Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025) surprised me (complimentary). Whereas the first Den of Thieves, released in 2018, exemplifies the epitome of a “dumb bro movie” with a bunch of gung-ho manly men shooting people, hanging out in strip clubs, and talking about how cool they are since they shoot people and hang out in strip clubs, Pantera takes a different approach. Sure, it is still largely paper-thin and wildly bro-y, but Pantera surprises for what it is not: it is not a balls-to-the-wall action film outfitted with numerous sequences of intense gunfights; it is not heartless with plastic characters that are sure to be forgotten a few hours after the movie ends; and it’s not a Mad Libs fill-in-the-blanks film taking (heavy) inspiration from similar movies like Michael Mann’s Heat (1995). Rather, Pantera toes the line between a buddy comedy and a talky drama amid a high-intensity heist film.
Set in Los Angeles, the first Den of Thieves follows “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler) — an officer for the LA Sherrif’s Department who is as much a criminal as the people he chases down — as he tries to stop a gang of ex-military criminals led by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber). Director and co-writer Christian Gudegast, who also writes and directs Pantera, takes the audience on both sides as Merrimen’s crew attempts to rob the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.
I like the first movie, a tried and true popcorn flick with enough tension and buy-in from the lead actors to drive you through its 140-minute runtime. But Den of Thieves is not breaking any barriers; it’s silly and you probably know where it’s going the moment it begins. It is what it is, and that’s good enough. Sometimes, a delicious chocolate ice cream hits the spot, even though you’ve had hundreds of other chocolate ice creams that are just as good.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, though, took directions that the first just doesn’t care to. Set an unknown time after the original film’s events, Pantera is, really, a high-intensity heist movie, not an uber-macho action flick (even though there’s a hefty amount of masculinity here). The film opens in Europe, where a group of criminals outfitted in some intense-looking SWAT gear rob a grounded plane of a diamond undoubtedly worth boatloads of money. The group is led by Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), a returning player from the original Federal Reserve heist team. O’Brien has been looking for Donnie ever since, yet nobody believes his theories.
Back in Los Angeles, Big Nick is going through it. Aside from his unfruitful quest to find Donnie, his wife has left him, he only gets to see his two children twice a year, he lost his job and his crew, and he’s living out of his car. After hearing about the plane diamond heist, O’Brien goes international. He heads to Nice, France, where he believes Donnie, now a part of the Pantera gang, is planning to rob the World Diamond Center.
Upon arriving in Nice and finding Donnie, O’Brien decides the badge isn’t worth the hell he has experienced over the years; he wants in on the heist. Thus begins the real heart of the film, as Big Nick and Donnie team up to case and ultimately rob the WDC’s hyper-secure vault. It has all the typical aspects of a heist movie: figuring out the security, planting things on the inside, and making internal connections to have an “in.” It’s all very to the point, but it’s effective nonetheless.
Yet what separates Pantera is that it’s oddly tender between Nick and Donnie. Butler and Jackson Jr. are the best parts of the movie, bringing a true sense of care, friendship, and admiration to each other. They talk about their pasts, which they realize aren’t all that different; they drive drunk on some electric scooters through the streets of Nice; and they seem to form a true friendship as allies. But throughout this burgeoning bromance, there’s a whole “will-he-won’t-he” energy to Big Nick. Is his changing sides true, or is he just playing Donnie so he can finally bust him for good?
Butler’s performance makes this dynamic sing. While he’s largely just a meathead bad cop in the first, Pantera gives him a level of interiority. Everything about how Big Nick looks, acts, and talks oozes an uber-masculine asshole, an “I do everything my way” sort of mentality. Yet there are moments where, largely found in Butler’s face alone, real pain and conflict are present. When he’s partying with the gang, there’s a joy and sense of camaraderie that viewers haven’t seen throughout the series. We’re often reminded of Nick’s familial conflict, too, as he appears truly distraught by his realization that his past actions of selfishness have completely ruptured his relationship with his daughters. All of it works well alongside Jackson Jr.’s bravado as a sort of suave career criminal, adding a silly yet effective buddy comedy aspect to the film. They have real chemistry, an unexpected yet fully welcome addition that only adds to the weight of the rest of the film’s action and tension.
As a heist film, it’s not shocking that Pantera is largely driven by the tension of the job: How will they do it? Will they succeed? What’s going to go wrong? Gudegast threads this tension throughout the film, making the entire planning stage of the film — largely the entire second act — interesting and thrilling. Yet Gudegast finds moments to breathe that make the rest of the film work. For a film labeled and marketed so deeply as a crazy action movie, Pantera is far more talky than you may expect. Outside of its bookends, this is largely a film whose dialogue and characters take center stage; Fast and Furious this is not. Whereas everything in Den of Thieves feels plot-driven, Gudegast allows the sequel to take time to forget the plot’s noise and instead think about the interiors of our characters. Now, that interiority largely starts and ends with Big Nick and Donnie, but it’s a worthwhile and lovely addition nevertheless.
The set pieces, too, are well orchestrated by Gudegast. The final heist, especially, is wonderful. Thoroughly tense yet always clear, it’s a satisfying and thrilling final act. Gudegast doesn’t blast the audience with booming music and gunshots galore; it’s all largely quiet, only letting loose once necessary. When he does let loose during a car chase in the mountains of France, it’s a wild and thoroughly entertaining sight to see.
And, largely, that’s what Pantera aims to be: thoroughly entertaining. There’s no doubt this is far from perfect. It’s undeniably silly and messy with its characters and plot contrivances outside of Donnie and Nick, and Alison Bechdel would be horrified at how deeply this fails her test. That’s also not to mention how it concerns itself far too much with creating an intricate web of underground mafia and gang connections that I simply couldn’t care less about. But it knows its lane, adds some spice, and lets the rest of the film — and its stars — do the rest. It’s silly, chaotic, and fun; I mean, what else could you want from a movie titled Den of Thieves 2: Pantera?
Review Courtesy of Carson Burton
Feature image Credit to Lionsgate via The Hollywood Reporter