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Several of Hollywood's biggest stars, non-stop action set pieces, and proper firearms handling - these are the ingredients for an exceptional heist flick like 2018's Den Of Thieves. In today's blog, we're looking back on this epic crime thriller and sharing our picks for the top five guns used on-screen, both by the cops and the robbers.
Starring a gruff Gerard Butler and Pablo Schreiber of The Wire fame, Den Of Thieves is the pulse-pounding story of a professional heist crew and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's unit that is hot on their trail. The film pays homage to 1995's Heat (dir. Michael Mann) but to be honest, the plot is mostly incidental.
The primary focus is on Merrimen's (Schreiber) band of MARSOC FAST Marine pals and their inevitable standoff with Nick's (Butler) team of LASD rough-and-tumble detectives. After a botched armored car robbery, both groups take part in a series of events which ultimately culminates in an awesome shootout spanning several city blocks. Sound familiar?
As you can probably guess from the above premise, there are plenty of iconic firearms featured throughout the movie's runtime. Each actor clearly received training in weapons handling and CQB tactics as part of their preparation for filming, and the finished product is something that any gun enthusiast will appreciate. Without further ado, here are the top 5 guns used in Den Of Thieves.
Ray Merrimen, leader of the heist crew, carries an HK45C as his sidearm during the final showdown with LASD detectives. After his primary runs dry, Merrimen empties several mags from his pistol while attempting to escape from Butler's tenacious detective.
Pablo Schreiber even executes an impressive one-handed reload by holding the HK45C in the crease of his knee, inserting a fresh magazine, and racking the slide with his boot heel before continuing to fire.
Though it only makes a brief appearance during the opening heist, the Saiga 12K shotgun is impossible to miss. All but one of the robbers are armed with carbines or PDWs, leaving one member of Merrimen's crew wielding a Saiga 12K with a chainsaw-style grip and a 20-round drum magazine.
This heister's choice of firearm makes sense considering he is tasked with securing the rear compartment of an armored car while Merrimen and Enson Levoux (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) lay down cover fire once police respond to the security company's holdup alarm.
The exceptional HK416D is a platform Merrimen and his crew are certainly very familiar with given their Marine Corps background. Unlike Nick, who runs a bare-bones SCAR-L with iron sights while engaging the heisters, Ray Merrimen has wisely chosen to outfit his rifle with an EOTech holographic optic, an IR laser module, a weapon-mounted light, and a foregrip.
This setup is tremendously effective at creating distance between Merrimen and pursuing law enforcement officers, at least until it runs dry and Merrimen has to transition to his HK45C for the remainder of the firefight.
Before heading out to intercept Merrimen's crew, Nick switches from a police-issue Smith & Wesson M&P to his personal FNX-45 Tactical - which features a threaded barrel, suppressor-height sights, and a C-MORE STS optic. After striking Merrimen with the last several rounds from his SCAR-L, Nick draws his pistol before confronting the mortally wounded criminal mastermind.
It's worth noting that Nick's FNX-45 Tactical has a 15-round magazine, whereas Merrimen's HK45C only holds 8 rounds of .45 ACP using standard mags. Consequently, he is able to stay in the fight longer and put more rounds on target during the climactic faceoff between the two men.
Nick and his team of LASD detectives eventually catch up to Merrimen's crew, who are stuck in gridlock traffic while exfiltrating from their most recent score. Spotting the cops in his rearview mirror, Merrimen throws on his plate carrier and opens fire with the M249 SAW Paratrooper. This stops Nick's men in their tracks while the other robbers get into position.
From there, Merrimen and his crew utilize a bounding overwatch to retreat from the advancing deputies. Few guns could have kicked off the ensuing firefight more effectively (or more dramtically) than the M249 SAW and that's why it's at the top of our list.
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If you're in the mood for another military action thriller, consider checking out the film Sicario 2: Day Of The Soldado. The pairing of stars Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro is always enjoyable, and their characters get to use several incredible firearms while completing their mission.
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