MOVIE REVIEW:DEN OF THIEVES DOESN'T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE

Den of thieves had everyone buzzing since its trailer was released and it tops The Commuter as the first huge release of 2018.But you would be a little disappointed if you looked forward to a jaw-dropping,heart-wrenching action packed movie.

 It is at the very best a decent film.The most positive highlights were director,Chris Gudegast's splendid job in getting the best out of Gerard Butler who plays 'Big Nick', the lead character and Detective of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department and also Pablo Schreiber (Ray Merrimen),the menacing leader of the bank thieves.In a movie like this where virtually everyone roots for the bad guys even with the knowledge that they would eventually have to go down,it is important a good job is done of the chief protagonist who is almost always out to get them.

Butler (Big Nick) isn't your exemplary action hero,he has a body full of tattoos,cheats on his wife with strippers and gets physical with suspects.Like he says in that memorable scene in the trailer: "we are the bad guys" and not the bad guys.

But Pablo Schreiber (Ray Merrimen) is a real bad guy and he plays his role so well he covers up handsomely, the numerous flaws surrounding the gang.There is so little loose dialogue involving its members,Curtis '50 cent' Jackson (Levi) seemed a guest appearance with many scenes rather than a prominent supporting cast; Merrimen's number 2.

Perhaps a scene of 50 intimidating his daughter's visiting boy friend was an attempt to remedy that but the key is never to be caught in the act.We never saw Levi's family after that and it made it very obvious the producers themselves understood the need to digress from meets and plots.The scene was useless in the scheme of things.It only highlights the lack of creativity to do what they themselves recognize as the needful.

Its almost like crew members like Bosco (Evan Jones) go through the entire movie without uttering a word.

Then you have the gang member whom the plot revolves round; Donnie (O'shea Jackson jnr).Ok,at the ending we get to know he conceived the plan to rob the Los Angeles Bank of Reserves and sold it to Ray Merrimen while also hatching one to bolt with the loot while they take the fall but for the love of God why would an experienced and brilliant criminal mind like Merrimen go ahead to keep him on the team even after knowing he may be compromised?.We were meant to believe getting rail roaded by the cops was part of Donnie's plans.So he just hangs with some of his colleagues for a while at the bar where he works and he is sure to get kidnapped by Big Nick?.Thats excessively fictitious fiction.The shock of Donnie's overriding plan and the fact that the most likeable of the bad guys gets off ensures it ends on a pleasantly intriguing note.

Overall,its a good movie but it certainly doesn't live up to the hype