bad it's good.” Violent, engaging, funny and impeccably cheeky, Den of Thieves is down and dirty, a dirty, dirtbag action movie about angry men shooting loud guns. It's not high art, it's high trash, and I love it with all my heart.

It's hard to hate a movie that introduces its hero, hulking cop Big Nick O'Brien, who grabs a donut off the ground at the scene of an outdoor murder and takes a bite. Shortly after this, Big Nick can be seen sipping straight from a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Gerard Butler's portrayal of Big Nick seems perpetually hungover—if you told me Butler had downed half a bottle of Jack Daniels before shooting the scenes, I'd believe you. Stupid, macho, constantly on the verge of burping, Big Nick was a flawed, rude beast, unfaithful to his wife and prone to breaking the laws he's sworn to uphold to get his way. And in the end, Big Nick lost.

Den of Thieves saw Big Nick and his crew on the trail of a gang of bank robbers led by marine vet Ray Merriman, played by Pablo Schreiber. As the gang began 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 major shootout in which several people were killed, including Merrimen. However, in one final twist, Big Nick was shocked to learn that the Merrimen was not the wiseguy of the gang. Instead, the whole heist was done by Donny, who was secretly a criminal and ultimately the only survivor to get away with all the stolen money. The “Den of Thieves” saga could have ended there, but there was room for more – and much to his surprise, the film became a much bigger hit than expected. A sequel was announcedand is now available as “Den of Thieves 2: Panther”. Instead of trying to recreate the energy of the scuzzball LA crime movie of the first film, Gudegast takes the story to Europe, creating something more expansive and creating a film that almost feels like a buddy comedy about big, tough guys who bond over some crimes. It's an absolute blast and a triumph of Dudes Rock cinema. Long live the great Nick O'Brien, one of the greatest characters in film history.