Den of Thieves
2018 · Directed by Christian Gudegast
Original language: English
- crime
- thriller
- action
The story
A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
What it’s like
Hard-edged, sodium-lit Los Angeles: night streets washed in orange streetlamp glow, fluorescent-bright interiors of precinct rooms and a strip club, and the glossy, desaturated digital sheen of a studio action picture. Camera work leans on fast cuts, sweeping aerial shots of the freeways, and kinetic handheld coverage once the shooting starts, with gunfire rendered loud and close. The score is a pounding, bass-heavy electronic and orchestral blend that drives the set pieces and drops out for tense planning scenes. Its vibe is swaggering, grimy machismo, the kind of late-night, popcorn-in-hand momentum suited to a Friday evening or a long flight where you want to be pulled along. The pacing is brisk, with long stretches of ruthless, testosterone-heavy bravado giving way to bursts of violence. Intensity is high: frequent gunfire and shootouts, brutal fights, police violence, profanity, and a sexual undercurrent in the strip-club scenes, with gore present but not the central focus. The emotional register is hard and cynical, following two rival-yet-mirrored men, one a cop and one a thief, as their respect for each other hardens into something close to obsession. It is for viewers who enjoy big-budget heist and cop-versus-crook spectacle and are comfortable with its loud, unsubtle machismo.
More films like Den of Thieves
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Den of Thievesand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
