Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera

Big Nick is BACK!  And so is Donnie the Driver....as played by Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr. respectively, they are the only significant hold-overs from the first first Den of Thieves which came out five years.  That original LA-based crime thriller directed by Christian Gudegast (who also returns to direct this sequel) ended up being a bit of a sleeper hit and has garnered a significant following since then via streaming and/or cable.  So how do they continue the story this time around?  By bringing the overall action to both France and Belgium where Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) is now deeply involved in an ambitious heist to steal gems from the World Diamond District.  And guess who suddenly travels to Nice to find him AND potentially join him?  Why it's Nick (Gerard Butler) who is a now a disgraced former LAPD cop as a result of the events of the previous film.....and now he wants IN? :o 

In other words.....The Cop Goes Gangster and The Heist Goes Global.  Also included among the international cast are Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Orli Shuka.....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA – 2025

Directed by Christian Gudegast

Starring Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Evin Ahmad, Swen Temmel, Bob Jennings, Michael Bisping, Salvatore Esposito, Meadow Williams, Orli Shuka, Christian Solimeno, and Jordan Bridges

Genre: Heist Thriller (Audio clip)

Walking out of the theater after seeing this admittedly very enjoyable sequel to the "Heat for Meatheads" gem of an original from five years ago which I didn't see until years later....I was racking my brain to come up with a proper sequel analog. 🤔 This gratefully wasn't a Ghostbusters II or Jurassic World situation where it just felt like a watered down, somewhat lazy retread of the original....it's also not a fun bat-shit reinvention kind of blowing up the original concept akin to Gremlins 2 or Matrix Reloaded....and alas it's also NOT at the level of Elite Sequels which raise the bar to inspired levels along the lines of Aliens or Lethal Weapon 2. 

No this is something KIND of unique....this is the Just Slightly Off Euro-Sequel of Equal Quality. 😆 It's a worthy sequel possibly just as good as the original, not reinventing the wheel nor blowing any minds - missing some stuff, adding some stuff - and overall just a fun continuation in that it very much revels in bringing some (or all remaining) main characters over to Europe. This is admittedly a VERY small sub-genre of sequel as I can think of only TWO others this compares to: National Lampoon's European Vacation and Ocean's 12. Now I happen to believe that both of those sequels are JUST as good as the originals and I realize that I'm likely in the minority on that, so interpret that as you will....

Bottom line, this is just a more relaxed story with less action and fewer characters overall - it's also much more of an idiosyncratic, almost breezy heist caper in the vein of Ocean's 12 AND makes fantastic use of more seemingly exotic (to a dorky American) locations a la 'European Vacation. :) I mean what could be MORE entertaining than watching Clark Griswold struggle trying to get out of a London roundabout ("Kids....Big Ben, Parliament!") all day?? 

Well how about watching Big Nick (Gerard Butler returning....looking even more delightfully disheveled this time around) putting his own spin on the fish-out-of-water ride by attempting to party down with several more elegant Euro-thieves at some high-end haunts around Nice? 😉 Great stuff! As is the one other major returning character from the first one....O'Shea Jackson Jr's master-thief/wheelman Donnie now confidently pulling strings and orchestrating scams to infiltrate the World Diamond District to set up a big score. I still believe his quieter, more beleaguered performance in the first 'Thieves was sneaky good and one of that film's best surprises. But this time around, we get to see Donnie apparently more in his element....raising him game to come off as more Bond-ian (with some cool neru jackets instead of tuxedos) and suave while staying focused on the task at hand. 

Now did I completely BUY all of the circumstances arranged to bring these two characters together and to seemingly align them this time around? 🙄 Well not completely...there ARE some narrative stretches here including just how easy it seems for Donnie's European allies to accept Big Nick into the crew....writer/director Christian Gudegast's still diverting screenplay isn't exactly air-tight when it comes to overall plotting and it relies a few times on simple convenience to keep the story progressing. But the dialogue is still relatively sharp, the performances from the two main leads feel even more natural (Gerry and O'Shea have great chemistry) this time around, and.....

