Den of Thieves (2018)
Genre: Action
Director: Christian Gudegast
Starring: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr, 50 Cent, Meadow Williams
Duration: 140 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

The heist movie, written and directed by Christian Gudegast, follows a group of county sheriff deputies who try to stop a crew of thieves that plan to rob the US Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.

Confronting each other are Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler), the hard-drinking and corrupt leader of the Regulators, an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), the recently paroled leader of a gang of ex-military men called the Outlaws, who use their expertise and tactical skills to evade the law.

The film received mixed reviews. Owen Gleiberman of Variety magazine lamented that the robbery is not satisfying and that the first-time director tries to imitate  Michael Mann, the director of Heat,  Collateral and Miami Vice, among other movies.

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter commented that “despite its technical gloss and effective performances, Den of Thieves never manages to feel other than hopelessly derivative”.

And the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Den of Thieves pays energetic homage to classic heist thrillers of the past; unfortunately, it never comes close to living up to its obvious inspirations.”

The film, released on January 19, grossed circa $29 million at the US box office.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Empire: N/A

Dylan O’Brien (centre) leads his team into a deadly labyrinth in Maze Runner: The Death Cure.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
Genre: Action
Directors: Wes Ball
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Rosa Salazar
Duration: 142 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Based on the novel The Death Cure by James Dashner, this is the third and final instalment of the Maze Runner film series after the first film released in 2014 and its sequel the following year, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.

The plot sees Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) leading some escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a deadly labyrinth. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions that the Gladers have been asking since they arrived in the maze.

The film received average reviews, with critics lauding the action but not the plot or the character development.

Alonso Durende of The Wrap wrote: “The third and final movie in the Maze Runner series gets it half right as an action movie. The stunts, the explosions and the chases are all exciting and elaborately mounted; there’s just not much of a movie to go with them.”

Yet, other critics were unfazed by the plot holes. Emily Yoshida of New York Magazine said: “This is the sort of action film where the bad guys often hold their fire for no discernible reason and are terrible at dodging things, but if one suspends one’s disbelief long enough, they’re rewarded with a rollicking, highly-competent popcorn movie.”

Andrew Barker of Variety was similarly pleased: “Downplaying some of the property’s sillier elements when not jettisoning them entirely, and streamlining the narrative into a rousing and at times even emotional action film, Death Cure is the most successful entry in the franchise by far.”

The film, which had a production budget of $62 million, has so far earned $108 million worldwide in box office sales.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Empire: 3 stars

Eddie Redmanye voices the animated hero Dug in Early Man.

Early Man (2018)
Genre: Animation
Directors: Nick Park
Voices of: Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Timothy Spall
Duration: 89 minutes
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

The British stop-motion animated picture, directed by Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep), follows a plucky cave man named Dug, his sidekick Hognob and the rest of their tribe whose existence is threatened.

Lord Nooth plans to take over their land and transform it into a giant mine, forcing Dug and his clan to dig for precious metals. So Dug and Hognob must unite their people in their bid to defeat a mighty enemy – the Bronze Age. The film got positive reviews. Leslie Felperin of the Hollywood Reporter said it is “about as warming, homey and distinctly British as a mug of hot, sweet, milky tea on a rainy day”.

Peter Debruge of Variety concurred. He wrote: “Early Man is as charming as they come, bursting with the kind of daffy humour and off-kilter characters that have earned the company a worldwide following.”

However, Jonathan Pile of Empire was not as convinced: “While Early Man zips along and has plenty of laughs, it’s neither as charming as Wallace and Gromit at their best nor as inspired a twist on a formula as Chicken Run.”

Ratings
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Empire: 3 stars