The Rewatchables
The Re-‘Den of Thieves’ LIVE With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
Tue, 07 Jan 2025
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan didn’t appreciate the sold-out crowd in Los Angeles popping off like that after rewatching the 2018 heist film ‘Den of Thieves,’ starring Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., 50 Cent, and Pablo Schreiber. Watch this episode on our Ringer Movies YouTube channel! Producer: Craig Horlbeck Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the premise of 'Den of Thieves'?
They're casing the joint from the inside. How are you gonna get out of this one? Keep watching.
What's up?
Yo, yo.
We'll see how long I can keep the jacket on. It might get hot up here, but I want to rock it. Yeah, it could get hot after a little bit. The official Den of Thieves Pantera jacket.
It's unbelievable. CR was like a kid on Christmas when he saw that on the sofa. Thank you to Lionsgate. Thank you to Den of Thieves, to Pantera, because that's why we rarely do this where we've already done the Rewatchables episode. And we say, fuck it, let's do it again. So we did this the first time. What was it, 2019 pre-COVID?
Yeah.
And, you know, we didn't have a lot of the categories yet. We didn't have Van was the ringer yet. Van loves this movie. So we just said, screw it, let's run it back. This is a movie, the sequel, which we knew was coming.
Yes. At the end of Den of Thieves 1, it's alluded to the idea that there's more to this story and that it'll take place across the Atlantic.
Dan, you said something interesting when we were hanging around before. The slow burn movie that hits on cable or wherever, and it does a certain whatever in the theater. This movie did well in the theater, but then... You know, one of the reasons we have this podcast, it gets a second life of its own. This is going to be one of those movies where the sequel does better than the original.
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Chapter 2: Why do the hosts love the movie?
Join the club.
We have... We have the bank that's never been robbed. Oh, my God. And that's why we're going to rob it. A fucking staple.
But one of my favorite things about a heist movie is talking about just how impregnable a place is that's about to get robbed.
And somehow there's a ton of information about the place and ventilation of it. The guy on the phone talking to the cops, you just killed a hostage. Boom. Love that. And then I like when there's intricate detail about shooting. Where, like in this one, he's like, suspects wearing body armor, limb and head shots only. It's like, that's some fucking deep dive shit. Limb and head shots only.
Don't bother with the chest.
That means shoot them either in the head or in the arm.
Yeah.
That's the Alameda corridor, man. You just got to come ready to rock.
This movie's playing it off. So Gerard Butler, who I knew from 300... I knew from Law Abiding Citizen. I knew from a movie my family loves called Chasing Mavericks.
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Chapter 3: What makes 'Den of Thieves' unique compared to other heist films?
I'll go on Blue Sky and I'll ruin you. Next scene, my favorite scene in the movie, the Benihana scene. What you doing here, huh? Work around here?
Enjoying my dinner, man. Really? Food here sucks. Yeah. Yeah, we come here for the ass.
How many times have you watched this year? Do you go on YouTube and just type in Den of Thieves Benihana once a month?
Last night, my wife and I were chatting about where we could get a last dinner before she takes off for the holidays. And I did Google directions for Benihana in Torrance. It was not a convenient drive. But I think about this a lot. And I don't know why we haven't done a group dinner at Benihana yet.
Maybe we should. Maybe we should. But we need to do it when there's somebody there we can intimidate.
Is this officially Benihana?
I don't think they ever say Benihana in there, though.
And are there Benihana rip-off restaurants?
Oh, yeah. Like other type of hibachi joints and stuff like that, for sure.
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Chapter 4: How do the characters' complexities add to the story?
Little late 90s, baby. They call her a killer and they call her a sinner, but he was dropping some knowledge, man.
The Big Kahuna Burger Award for best use of food and drink. Unless you guys can top drinking milk right from the cart at 6 in the morning. Bloody Donuts. Bloody Donuts?
Bloody Donuts and Deb's new man's house dinner. Oh, eating the food?
Yeah.
What's that?
The skirt steak.
Oh, yeah, the skirt steak. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a lot. A lot of food. It's a very good food and drink movie. Okay, the Butch's Girlfriend Award for weak link of the film. I have a thought, but I don't know. You want me to go first? Yeah, for sure. So there's 50 cars between the robbers trying to get away at the end and the cops.
And I'm not sure the cops would just decide to turn a traffic light.
standstill into an actual shootout well i have this in nitpicks because i just imagined sitting in the car you're halfway through you're like you're listening to the watch on the third second about oregon yeah he's got such a point at one point they actually going down the the and he's gonna get down get down get behind the engine block and
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Chapter 6: How does 'Den of Thieves' compare to classic crime films?
Or the bank was slow getting us out of there or whatever?
Yeah.
movies like this make me wonder like what kind of people are the armored car people yeah because you know if I'm driving the car and the guy goes we got armored Pierce and we about to fuck y'all up if you don't give me the money I'm like yo take it yeah hey bro you can have the money I'm gonna go in that donut shop I don't know you want something when I come back you want a glaze I can throw them out but the armored car in all of these movies the armored car guys always it's like I'm gonna die doing my
And I'm not saying that's whack. I'm just saying, yo, who the fuck are these guys? You know what I'm saying?
What other answerables?
I wanted to know if Ray Merriman was a tribute to Sean Merriman as a football player. And how would Van talk his way out of sending that text? Oh, what? How would you have talked your way out of sending that text? To your big neck at six in the morning.
Oh, oh, oh shit. Okay. Well, look. Let me see that. oh, that wasn't me. So look, let me tell you what happened. So my homeboy, his phone, we was all there. I was there. I'm not going to lie. I spent a lot of money. Okay. You probably shouldn't look at the bank statements for a little while, baby. I spent a lot of money, but my phone died and I'm leaving.
And I'm, my man, or excuse me, his phone died. I apologize. His phone died and he wanted to hook something up. He, you know, he, You know, he had just got divorced or whatever. He's trying to see what's up. So I gave him my phone and he was texting. I know you're not stupid enough to think that I would text you. Yeah.
How could you think that? How could you think that I would send that?
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