Beyond that, the central caper is pretty impressive too, making strong use of blocking and editing to maintain suspense. We kinda, sorta get to know most of the European side-players (no less than most of the players on Merriman's gang from the first movie) on this heist with Nick and Donnie but they are each engaging enough that we at least find it easy to root for them. One particular standout has to be rising Swedish/Kurdish star Evin Ahmad (Who is Erin Carter?) who plays Jovanna, the main ringleader of said heist who not only devours the screen with some fun, flirty interactions with Butler but brings as much pathos and tension as she can deliver while remaining behind the scenes to much of the action. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Now for the previous Den of Thieves film, we had a strong propulsive score from synth master Cliff Martinez who unfortunately did not return this time around….however he was replaced by up-and-coming multi-instrumentalist Kevin Matley who I had not heard of before and has only about 14 credits on his IMDB….and his synth-based score here shows equal promise, atmospheric and propulsive with some more international flavor. (Audio clip) 

Now as for an effective needle-drop to end the movie on a rousing note….well you would think it would be difficult to top that first film which utilized Welshy arm’s bombastic ‘Legendary.” A song which has really grown on me, quite punchy! (Audio clip) 

So how could you top that?  Well these movies are about THIEVES right?  So you crib an already popular song which has been used in various media over the past fourteen years since its initial release as a single back in 2011…..used fantastically at the end of The Gambler along with trailers for Cloud Atlas and even prominently on an episode of “Mr. Robot.” It was performed by the French electronic collective lead by Anthony Gonzalez….they broke out bit in the ‘2010’s, I’m referring to M83. (Audio clip)  

So just to VAGUELY set the scene without really spoiling much….this electronic anthem featuring some soaring vocals starts to kick in JUST as one character is sending a hopeful text to the other…..as the other smiles, driving triumphantly along the Italian Mediterranean coast and the credits kick in as the camera pulls over the water….the combination of imagery and music is about as close to Michael Mann as you can get, EXCEPT for the screen not fading to black.  That’s ok when you have a song as gorgeous as this playing over gorgeous scenery….the song is “OUTRO.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Now this being a sequel, there is still some stuff missing this time around for sure: Pablo Schreiber who really impressed me playing Merriman (but isn't here for obvious reasons)....the LA-after-dark grittiness mixed with brutal violence....Curtis Jackson giving a nice, relaxed performance as Levoux....and just an overall dramatic urgency which comes from successfully duplicating the Heat formula of two opposing crews on opposite sides of the law heading into a collision.  As many who loved that first film have observed, this just feels slower this time around….more deliberately paced and I would consider that a valid criticism.  From a runtime standpoint, this is actually a few minutes LONGER than the original which still topped out at around 140 minutes….just not necessary, this certainly could have been tightened a bit. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Even though there is less action this time around, what we are given serves the story and happens to looks and sound FANTASTIC.  The prime example has to be an extended car chase sequence in the third act through both tunnels and cliffside roads which is truly dazzling. Making great use of sleek, black Porsche's driving VERY fast and with piercing sound design to accompany them, it's likely better than any setpiece from the first movie! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

From a technical standpoint, Gudegast just outdoes himself visually with help from returning talented DP Terry Stacey (Adventureland, 50/50) filming several gorgeous locations around Belgium and Spain. Everything just looks AMAZING and on a mere fraction (reportedly around $40 million) of their respective budgets, he has managed to craft a globe-trotting caper almost as visually stimulating as the recent mega-budgeted Tenet or No Time To Die....no small feat. 🤗 This coupled with making GREAT use of his two leads together – keeping the focus on character – and altogether finding a way to craft a satisfying yet sufficiently different sequel to the EXTREMELY derivative first film which became a sleeper hit five years ago….Christian Gudegast is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5 

But overall, this is very much a straightforward two-hander with Butler and Jackson at the center of it....bringing more depth to their characters along with plenty of funny back-and-forth to rival the underrated character-based comedy of an Ocean's 12. ;) Is the overall runtime probably about 10 to 15 minutes too long? Yeah but I could say the same thing about Anora, Conclave, and likely several other awards contenders out there right now....it's not news that Hollywood needs to learn to pare these films down a bit no matter the size or scale. At the very least, Gudegast seems to be trying to raise his game from a visual standpoint and he succeeded by delivering another good time at the movies.  Bring on Thieves 3!

Now Playing in Theaters

And that ends another PANTHER-LIKE review!