REVIEW – Action-Packed “Den of Thieves” Builds to Confusingly Familiar Crime Drama

by Joe Hammerschmidt

The mid-winter cinema dumping ground continues chugging along, to the tune of hard genre films that won’t leave much to memory, and may potentially leave a sour taste. What I noticed in Den of Thieves, was an imperfect hybrid of the two, accompanied by three astonishingly insightful leading performances, one of them the absolute saving grace of the entire picture. Take O’Shea Jackson, Jr. out of the equation, and the whole product is somewhat less tolerable to digest. Don’t be surprised in asking for a wafer cracker to settle the nerves, aka desiring a more satisfactory heist movie afterward.

Set around the harsh reality of LA’s gritty crime scene, the unofficial robbery capital of, at least the west coast, Thieves covers an equal ground where experienced heisters clash with the deputies working to finally set them up with a fair stack of grey bars. Poor Donnie (Jackson, Jr) is square in the middle between a staunch loyalty toward his fellow outlaws, led by the intense Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), and a lined hook into informant duty for the regulators, helmed by grizzled senior cop Flanagan (a rather confused Gerard Butler). Even with being cornered by the regulators, Donnie is unfazed, yet his conscience remains blurry. All while he, Merrimen, fast-talking Levi (50 Cent), and shadow-friendly Bosco (Evan Jones) plot their largest robbery attempt imaginable: attempt to remove up to $30,000,000 in recently unmarked bills from LA’s high-security Federal Reserve before it reaches a shredded heaven.

Such is a plot so paper-thin, and slow to build itself up out of the ground (nearly 2.5-hour runtime did not help), that I just couldn’t take it seriously. Nothing out of real life, but borrowing plenty DNA from the 90s actioner Heat, which I seriously have never seen, but of which first time director Christian Gudegast is a clear fan of, simply wanting to do it justice for this century, as it seems. The first hour or so, leading up to what we actually wish to experience, the meaty heist, is nothing more than aimless character setup, wasted primarily on Flanagan who we see as a starving workaholic too focused on the case instead of his wife and young daughter, as much as he loves them both and hopes to win them back. When he’s on the job, he’s 100% committed, as much as Butler whenever he’s truly on point; not quite musical, but something close. Otherwise, it’s an uneven effort, where feigning familial poignancy is an unnecessary challenge.

When Merrimen’s crew runs at the height of the intense, yet still mediocre heist sequence, which takes up the better half of the film’s bloated runtime, they do run like a quick-burning engine, until they run out of gas and it’s all padding. Gudegast, best known to American audiences as having scripted the forgotten sequel London Has Fallen for Butler, ensures that, but still keeps no consideration for when the action needs to slow down. Anyone expecting a Fast and Furious/Ocean’s 11 hybrid should keep looking, because this doesn’t quite come close. That’s more what I was hoping for, even if this individual had never touched a single F&F, it could’ve been close to the formula we all know.

50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson does not have a recognizable face to this reviewer, so he was rather hard to spot throughout. Nonetheless, his scenes were serviceable, and his contributions to the group of bandits inconsequential. Schreiber, who had previously warmed audiences up as the lead in the Benghazi thriller 13 Hours, makes for a fair leader, and an energetic counterpoint to Butler’s law-abiding anti-hero as the cat-and-mouse game grows closer. Regrettably, it’s a weak lot without Ice Cube’s son. Conveying such an impactful amount of equal parts strife and animosity, Jackson exudes a performance range not unlike his formal screen debut in Straight Outta Compton, if not more refined. He makes the film work, saves it, and keeps it rather lively through to the end, knowing there may possibly be a significant shift in the character dynamics when all is said and done.

But of course, this is not enough to keep Den of Thieves a watchable effort. It falls flat on its own face in the attempt to improve upon its closest inspiration, and even more painful is the fall when failing to try something uniquely original. The cast provides a sense of purpose which drives the plot home, managing their best from Gudegast’s own weak writing, working along with Paul Scheuring (Prison Break) to polish things off. It can’t quite live up to what it promises, which will make recommending an in-theater viewing mighty difficult. At least the heist scenes alone can make it an enjoyable rental down the road. Just be prepared for a needlessly frustrating actioner that will never succeed at what it was going for, but can at least make good, mindless fun. You know, like most films that involve highway robbery and freeway chases. (C+)

Den of Thieves opens in most area theaters this weekend. Rated R for violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity; 140 minutes.