Criminal Squad

In Christian Gudegast's directorial debut, he did better in directing, than what he's know for, which is writing. There were more clearly obvious holes in the plot than a brick of Swiss cheese. His screenwriting of Gerard Butler's character was way too overboard. It was still a fun flick to see, but lost much potential with the sloppy writing. What is more laughable are all the 8, 9 and 10 reviews for this film... are the producers that dumb not to think anyone can click on a user name and see this film was the only one they rated - clearly fake reviews. This film is a generous and honest 7/10 from me.

If you're into this genre, you know the characters (cops and robbers), you know the storyline (a big heist), and what to expect (money and giant public shootouts). But with this movie, you can't tell where the intention is to honour the clichés, or if the movie is just so ripe with an overabundance of them that it's making a parody of itself.

It feels like the storyline pretty much just relies on the character archetypes to fuel the plot. The misfit hard edged cop with a rough family life. A crew of robbers with a of couple loose cannons and looser lips to play both sides of the law, lead by the "serious" guy in the group. It's all there. And if you're into the genre, you won't hate it but there's just nothing special about it. Nor original. As a matter of fact you'll just start to recognize patterns from good heist films like The Town, HEAT, etc.

The actors do a fair job with the script. Nothing great but no complaints. The plot has some twists and turns that are simple enough to follow, but probably could've been more enthralling with some better editing and plot development. You just never care too much about the stakes, nor any particular character's motivation. There are a few moments that insert themes of family and trust that feel a bit forced, but that's only because they were so brief. Had we gotten a bit more out of the robbers personal side of the story, we may have been more invested in the inevitable outcome for all of these characters when it came down to business.

Entertaining enough to watch and well paced but too much of it was wrapped up in an ending that was somewhat unsatisfying. Again, possibly could've been a better dit of this movie made. It will be a long ways down the list of epic heist movies. But you might still find it somewhere near the middle.

Criminal Squad isn't just a movie-it's a workout for your eyeballs: two hours of big muscles, big guns, and killer glares. Christian Gudegast throws the script at you like a hot potato. It doesn't aim high, but it's wound tighter than a string bikini, and let's face it-we're not here for poetry. We're here for bullets and heists, and damn, it delivers.

Gerard Butler is the embodiment of a corrupt cop fresh out of a mechanic's garage: rough, angry, and constantly on the verge of knocking someone out. He spends half the film chugging beers and the other half throwing punches. His investigation method? "Punch first, ask questions when I don't care." And it works because he carries the movie on his shoulders like Atlas lugging the world.

On the other side, Pablo Schreiber plays the charismatic heist mastermind with the haircut of an MMA coach and the brain of a chess player. His crew is stacked: 50 Cent (or 50 kilos of pure muscle) and a team that could rob a casino blind. Their heists are laser-precise, like Ocean's Eleven, but with bad-boy flair. The tension climbs in every shot, reminiscent of Heat, except this isn't De Niro and Pacino-it's Butler and Schreiber growling, "I'll take you down before you take me down."

Looking for subtlety? Switch channels. Here, it's all AK-47s and magazines emptying like a Vegas slot machine. The final shootout is straight out of Call of Duty: deafening gunfire, bullet-riddled walls, screams, and explosions. The movie grabs you by the throat and force-feeds you gunpowder. It's not a masterpiece, but you'll cheer because it's just so damn satisfying.

And then-bam!-the final twist. Sure, it's no Usual Suspects, but it's clean, clever, and feels like finding a decent toy inside a Kinder Surprise. The moral of the story? There isn't one. Just testosterone-fueled guys fighting to see who's got the biggest... machine gun, of course.

Criminal Squad is like a juicy, greasy steak: bloody, brutal, and no-frills. You know it's not a Michelin-star meal, but it fills you up and leaves you grinning. Butler is a growling grizzly bear, the action scenes slap, and the twist does its job. It's not fine dining, but it's the perfect meal for a night out with the boys.

This is a classic cops and robbers tale of the type you don't see anymore, plus being a huge fan of Butler loved it even more. Macho testosterone fueled action of the type Arnold, Stallone and Willis did back in the 80's and 90's. Butler is Far superior as a action star than Statham or The Rock. A true successor to those 80's icons.

Sure its not gonna win any Oscars but for a plain good time with tons of action and macho posturing, and for a welcome change from all the Netflix Sci-Fi fare, this is all you need!

Plus its has the best gunfights since DeNiro and Pacino went at it in Heat. Trust me you don't wanna miss the gunfights.

Den of Thieves is basically Heat on steroids. Half the IQ, but twice the testosterone.