THE STORY – Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled in the treacherous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
THE CAST – Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Dino Kelly, Nazmiye Oral & Yasen Zates Atour
THE TEAM – Christian Gudegast (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 144 Minutes
When “Den of Thieves” came out almost seven years ago, most audiences were somewhat surprised that a film that is essentially a clone of Michael Mann’s “Heat” packs a bit more of a punch. The action set pieces are well executed, it’s shot far better than you’d expect from a film of this pedigree, and the ensemble is filled with the best of the best of “Oh, he’s in this!” type-performers, such as Pablo Schrieber, Gerard Butler, and 50 Cent. What helped the reception of “Den of Thieves” is that it has personality, a dude outing that satisfies most who watch. Everyone on the production came in knowing what kind of film they were making. “Den of Thieves” is an action flick that hits every beat it needs to, but at a high level. Does that mean everyone expected a sequel to “Den of Thieves?” Most likely not. Yet, all these years later, director Christian Gudegast is ready to set up the next big score, this time taking our boys international with “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.” It might not be as smooth an outing as its predecessor, but there is still plenty to enjoy, especially when you have Butler operating in “Big Nick” mode.
Since pulling the rug out from under the Federal Reserve without them knowing, Donnie (played by O’Shea Jackson Jr.) has set his sights on the best heists only Europe can offer. It’s business as usual as “Pantera” continues to showcase Donnie’s highly exceptional IQ in terms of strategizing heists, thrusting viewers into an airport heist as soon as the film starts. Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Detective Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brien (Butler) is being worn down by his gangster-cop lifestyle as he’s fresh off being divorced and losing custody of his two daughters. Most of all, a part of him is still hung up on being duped by Donnie’s heist at the Federal Reserve.
Big Nick, ready to make a change, hunts down Donnie overseas; however, just when we think he’s going to bust him, Big Nick throws us in for a loop and decides he’s ready to finally win once in life. “Pantera’s” tagline, “When the cop goes gangster,” tells us all we need to know. Those afraid of Gudegast rehashing the first “Den of Thieves” don’t have to worry (the intended demographic for this film most likely wouldn’t have even cared). The “Heat” comparisons are no more as Gudegast goes all in on making the bro-equivalent of “The Italian Job.” The heists are far more elaborate, the action set pieces are basked in the Belgium landscape, and everything is dialed up to an eleven.
“Pantera” is anchored by its two leads, Jackson Jr. and Butler, who are great together. Still, what made “Den of Thieves” work so well was the comradery of the crew. It made bits like scaring the prom date of Levoux’s (50 Cent) daughter work so well. Here, you couldn’t care less about anyone on the team besides Donnie or Big Nick, which feels like a slight detractor. Jackson Jr. is front and center as he’s the only remaining crew member from the original film. At times, he sells it, but Donnie is written so self-seriously that it drags down Jackson Jr.’s performance on multiple occasions. However, Butler is still the shining star of why these movies work so well. Big Nick is still as charming and grimy as ever. Although Butler never gets moments to shine like the dinner sequence in the original, he’s still making every line work to his benefit. Butler is not only comedically effortless in all of Big Nick’s scumminess, but he brings a real gravitas that, without him, “Pantera” would end up being a far more generic outing.
Yet, whatever banalities in storytelling (minus one amazing party sequence with Donnie and Big Nick), whenever “Pantera” decides to dial in, it becomes the movie that everyone wants it to be. No one claims these films to be the crème de la crème of cinema, but they’re tasked with one crucial job most modern studio films forget to do: Entertain. While some interest may wane in the build-up to the heist, as soon as it begins to unfold, you’re pulled back in and massively entertained. The third act of “Pantera” works so well to the point where it’s alarming in how, for the most part, it’s massively better than everything before it. Even with somewhat forced teeing up for a sequel that probably won’t work as well as these two films, it’s hard to deny that Gudegast and company somewhat achieved what they wanted to with this “Den of Thieves” sequel.
