15 Best Movies Like Den Of Thieves 1 & 2

With Den of Thieves 2 proving to be a success, following the popular first movie, fans will likely be looking for more movies like Den of Thieves to continue the fun of this surprise action franchise. Den of Thieves follows a group of expert police officers who are assigned to dismantle a dangerous conspiracy of heists and robberies in LA, leading them to discover a plot to steal from the Federal Reserve Bank. Den of Thieves 2 marks the beginning of a potentially great year for Gerard Butler in 2025, who reprised his lead role after seven years.

The second movie sees the gritty LA-based thriller expand into an international heist movie. Both Den of Thieves and its sequel are very intense and high-octane films that make the most of their all-star cast, delivering all the action and violence you’d expect from this style of movie. They’re some of the best movies of Gerard Butler’s action filmography, using tight storytelling and dynamic set pieces to bring these narratives to life at a breakneck pace.

15 Fast Five (2011)

Directed By Justin Lin

The Fast & Furious franchise was already a hit by the time this fifth installment came along, but Fast Five took things to another level and helped launch it as the blockbuster series it has now become. Fast Five sees Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) assembling all of his criminal friends for a daring heist in which they are targeting a drug lord who killed their friend. Meanwhile, the internationally-wanted crew is being hunted by a relentless lawman, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).

Hobbs is also a similarly determined cop like Big Nick, while also forming an uneasy relationship with the criminals he is after.

The Den of Thieves movies may be ridiculous at times, but they are far more grounded than the over-the-top nature of the Fast & Furious films. However, Fast Five does mirror the international heist element that is brought into Den of Thieves 2. To add to that, the character of Hobbs is also a similarly determined cop like Big Nick, while also forming an uneasy relationship with the criminals he is after.

14 Triple 9 (2016)

Directed By John Hillcoat

Triple 9 is another gritty LA action thriller with an intense heist movie energy. The film stars the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, and Anthony Mackie as a group of Los Angeles cops and criminals who moonlight as an elite heist team. As they prepare for their next big mission, they decide that they will need a distraction to keep the police force busy and plan to murder a fellow cop (Casey Affleck).

Like the first Den of Thieves movie, Triple 9 is a hard-hitting and grim thriller with a star-studded cast. While it looks at characters on both sides of the law, most of them are deeply flawed people regardless of their cause. However, the film also has elements of Den of Thieves 2, including cops operating as thieves on the other side of the law as well as the gang getting mixed up with organized crime, with Kate Winslet playing against type as a Russian gangster.

13 Sabotage (2014)

Directed By David Ayer

Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in plenty of violent movies in the past, but none are quite as brutal and dark as Sabotage. The film sees Schwarzenegger playing the leader of an elite DEA task force with close ties and a strong sense of loyalty. After a raid on a drug compound, the crew plot to steal millions of dollars only for the money to go missing. Eventually, their dark secrets catch up with them as the crew members are killed off one by one.

Again, there is a fine line the film draws between the cops and the criminals. While Big Nick's team is not quite as corrupt as Schwarzenegger's crew in Sabotage, even he admits that they are the bad guys. Director David Ayer excels at these kinds of gritty and ugly crime movies, making Den of Thieves feel like it could be one of his films.

12 The Usual Suspects (1995)

Directed By Bryan Singer

The Usual Suspects is another movie about a crew of criminals coming together for a score even if the score itself is not the main focus of the story. Kevin Spacey stars as Verbal Kint, the meek member of the team and seemingly the only one left standing when it is all over. In an interrogation with detectives, Verbal explains how a group of career criminals were brought in for questioning for another crime only to find themselves targeted by a notorious and mysterious crime lord.

While The Usual Suspect's twist ending is far more iconic than the reveal in Den of Thieves, both movies do come to a similar shocking conclusion that plays on the unsuspecting criminal of the bunch having a bigger plan hidden. It is more of a mystery thriller with a slightly elevated feel rather than the action-packed grounded approach of Den of Thieves.

11 Ronin (1998)

Directed By John Frankenheimer

While Heat is often seen as a direct inspiration for the first Den of Thieves, it certainly feels like another Robert De Niro movie served as inspiration for the second installment. Ronin stars De Niro as a mercenary who is recruited into a team of international thieves to pull off a secret job for some shady criminal clients. However, they soon find themselves in a much larger conspiracy than they originally thought.

