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Den of Thieves

Bloated Heat rip-off

A team of LA thugs planning to rob the Federal Reserve fails to reckon on Gerard Butler’s elite Sheriff’s Dept. crew of bank-robbery thwarters. Rap-music director Christian Gudegast’s soulless, self-important Heat rip-off features lots of shootin’, cussin’, chasin’ and clichés, but little coherence or compelling characters. Needless complications sap audience interest as it drags on. All this plus the nuanced dramatic stylings of 50 Cent. This excrescence has no business being two hours and twenty minutes long. Kind of liked the final twist, though. Only for any remaining Gerard Butler fans. (140 min)