Gerard Butler's Den of Thieves hailed as a modern action classic

According to Movieweb, Gerard Butler's 2018 thriller Den of Thieves is one of the greatest action movies of the century, with Butler continuing to prove his action chops amid recent work such as Greenland 2: Migration.

Written and directed by Christian Gudegast, Den of Thieves follows Butler's "Big Nick" O'Brien and an elite LA sheriff's unit as they pursue a crew that includes O'Shea Jackson Jr.'s Donnie Wilson; the film was released January 19, 2018 and runs 140 minutes (2 hours and 20 minutes). The article compares its moral ambiguity, character depth and intense gun battles to Michael Mann's Heat and describes it as a twisty, heist‑filled crime epic that often goes overlooked.

The outlet notes Den of Thieves 2: Pantera had a similar January release date in 2025 and was better reviewed, and that a third film is said to be in development. Den of Thieves is available to stream on AMC+, Peacock and YouTube TV, though the piece argues the original still does not receive the recognition it deserves.

Key Topics

Culture, Gerard Butler, Christian Gudegast, O'shea Jackson Jr, Heat, Pantera