“Den of Thieves” (2018) riffed on “Heat” (1995), and writer-director Christian Gudegast continues to be inspired by classic crime actioners in “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” which borrows themes and a setting from “Ronin” (1998). The sequel has the expected appeal of the gruff antihero, Nick (Gerard Butler), gradually softening into human form as the series goes forward, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie continues to be an “antivillain.”
Roughs after the diamonds
“Pantera,” like the original, features a well-detailed and tension-filled heist as its centerpiece. But since we’re in Nice – home of the World Diamond Exchange (at least for fictional purposes) – I expected a great car chase in the final act. One that goes through narrow alleys and smashes vegetable stands would be welcome, but anything fast and nutty would be fine.
Unfortunately, while the “Den of Thieves” films get good production value for their buck, they do not approach the budget of the “Mission: Impossibles” or “Fast and Furiouses.” The climactic chase somehow features no other cars on the road … on the outskirts of a major city … at daytime! At least this time I can’t get peeved at Nick for instigating a firefight among traffic, as he did back in Atlanta … I mean L.A.
“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” (2025)
Director: Christian Gudegast
Writer: Christian Gudegast
Stars: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad
Even if it falls short of “Ronin,” “Pantera” knows what it wants to be: an exploration of whether a veteran cop can become an honorable thief. Through convolutions, Nick joins Donnie and his new allies, the Panthers, for the diamond heist. Gudegast paves over this team-up (and the script’s other leaps in plausibility) with Donnie saying “F***!” to indicate he’s as flabbergasted by the situation as we are.
Is Nick with the French authorities? Is he with the Panthers? Gudegast and Butler do a good job of keeping this vague. His life is in a shambles (divorce and inability to see his kids as much as he wants), so maybe joining a den of thieves is appealing. We see the incredible amount of trust and teamwork needed to pull off a heist. Unless the person is a total sociopath, he will develop bonds.
Jackson Jr. isn’t great at the French accent, which undermines the notion that Donnie is a master at moving in any circles. He plays Donnie as someone with 75 percent confidence who tries to fake it till he makes the other 25 percent. That badly faked French accent thus helps shape the character, although I’m pretty sure it isn’t an intentional acting choice.
Tension outstrips action (Spoilers)
(SPOILERS FOLLOW.)
In the first film, Donnie had the plans for a Federal Reserve break-in written on a napkin; in “Pantera” we see the advance planning for another mission more difficult than the underwater stage of the first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” video game.
There’s no way to get blueprints for the diamond exchange; hence Nick’s participation as a cop who can get official access. Though not overflowing with wit or one-liners, the film’s funniest moment occurs when Nick is trying to get clearance from the guy who guards the vault, called a maître d’ in perhaps a nod to “John Wick.” Oh, there it is; it turns out the approval for Nick’s clearance had gone to junk mail.
Gudegast has his mind on logistics to some degree. There’s desperation to do this heist fast because Donnie must retrieve a ruby he stole from a second group of criminals, the Sardinian mob; it’s now located in a safe deposit box in the vault.
(END OF SPOILERS.)
It’s nicer in Nice, but is Nick nice?
The heist is made possible by that usual movie thing where the building is set up more like a game than a security system. One-hundred-twenty-seven cameras, but conveniently, zero on the roof. One camera on the roof and there’d be no hope. It’s like the security team wants to give thieves a fighting chance.
“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is sometimes silly and imperfect, but Butler is engaged with the moral and emotional factors of betraying people you pretended to be friends with (and perhaps really were). Action fans will demand more from future sequels, but I hope there are indeed more; for one, I’m interested to see what classic crime actioner Gudegast riffs on next.