Triumph Men Rock Cinema

“Den of Thieves” by Christian Gudegast It shouldn’t have worked. At a quick glance, the film looked like nothing more than a knockoff of Michael Mann’s “Heat” and countless other cop-and-robber thrillers. In fact, the film is often derivative – not only does it owe a huge debt to “Heat,” it also offers a last-minute twist that shamelessly “borrows” from “The Usual Suspects.” However…the Den of Thieves ruled inexplicably. Although no one could accuse the film of being original, the end result was largely entertaining and entertaining, and I don’t mean in a cynical “so bad it’s good” way. Violent, engaging, funny, and unapologetically raucous, “Den of Thieves” is a bad, dirty movie — a nauseating 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 features its hero, hulking cop Big Nick O’Brien, picking a donut off the ground at an outdoor murder scene and taking a big bite. Shortly after this moment, Big Nick can be seen screaming directly from a Pepto-Bismol bottle. Big Nick, as played by Gerard Butler, seems to be perpetually hungry — if you told me Butler downed half a bottle of Jack Daniels before filming his scenes, I’d believe you. A brash, masculine mess who always seemed on the verge of belching, Big Nick was a rough, flawed monster, unfaithful to his wife and prone to bending the law he swore to uphold in order to get his way. In the end, Big Nick lost.

“Den of Thieves” saw Big Nick and his crew tracking down a gang of bank robbers led by Navy vet Ray Merriman, played by Pablo Schreiber. As the gang set about planning their latest hit, Big Nick attempts to infiltrate the group by turning their getaway driver, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), into an informant. It all culminated in a major shootout that left several people dead, including Merryman. But in a final development, Big Nick is shocked to learn that Merryman It wasn’t The mastermind of the gang. Instead, the entire heist was cooked up by Donnie, who was secretly a criminal genius 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 in a huge surprise, the film was a much bigger hit than expected. A sequel has been announcedand now it arrives in the form of “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.” Instead of trying to recreate the Los Angeles crime-movie energy of the first film, Gudegast takes the story to Europe, crafts something larger in scope and makes a film that feels like a buddy comedy about big, fat guys who bond over the course of committing some crime. It’s an absolute blast and a triumph of Dudes Rock cinema. Long live Big Nick O’Brien, one of the greatest figures in cinematic history.