Have you ever heard of a “drop the remote” movie? It implies that a particular movie is so good, if you should encounter it while channel surfing – no matter what part the film happens to be on – you are going to drop the remote and watch it all the way ‘til the end. Usually, “drop the remote” movies tend to be comedies, which explains why Christopher Nolan named some top Will Ferrell comedies as his “drop the remote” choices. Other times, it’s guilty-pleasure action movies, ones that allow us to turn off our brains and just enjoy explosions, adrenaline, and fun.
The first Den of Thieves qualified as a “drop the remote” movie for a lot of people as it screened on cable. The heist thriller, starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr., didn’t thrill critics, and had a meager box-office performance. But audiences found it eventually, and really loved it. Heck, The Rewatchables basically claimed it as one of their own, boosting the movie’s profile through their podcast. This proved valuable when Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera recently opened. Our own Eric Eisenberg didn’t love it, but the movie made enough to lead the box office.
A new “drop the remote” movie might have been born.
While speaking with Gerard Butler on behalf of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, I asked the London Has Fallen actor if he had any movies that had that effect on him. Specifically, were there any action movies he could think of that, when they came on, he threw down the remote and watched to the end. And he came up with the best possible answer. Said Butler:
Action movie (that) has that effect on me? Oh my God. Action movie… I mean, dare I (say) – Die Hard. Die Hard did that. That was a classic. Fun. Involved. Or any one of my other ones, of which there are 6,000 of them. (Laughs)
Gerard Butler isn’t exaggerating. Whether it be 300 or Greenland, the actor has so many action movies on his resume. But he wisely deferred to the best Bruce Willis action movie of all time: the original Die Hard. Christmas movie? Who cares? No matter what time of the year it is, we’re always game to watch John McClane (Willis) methodically working his way through a skyscraper filled with terrorists. There’s a reason Samuel L. Jackson told an interviewer that Die Hard with a Vengeance had a bigger impact on his career than Pulp Fiction did. Die Hard is massive. It’s global. It’s Die Hard!
One element of the “drop the remote” movie tends to be that it creates a franchise, and Butler hopes that’s the case with Den Of Thieves. The sequel didn’t set the box office on fire. But the actor and his co-star, O’Shea Jackson Jr., already have cast members in mind if they get to add to the ensemble and make Den of Thieves 3. Sadly, it can’t be Bruce Willis, as he has retired. But you know the spirit of John McClane will infuse every decision that is made on the Den of Thieves franchise, so long as Gerard Butler is in charge.
