Den of Thieves

Butler and Schreiber deliver commanding performances. They are men who could explode at any moment, at work or at home. That nonstop ticking beneath their calm exteriors fills the film with a gripping tension.

Den of Thieves desperately wants to be Heat or The Killer when it grows up. Instead it's a daft, distant, drunken cousin to those pictures, but if you studiously avoid thinking about it, you can at least enjoy its moronic antics.

The film's sole virtue is its finale - a complicated plot twist that sparks a belated, and brief, surge of interest.

Slick and solid in moments, Den Of Thieves disappoints with its reliance on easy plotting and gruff, overcooked acting. One for Butler completists only.

Lethal Weapon meets Heat meets an unintentional Tropic Thunder-style parody in a straight-faced cop movie that begins with fabulous verve and energy before descending into giggle-inducing macho clichés.

It often resembles a men's rights bonding weekend more than it does a movie.

A very well-written crime thriller that keeps the action to the fore but doesn't forget how important an intense a plot is as well. Butler is amazing in a role that he was born to play.

It's one thing for the bad guys to shoot one another, but when cops place dozens of innocent people in the middle of an automatic gun battle it feels gratuitous even for a movie like this.

The lesson is simple, ladies and gents. Don't judge a book or movie by its cover. There could be a fun toy waiting in that gift you didn't care to unwrap.

The complete lack of likeable characters is a problem for a heist movie - in this struggle between violent criminals and corrupt cops, we don't particularly care who wins.