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 Den of Thieves 

Rate this film:
A 43%  43%  [ 3 ]
B 29%  29%  [ 2 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 29%  29%  [ 2 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 7

 Den of Thieves 
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Pure Phase
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Post Den of Thieves
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Den of Thieves is a 2018 American heist action thriller film directed, produced and co-written by Christian Gudegast.

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1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Sat Jan 20, 2018 8:13 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
So the writer of London Has Fallen, in his directorial debut, has remade Heat with Gerard Butler as Al Pacino, American Gods' Pablo Schreiber as Robert De Niro, and 50 Cent as Val Kilmer. And it is...fairly amazing. Other than a superfluous minute-long coda at the end (with a too-pat final twist), this is a riveting and stylish crime epic with kinetic heist-and-shootout sequences, an involving constellation of savage characters on both sides of the law, and a superbly debauched and charismatic performance by Butler. Enormous fun and a surprising treat so early in the year.

A-

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1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:16 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
^ Good news. I’m gonna see it sometime this week.


Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:36 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Den is a solid action thriller, one where you start the movie on the side of the cops but don’t know who to support by the end. It’s a very cool idea for a heist movie, if things had gone according to plan the thieves would have made it out without hurting anyone. But obviously things dont and many many people die in some tense, but exciting shoot outs.

The one big problem is, that despite being almost 2.5 hours, the movie never really bothers to develop anyone but Butler. There are so many “Butler self-destructs in a social situation” parts that could have been better spent. I loved the scene where 50 was talking to his daughters prom date, but thats about it as far as his character goes. Also what was with Butler having sex with Merriman’s wife? That never came up again. I’m conflicted on the end too, as I think it would have been better without the twist.

I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is into crime movies. It may be a far cry from the movie it is trying to emulate, but the effort is appreciated.


Tue Jan 23, 2018 12:58 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Some really great scenes that builds up so well and the final crime doesn't disappoint. The ending twist though it purely crap and takes away a lot from the movie it set to build before a simple the idiot skipped would have worked though when they did change the truck and caught the wrong truck I was suspicious because it didn't look like something the guys would plan. Also the side story is so damn crap, was there any need to see Butler as the family man getting divorced and then crying? or 50 threatening his girl's boyfriend (great scene BTW), or the needless relationship between Butler and Schriber.

The final heist is tense and superb which alone is good enough for the admission ticket here. Some more time on its setup would have worked better rather than trying to surprise with the actual events. The fights overall are very well choreographed.

6/10


Fri Feb 02, 2018 12:03 am
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Den of Thieves

Excellent cops-and robbers-action film. Full to the brim of machismo. Tattoos, muscles, macho standoffs, guns, leather jackets...it's all there. The final hour (the heist and the ensuing chase) is absolutely enthralling and doesn't let up. Great action. The film shares a structure (and even some scenes) with Heat, but it's a totally different beast in its own regard. Actually, it feels very much like it shares a universe with Triple 9 and Sabotage. It is not as sophisticated and neat and cool as Heat. It's more rough around the edges. The dynamic here is turned on its head because for me I'm rooting for McCauley in Heat but Nick in Thieves, which makes it interesting to see [essentially] the same story but from the other side. And Butler is great as the wildcard sheriff cop. No uniform, no rules. It's great.

The setup for a sequel is a little glib, and Nick's divorce/not seeing the kids plot thread loses steam about half-way through the film, but I'll give those a pass because I did not see the final twist coming.

A-


Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:51 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Flava'd vs The World wrote:
Also what was with Butler having sex with Merriman’s wife? That never came up again.


It didn't need to. Nick was goading Merriman, but Merriman wanted that to happen in order get his phone number so he could trump Nick in that little mind game exercise. Remember he calls Nick from inside the Pico Rivera Savings Bank? And also because he wanted to keep Nick and the feds surrounding that bank and not following them to the Federal Reserve.


Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:58 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
A pretty solid crime thriller. I heard so many complaints from people who disliked it because they thought it was too much of a ripoff of Heat, and while they do have their similarities I definitely wouldn't call this a rip-off. You could say the same about The Town and while I didn't like this as much as that movie it's a far more engaging and thrilling heist film than something like Triple 9 IMO. This and The Town have to be the one of the very few films where I like the criminals more than the so called good guys and I have to give it major props for that. I loved every minute of the macho badassary of when Gerard Butler was on screen. The guy was truly a prick, but I enjoyed watching his character interacting with other characters especially Pablo Schreiber lol. O'Shea Jackson Jr. was good here too and easily my favorite character in the movie mostly because I found him to be the most likable. 50 Cent is barely in it which is only good thing, but he ain't that bad either, however the two big heist action sequences are why I liked this so much. Very well staged, violent and intense stuff and I hope to see this director do more crime/action films.

B


Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:41 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Awesome film. It might lean heavy on what Heat brought to the screen before, and while not having the same style as that, Gudegast adds his own flavor of bank robbing, set up and shootouts that make this a glorious experience. The cast is great, Butler, Schrieber and O'Shea Jackson all stand out. The film starts off with a fantastic escalated armor truck robbery and it doesn't let up from there on. Moments like Butler's wife finding out about his infidelity, and 50 Cent's daughter being picked up for a date fit perfectly in the back story. It's just really well scripted and gritty in execution with excellent cinematography. Nicely composed by Cliff Martinez also, this is the best gem of the year so far. Love it.

A


Sun Jul 29, 2018 5:11 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Very pleased you enjoyed it. It is one of 2018's best films.


Sun Jul 29, 2018 6:29 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Yeah, wish I could have caught it in the cinema, and had some difficulty to find a good time to watch it earlier, great it makes the whole year instantly better for me.


Sun Jul 29, 2018 11:39 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
The shootout is amazing in the cinema.


Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:03 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
This is an underrated gem. A nice surprise, especially because it was released in January.

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Sun Jul 29, 2018 11:07 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
It would have been so cool if Murph was played by Josh Brolin instead of Brian van Holt. He wouldn't have even needed to change his clothes from Soldado.


Sun Jul 29, 2018 11:15 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Excellent film. Holds up well at home.

It's one of a handful of films in the last 5-10 years that are pure action gems. Films like Triple Frontier, Triple 9, Sabotage, Sicario, Soldado, and John Wick.

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Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:43 am
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Is this the most random KJ best picture nomination?


Sat Feb 11, 2023 6:05 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
I've no idea. I don't keep track of KJ nominations. But it is a great film, so if it was nominated then :thumbsup:

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Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:20 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
I nominated I recall. It’s a surprisingly good and entertains film in a year that wasnt all that great for the typical awards films.

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Mon Feb 13, 2023 8:52 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
I finally re-watched this for the first time today and with its sequel probably coming out next year I got extra in the mood for it, and it's still a blast. Loved it all over again, from the gang on both sides of the law this is just a riveting action thriller which definitely deserves a sequel for it's style and bravado. The shootouts are fantastic, and this just a great package of screenplay, camerawork and cast to be one of my favorite action films of the last decade and now post 2018 I can also say it's just the best that year has to offer.


Tue Dec 12, 2023 3:47 pm
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Post Re: Den of Thieves
Yeah it really is one of the best actioners of the decade and IMO the best most engaging film of 2018 (off the top of my head anyway)

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Tue Dec 12, 2023 9:10 pm
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