Hey everyone and welcome back to a brand new review! For this one, I’m going to be talking about the sequel that action junkies and dads all over the world have been hotly anticipating for 7 years! Jokes aside, the original Den of Thieves came out back in January of 2018 and did fairly decently, grossing $80 million globally on a $30 million budget. While reviews were mixed, the film has gone on to garner a solid following over the years thanks to reruns on cable TV and streaming expanding the audience. Hence, a sequel entered development and has now finally been released. I’ll admit that I am rather mixed towards the original as while I do think it is better than what one might expect from something like it (essentially another riff on Heat) and it has some genuinely great stuff, there is quite a bit that holds it back from being as strong as it could’ve been in my eyes. Still, I was curious about this follow up as I like Gerard Butler as an action star and I was down to see more of his character in what looked to be a fun looking heist film. Was it able succeed in that regard? Let’s jump right in and see if going international was the right move for this franchise!
We kick things off by following the character of Donnie Wilson, who, after the events of the first film, is now on the hunt for some valuable diamonds. He joins up with a group known as the Panther Crew with their latest target being a diamond vault in the World Diamond Center located in Nice, France. Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Sheriff Nick O’Brien (AKA Big Nick) is still having a rough go of it, having gone through a divorce and put on leave by the police. Still, he is very much intent on tracking Donnie down and is soon able to get an eye on his location. He then heads to Nice to assumingly take Donnie down… but then tells Donnie that he wants in on the planned heist, much to Donnie’s surprise. So now the two are teaming up, along with the Panther Crew, in order to pull off what looks to be a challenging endeavor with numerous obstacles to face and the consequences ever so high.
One aspect of this film that noticeably stands out in comparison to its predecessor, is that it is a lot lighter in regards to tone. The original Den of Thieves had comedic moments (mainly stemming from Big Nick’s over-the-top personality), but for the most part took itself seriously and had much more grit to it with some dark outcomes for quite a few of the characters. This follow up on the other hand, is much more concerned with having a good time, with some of the proceedings having this leisurely feel and there being a lot more comedy being thrown around (more moments like the scene in the first movie where 50 Cent’s character intimidates his daughter’s boyfriend). It honestly worked well for me as I found myself laughing fairly consistently and it gave the characters a certain amount of likability. What I also liked about this movie was how director/writer, Christian Gudegast, took what I thought were the most interesting parts of the first (Nick and Donnie’s dynamic, the heist angle, etc.) and made those the focus of this. That made me more engaged in what was going on and I felt the story had more of a focus whereas in the original, there was a lot going on with quite a bit of it either being fairly standard or underdeveloped.
He also finds the time to have some solid character moments where we just hang out with our protagonists and have a good laugh with them, which goes a long way in making me further invested in the heist which is built up quite well. That being said, while I enjoyed the leisurely feel, at 2 hours and 24 minutes, I do think the movie runs longer than it needs to (another issue I had with the first) and can feel its length at times with some moments feeling like stalling for time. Also, despite there being a huge heist at play, there’s a strange lack of urgency at times where the hang out vibes overshadow a lot of the conflicts, such as when the mafia getting involved which felt like an afterthought most of the time (though I did find where that plot ended up going to be a bit surprising). Still, I would say the enjoyability of the events at play are able to make up for some of these issues.
A positive feature that I feel both films possess is that they are simply put, both polished, well made studio actioners. With an expanded scope and change in locale, there is a lot to take advantage of in order to give this feature a distinct feel than from what came before and I feel the results are successful. Cinematographer Terry Stacey returns and he does a really good job getting in some gorgeous looking shots of the European locale, capturing the beauty quite nicely. He also does a good job with the lighting, in particular when he is taking advantage of the darkness in certain scenes to add to the intensity of the heist. Speaking of which, when that part of the film comes, Gudegast and co. succeed in crafting an exciting sequence that is well made in regards to staging and editing and intense given what is established earlier in the film in regards to the security measures present (also found it amusing how the security guards here are a lot less alert than the ones in the first).
Furthermore, while there is actually not a whole lot of action in this film, especially when compared to the original, the stuff that we do get is very solid. Gudegast is able to craft some nicely done sequences that deliver the adrenaline one would want from this kind of film and he is able to play around with different shots and perspectives in a way that is still coherent and easy to follow. This is most apparent in a tunnel/mountain car chase/shoot out that is one of the highlights of the film and is a sequence that takes advantage of the larger canvas that is present to play on and is just a great action scene in and of itself.
As mentioned before, a lot of my interest in a Den of Thieves sequel in the abstract largely stemmed from getting to see Gerard Butler ham it up playing Big Nick and I’m happy to say that he delivers once again. Butler brings the same absurdly macho energy that made him such a delight the first time around, putting up with no one’s BS and is always willing to speak his mind (and yes he eats quite a bit of food just like in the original). That being said, he still manages to give this character some nuance as he is going through quite a bit in both movies and Butler is able to provide some solid work that gives Big Nick a bit of an emotional side. I thought it was interesting seeing him change sides and how him letting go of his policing duties makes him a happier person (whether or not this is commentary on how much of a toll law enforcement can take on those enacting it, it made for an appropriate place to take him). It was also neat to see him and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie team up as they have some solid chemistry with one another. Jackson Jr. does well as the straight man of the two and now that we know he is a master thief, we get to see him in action doing disguises and showing off his thought process which is fun. The two of them make for a compelling duo, with some of the highlight scenes of the film, just seeing these two let loose and/or talk to one another which leads to some neat moments where we learn a bit more about why they do what they do.
When it comes to the rest of the supporting cast though, most everyone does a fine job in regards to performance, even if character wise there just isn’t enough time to delve into most of them. The rest of the Panthers crew is mostly filled with the kinds of characters you’d see in a heist flick like this with Evin Ahmad’s Jovanna getting the most to do as the leader of the group. She’s mostly there to provide exposition, but I liked how she’s written as someone who actually cares about the safety of the team, same going for the her right-hand man, Slavko (Salvatore Esposito). Despite the limited screentime for most of them, I did appreciate how they all had one or two small character moments to show off some personality with Yasen Zates Atour showing off the most as Hugo, a French officer who is amused by Nick’s devil may care attitude and may share a bit in common with him. Villain wise, there are a couple of threats to deal with, but they feel like an afterthought to the point where I often forgot there was conflict outside of the main heist.
In all, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a solid action sequel that I personally found to be an improvement over the original. It shares some of the same problems such as an overlong runtime and too many characters being thrown into the mix, with a lack of urgency in large stretches of the film also being an issue. However, it manages to work thanks to some nice comedy, a better focus, some nicely done action, Gerard Butler’s bonkers performance and a strong duo at the center of it all. Fans of the original should be pleased as even if there is a tonal shift, it delivers enough of the qualities that one would want from a meat and potatoes actioner like this. Given the consistent box office this franchise seems to be achieving, chances are this may not be the last we see of Big Nick and Donnie and honestly, I’d be down for more. My only question would be since the original was a riff on Heat and this is essentially a riff on Ocean’s 11, what famous genre film will Den of Thieves 3 take inspiration from? Now that, I’d be curious to see.
Rating: B
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