written by: Christian Gudegast
produced by: Tucker Tooley, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Mark Canton & O’Shea Jackson Jr.
directed by: Christian Gudegast
rated: R (for pervasive language, some violence, drug use, and sexual references}
runtime: 144 min.
U.S. release date: January 10, 2025
In 2018, “Den of Thieves” was a surprise sleeper hit. It was a surprise primarily because a fair amount of critics thought the heist thriller from writer/director Christian Gudegast was good. It stood out in a sea of second-tier similar crime thrillers, resembling something more along the lines of Michael Mann’s “Heat” than anything too “Fast & Furious.” While that movie wasn’t necessarily a smash hit, it still had enough interest to greenlight a sequel, and here we are with “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.”
Gudegast does what many heist sequels have done in the past: he takes the characters abroad, banking on a Eurotrip to mix things up. There’s a classy sheen to the locations, and visual flare is flashier here as well, relying predominately on exploring meticulous crime plans while establishing fresh players and a new dynamic from the two main characters of the first movie.
It’s not clear how much time has passed since we left LAPD Detective Nick “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler), but when we catch up with him now, he still has the last movie’s events on his mind. If you’ve forgotten what happened, Big Nick and his Major Crimes Unit team are obsessed with taking down an armed crew before they rob the Federal Reserve, using their getaway driver, ex-marine Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), as an informant. It turns out that Donnie had been playing Big Nick all along and has been off the grid since with a ton of stolen money, leaving his cohorts and the authorities high and dry.
That is until a recently divorced Big Nick catches news reports of an armed robbery overseas at Antwerp International Airport. The description of the crime, stolen files, and a red diamond sounds like the work of a crew that Donnie could be involved in. Despite his superiors shutting down his requests to pursue Donnie’s actions, Big Nick winds up arriving in Nice, France, with the help of his frequent FBI, Bob (Jordan Bridges), using an expired U.S. Marshall badge to claim “international jurisdiction.”
Big Nick winds up tracking Donnie down after learning he’s now running with the Panther Crew, aka Pantera, led by Jovanna (Evin Ahmed) when the thieves steal a major diamond in Belgium. Their next target is the World Diamond Center (WDC), where a heavily secure vault will earn them a significant payday. They plan on using a high-tech approach to disarm surveillance and security. Claiming he’s broke and sick of policing, Big Nick horns in on Pantera’s plans, posing himself as an old pal of Donnie’s and offering his specific skills. While Donnie poses as a diamond merchant to infiltrate the WDC, the Italian mafia that Pantera stole from at the Antwerp airport closely watches Big Nick and Donnie’s actions. Trust and loyalties are tested as the crew must overcome inevitable setbacks to stick with their plans.
“Pantera” leans on the charisma that Butler and Jackson Jr. bring more than the last film, although Gudegast still carries over specific beats from that movie. Big Nick is put through certain initiation tests after he teams up with Donnie’s new crew. Some of these scenes slow down the movie a bit, like a sequence where Butler parties with Pantera, which involves getting high on ecstasy and flirting with Jovanna. The movie is at its best when focused on the uneasy alliance between Big Nick and Donnie, leaving viewers wondering who will deliver a double-cross first, despite their seemingly mutual respect. Seeing these two actors work off each other amid beautiful European locations is fun.
While most of the movie plays out like a heist procedural, there are still impressive action sequences. One such standout sequence involves a high-speed shootout chase involving electric vehicles (such as the Porsche Taycan) along winding mountain roads in the Andes-Maritimes north of Nice. An electric vehicle’s stealthy, silent nature creates a unique sound design for “Pantera,” finding Gudegast accomplishing something quite different. Unlike the “Fast & Furious” movies, none of these characters come across as superheroes, so the high stakes of the action feel more intense and real.
There are missteps in “Pantera,” like when Gudegast decides not to include English subtitles when foreign languages are spoken. It’s an odd choice, considering this is an American-made movie released by Lionsgate, and it winds up leaving the audience in the dark. At the screening I attended, a guy a few rows behind me yelled, “English!” when certain characters spoke their native language. Usually, I would find such a theatrical utterance annoying, but I wound up silently agreeing. When we’re unable to follow along, we lose out on understanding certain aspects of the plot and characterization. And if the filmmakers don’t care, it’s hard to invest fully.
However, “Pantera” is still a solid watch, inspired by a 2003 Antwerp heist, with fun performances from a greasy Butler and a cool Jackson Jr. Excitement occurs in spurts throughout and accelerates during the final act, leaving an open door to a part three adventure. Hopefully, all involved won’t take another seven years.
RATING: ***
