Masculinity In Den Of Thieves

Summary

‘Den of Thieves' is a 2018 heist movie directed and produced by Christian Gudegast. The movie is about a team of robbers in Los Angeles, who play cat and mouse with the police throughout the film. The gang is led by Ray, and they make an attack hijacking an armoured vehicle. A shootout ensues leading to the death of a police officer. The shootout attracts the sheriff's department, and Detective Nick is on the case. Ray and his crew are planning on stealing bills worth $30 million from the Federal Reserve considering the cash to be free and untraceable as the serial numbers would be deleted from the systems of the bank.

Donnie gains access to the Federal Reserve posing as a Chinese food delivery man. Nick realizes that Donnie might have something to do with the robbers and kidnaps him for questioning. Donnie tells the cops nothing and proves that to the gang. Later on, the robbers carry out their plan, stealing from

the commercial bank first and proceeding to the federal bank. They stage a hostage situation, and their plan works out. They manage to steal the money, but Donnie is caught and beaten severely till he reveals where the robbers are headed. Nick follows blindly and ends up killing the gang members. However, he realizes that the money stolen was not in the armored vehicle. He also gets to know that Donnie has escaped and that when he realizes that Donnie was the mastermind of the heist, sacrificing his gang members for personal benefit. The film ends with Donnie in London working at another bar, having escaped with the money.
Introduction
The director of ‘Den of Thieves' tries to bring out many ideologies in the film. The paper shall look at some of these dominant ideologies and how they relate to various factors such as gender and race. The dominant ideologies in the film are those of betrayal and the failure of the system (police) to take care of crime problems within the society. The film is based in Los Angeles an area known for notorious crimes, where criminals get away with their crimes due to incompetent police departments. The film's main idea is to show how the robbers overpower the police force through being strategic and smart, a trait expected to be more evident in the police force. There is also betrayal throughout the movie (Betrayal in the family life as portrayed, as shown through Nick's marriage and divorce). There is also betrayal within the robbers' team as shown by Donnie's selfishness. The paper shall look at how men and women, and their roles, are affected by the dominant ideology and how the presentation of race throughout the film affects the above ideologies.
Theme
Crime and violence is the dominant theme in the film, ‘Den of Thieves.' The title itself explains the dominant theme, telling the viewer of what to expect before they even start watching the film. The film starts with Ray Merriman and his team making a violent attack that leads to them hijacking an armoured truck. Throughout the film, gunshot and use of violence are evident. The plot of the film is based on a planned attack on the Federal Reserve, to steal money. Stealing is a crime in itself. The robbers steal from the banks and the government. Donnie steals from the robbers. The film depicts a continuous eruption in crime that always leads to a cat and mouse chase between the police and Merriman's gang.
The film also touches on the criminal activities that the police force engages in. It shows the brutal side of the force. Nick and his men capture Donnie for the second time as the film comes to an end. The law is that the rights of the accused are protected, but it is not the case. Instead of the criminal defendant being taken to court to answer for his crimes, he receives a brutal beating from Nick and his men as they demand on whereabouts of the other robbers. Most parts of the film are about guns, and if the guns are not firing, then there are instances of intimidation. Violence is depicted as a way of communication throughout the film.
Women in the Film
The film is dominated by males, but there are few instances where females play a role throughout the plot. The film views women and ladies as sympathizers. Nick's wife and daughter, for example, have to put up with the behaviour of Nick, until they can no longer handle him filling for a divorce. The film also depicts that women cannot take care of themselves or makes their own decisions and their male counterparts are more so like their protectors. In the film, Levi has a daughter, and when she is going on her first date, Levi frightens the boyfriend by taking him for interrogation with the gang. It shows that females are bound to their male counterparts like fathers until they get another man to take control of their life. The main role of women as shown in the film is to be submissive to the male figure. Levi's daughter is under the control of her father; Nick's wife has to go through hurting situations as her man does whatever he feels like without remorse. The director of the film might not have intended for such a message, but that is exactly what the audience sees.
There are many instances of female objectification and male gaze throughout the film. Males take the women as objects for them to use in any way they please. Sexual objectification is evident where most of the members of the gang have stripper girlfriends. Nick has a stripper whom he pays for sex despite having a family and a home. Ray also has a stripper for the same purpose. The film depicts females as sex objects. Ray even allows his stripper girlfriend to sleep with Nick for his benefits. It shows how men do not care and can use women to any extent, to achieve their goals. Women on the film depict the ideology of betrayal. Nick betrays his wife with a stripper, and Ray also betrays his stripper girlfriend by allowing her to sleep with another man for his gains. Nick ends up getting a divorce for the same reason, leaving the audience with emotions of furry at Nick and the whole film for objectifying women.
Men in the Film
Masculinity is depicted in the movie even by character roles.

It is amazing how most of the major characters are only men. The whole plot revolves around men and their conflicts towards each other. The dominant ideology is well represented by the males in the film. Nick represents how the system (police) dominated by males fails in its duties to protect the society from crime. On the other hand, Donnie is a culprit of betrayal, betraying his team for personal gain in the Federal Reserve heist. The role of male depicted in the film includes that self-sustainability where they can work on their own. Nick argues with other officers trying to show them that he is more knowledgeable when it comes to crime compared to them and that he does not need any help to take down Merriman and his gang. Most heroes in the movie are male. Donnie is considered as a criminal hero as he manages to evade the authority; he is a man. The men also have power over the women in that they can control women's life as shown by the relationship between Levi and his

daughter.
Male characters are shown to be frequently violent and use weapons often. The use of guns and portrayer of more abilities in the male gender makes the film more masculine. Males have more power compared to what the ladies have. Since traditional times, men have always been depicted in most films as superior. The society believes in the dominance of the male gender in most sectors of the society, though the trend is changing in the new century. Men are used by the director to show how their pride leads to failure in various systems in the society. The unruly nature of men leads to divorces and failures at the workplace as shown by the character of Nick.
Race in the Film
There are little elements of race portrayed in the film. The instances are not stated directly but shown indirectly. There are two races in the film; the white race and the African American race. The role that the director gives actors based on skin colour creates notions of race in the minds of the viewers. From watching the movie, one can relate that the African American race is stereotyped to crime while the white race is shown as the authority. The film further characterizes the white race as being doomed with instances of divorce and betrayal at the family level as compared to the black race. The white police, Nick, is expected to be a good family man as he portrays the good guys but it is not the case. Instead, members of the gang are seen as the family men portraying the African American race as family loving.
Emotional Response in the Audience
The director does a good job in playing with the emotions of the audience through various production techniques. Costumes, for instance, talk a lot about a character. The robbers are dressed casually and are mostly in clothing that depicts a kind of darkness in human emotions. Police also have a costume that directly depicts safety in the eyes of the audience. During scenes of shootouts and criminal activities, the lighting is a bit dark building the emotional response to tension to the audience. Brighter lighting is evident in scenes that are less violent throughout the film. The music and sound design are amazing, with deep dark sound playing during heist scenes. The above plays a special role in raising the anxiety of the audience. There is the little editing of the film, and it brings the reality of events as they normally happen in real life, avoiding much fantasies and realities that are evident in other films.