REVIEW: Den of Thieves

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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-

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