From the international heist setting to the thrilling car chases that rank among the best in movie history, it is not hard to see how Den of Thieves 2 leaned into Ronin for inspiration. There are also some elements to De Niro's character that are revealed late in the movie that mirror the revelations about Big Nick in Den of Thieves 2. Yet both movies also share a surprisingly effective buddy aspect as De Niro's partnership with Jean Reno is as fun as the chemistry between Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr.

10 The Commuter (2018)

Directed By Jaume Collet-Serra

Released in the same year as the original Den of Thieves, Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Commuter stars Liam Neeson as an insurance agent who finds himself caught up in a deadly murder plot after meeting a mysterious woman on the subway. The film takes place mostly over the course of one afternoon, gradually building tension as the train races along to its destination with Neeson’s protagonist working against the clock to save the day.

The Commuter is an extremely tense and blood-pumping narrative, which is something it shares with Den of Thieves. It’s not only one of Jaume Collet-Serra’s best movies, but one of the most unique action movies of the past decade in general. Although its second and third acts ultimately fail to live up to the expectations set up by its unique premise, The Commuter is still a great way to immerse yourself in a thrilling story for two hours.

9 The Town (2010)

Directed By Ben Affleck

Although he’s best known for his career as an actor, Ben Affleck has directed some of the most interesting films of the past decade. From sports dramas like Air to Oscar-winning thrillers like Argo, his filmography is filled with great movies- and The Town is one of the best. An intense heist movie about a group of criminals who kidnap a bank manager, the film quickly becomes something much more complex when the gang’s leader develops feelings for their hostage.

From fast-paced shootouts to adrenaline-infused car chases, there’s barely a moment of respite from this high-octane narrative.

While The Town has some messy storytelling and a lengthy runtime that often overstays its welcome, the film shines thanks to its dynamic visuals and unforgettable action sequences. From fast-paced shootouts to adrenaline-infused car chases, there’s barely a moment of respite from this high-octane narrative. The Town is often trending on streaming and makes for a perfect companion piece to Den of Thieves.

8 Wrath Of Man (2021)

Directed By Guy Ritchie

Although Wrath of Man has a much smaller scale than most other movies within its genre, that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. The story follows a mysterious driver named H who uses his combat and technological skills to neutralize robbers and prevent dangerous attacks - but his mission soon becomes personal when his family is dragged into his latest undertaking.

Wrath Of Man marked the fourth collaboration between Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham.

With Jason Statham in the lead role and Guy Ritchie behind the camera, it’s really no surprise that Wrath of Man was such an instant hit. The action is memorable, the writing is sharp and witty, and the narrative is written in such a way that it gradually reveals the truth as the film progresses, keeping the audience at a distance until the perfect moment to pull them into the story. Nobody writes or directs action like Ritchie, and Wrath of Man is just further proof.

7 Ambulance (2022)

Directed By Michael Bay

Another film that went criminally under the radar upon its release in 2022, Michael Bay’s Ambulance is one of the most inventive and creative action movies in recent memory. The movie follows a group of unlucky robbers whose dangerous heist goes wrong, forcing them to hijack an ambulance and escape the law enforcement that’s prowling the streets for them. Ambulance is filled with Michael Bay’s directorial trademarks, from fluid camera movements to melodramatic dialogue that really establishes the stakes of this story.

Ambulance pushes the boundaries of action filmmaking similarly to Den of Thieves, with extended car chases and drone shotsthat make everything feel truly continuous and non-stop. It’s also filled with hugely entertaining performances from Eiza Gonzalez, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Yahya Abdul Mateen II, among several other recognizable faces.

6 The Equalizer (2014)

Directed By Antoine Fuqua

In the years since its release, The Equalizer has developed a reputation as one of the most popular action franchises that deliver violent, captivating stories. While the first installment is far from perfect, its story is arguably the most engaging and inventive of the whole trilogy - and it pushed this genre forward in a way that its sequels didn’t quite manage.

The story of The Equalizer centers around Denzel Washington’s retired-from-violence protagonist Robert McCall, whose old life comes crawling back to him when he sees a young girl being controlled by violent gangsters. Unlike Den of Thieves, it’s a story about the power of justice and compassion in a world of violence; yet despite their opposing themes, the movies have a very similar filmmaking style that’s endlessly fun to watch. Fuqua is such a fluid director whose writing is just as sharp as his visuals, and that’s something that’s never been clearer than in The Equalizer.

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