(ThyBlackMan.com) Den of Thieves is a heist film that is not lacking in gun fire action, and plenty of testosterone. The film starring Gerald Butler, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Pablo Scheiber and O’Shea Jackson Jr center elite local County Sheriffs trying to stop a group of thieves, that happen to be former Marines, from robbing the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles. It is safe to say movie is not terrible, but it missed the opportunity to be great.
In Den of Thieves it is very easy to identify the “crews” the sheriffs being one of them in a sense. The viewer could find themselves on the side of the criminal as the sheriffs don’t represent the law well. We see police officers, as we do in many movies dealing with specialized parts of departments, that resemble gangsters in their actions and presentation. Big Nick “Gerald Butler” was very clear when he asked Donnie “O’Shea Jackson Jr” if they look like the kinds of officers that would arrest him and bring him in. He made it clear that Donnie could be shot as it would be less work for them.
Here we have the unfavorable depiction of law enforcement that fuels the argument we are seeing in society right now regarding their lack of observance of the law. Donnie was kidnapped, tased and threatened with no evidence at the time. The Major Crimes division of the Los Angeles Sherriff’s office was allowed to act recklessly even in the presence of the FBI. In the shoot-out amongst the cars no real regard for civilian life. The cars were turned into swiss cheese with no consequences of course. This is definitely movie magic, or so we hope.
One major issue is it seems that characters such as Merrimen (Pablo Scheiber) and his crew are a mystery. We don’t know much about them other than their time in the service nor why they rob banks…there is simply no connections made. While too much time is spent on the Big Nick and how much his life is in turmoil. The slow parts of the movie is this characters marriage falling apart. So much is focused on him that depth seems lacking in other characters. Viewers are left wondering…why? Why rob banks as there are members of Merrimen’s crew that clearly, outside of the little we see, are not criminals. Why some members of the crew such as Levi (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) are willing to risk everything makes no sense at all.
Donnie’s character was the movie twist that saved this film in what seemed to be a battle of Big Nick verse Merrimen with no details. One can only wonder if so much focus was put on Big Nick to hide all the subtle indicators that Donnie was more than the viewer realized. As the movie progresses it clearly Merrimen’s crew verses the Sheriffs, yet the entire time there was a third crew woven into the very fabric of the movie that no one would have suspected until the end. Supporting cast, we saw in the Federal Reserve working constituted another crew led by Donnie. This is what gave the movie the depth it needed to make some viewers believe a sequel is necessary.
The cast for Den of Thieves is also a component that kept the movie interesting. Gerald Butler embodies the Alpha male in all of his dominant, yet tragic presence. While Pablo Scheiber’s character, also Alpha Male, was the quiet storm that was composed yet it is understood that he could be catastrophic at any given moment. The actors in the film embodied the presence of their characters in a manner that allowed could draw the viewer in. O’Shea Jackson Jr was great at being a disarming mastermind while Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s presence alone was intimidating. The scene where he has a “chat” with his daughter’s date really was one of my favorite scenes in the film. It’s one that allows us to see the crew as a family.
If there happens to be a Den of Thieves sequel I would hope they focus on Donnie as the main character, and not Big Nick. It would be great if at some point there is a reference to this film that explains some of the information holes regarding the characters and their motives. I must say I was hoping there would be more closure to Merrimen’s character because he was a vital component of this movie, but we are left to wonder. Overall the film is good, and worth a viewing, but you will walk away knowing it could have been a great heist film. Too much was missing for the movie to be 2hr and 20min. There was more than enough time to give us greatness in Den of Thieves.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
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