Every day, $120mm in cash is taken out of circulation and destroyed by the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve - unless a notorious, elite crew of bank robbers can pull off the ultimate heist and get to the money first... right under the noses of LA's most feared division in law enforcement.
The loser is the audience for Den of Thieves, an over-the-top crime saga mainly indicating that its writer/director has seen Michael Mann's Heat too many times.
"Den of Thieves" may not be as moody as "To Live and Die in L.A." or as clever as "The Usual Suspects," but it works well on its own terms. As for Butler, it's like discovering him all over again.
[Butler] tears into his performance as nasty cop (well, sheriff) and lousy husband Nick Flanagan the way Flanagan tears into a crime-scene donut, and crams the screen with a combination of Russell Crowe's burly menace and Mel Gibson's manic rage.
Enduring the 140 immediately and unswervingly painful minutes inexplicably afforded to "Den of Thieves" is like watching a thrill-seeking liquor-store robber get a "Born to Lose" chest tattoo in real time.
...needs serious editing to at least take out the irrelevant wife story and to explain the incomprehensible heist better...Even so, it's a fun film to watch with excellent tension, and holds your interest throughout.