I remember when heist movies had memorable characters and scenarios. Den of Thieves certainly didn’t and its only slightly better follow-up, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
, tries at the very least, though its efforts ultimately fall flat. The film has less action, which isn’t a bad thing since it builds up suspense for the actual heist and its aftermath, and more talking. Whereas the first film was more gritty and violent, the sequel is more polished and developed. But it’s also the same amount of underwhelming, failing to fully launch despite an intriguing setup.

Sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien tracks Donnie Wilson to Europe after his daring escape. As Donnie becomes deeply involved with diamond thieves and the Panther mafia, the stakes rise with a plan to rob the world’s largest diamond exchange. The film promises intense action and suspense across international borders.

Release Date

January 10, 2025

Cast

Gerard Butler
, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
, Meadow Williams
, Jordan Bridges
, Evin Ahmad
, Swen Temmel
, Bob Jennings
, Michael Bisping
, Salvatore Esposito
, Orli Shuka
, Cristian Solimeno
, Nazmiye Oral
, Yasen Zates Atour
, Dino Kelly
, Rico Verhoeven
, Velibor Topic
, Antonio Bustorff
, Yuri D. Brown
, Birol Tarkan Yıldız
, John West Jr
, Ciryl Gane
, Mark Grosy
, Ignacio Herráez
, Stéphane Coulon

Director

Christian Gudegast

Writers

Christian Gudegast

Studio(s)

Atmosphere Entertainment MM
, Diamond Film Productions
, G-BASE
, Entertainment One
, Tucker Tooley Entertainment

Expand

Nick & Donnie’s Relationship Gets More Focus

But There Isn’t Enough Of It

Den of Thieves 2 brings back Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr., as Nick and Donnie, respectively, while adding a plethora of new characters that range from being potentially fascinating to downright unnecessary. Swedish actress Evin Ahmad plays Jovanna, Donnie’s right hand, and she’s easily the best addition to the film. There’s an air of mystery around her and her onscreen presence is commanding, which is why I was so disappointed that her character is squandered by a mediocre script — by writer-director Christian Gudegast — that she barely feels like a fully fledged character at all.

The sequel does find its sweet spot, though, after Nick decides to join Donnie and his team for the diamond heist…

My frustration with the rest of the characters doubles. Jovanna and Slavko (Salvatore Esposito), another character in Donnie’s heist group, seem to have an intriguing relationship; they go way back considering how they interact with each other, but there is never a time when Pantera actually pays them any mind. This is where the film’s preoccupation with talking would have benefited the building of tension. There’s no point in removing so much of the action to insert dialogue if it’s not going to develop character dynamics. Why else would we care about whether Donnie and Co. get caught or not?
The sequel does find its sweet spot, though, after Nick decides to join Donnie and his team for the diamond heist, involving a setup that sees Donnie working at the World Diamond Center in France. At this point, Nick has nothing to lose, having lost his job, his kids, and most of his money. And if he can’t beat Donnie, why not join him? This leads to some of the best scenes of the film, including one where Nick and Donnie go out for food and get to know each other better after being thrown off a yacht.
Den Of Thieves 2 Had The Potential To Be Fun But Doesn’t Live Up To It

There’s an untapped potential in their camaraderie if only Pantera played into it more often and more aggressively. The lackluster acting overall doesn’t help matters. There are decent moments every so often, and for a while, it’s enough to hold my attention, but for some reason, Gudagest doesn’t try very hard to elevate any of the script’s more interesting aspects. Den of Thieves 2 is the poorer version of the Fast and Furious movies; without the charm and chemistry of its characters, the plot would just be too outlandish and frustrating to be fun.
And therein lies the main problem with Pantera: it takes itself too seriously and doesn’t know how to let loose and enjoy the ride. More engaging characters and charisma go a long way to cover up the holes in the plot. Two of the characters disappear at one point in the film and don’t reappear until the film nears its end. I’m sure it was meant to be considered some sort of twist within the story, but there’s such a shallow buildup to it that I was surprised when they unnecessarily showed back up again.

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A couple more action set pieces would have also helped the pacing from growing too stagnant as, like its predecessor, Den of Thieves 2 is far too long at nearly two and a half hours. It’s bloated and, with nothing too exciting going on, the wait for the heist itself starts to drag. Despite some tension, there’s no real sense of urgency at any point. The film sets up yet another sequel, but Pantera lacks the passion and consistency needed to dredge up any genuine excitement for yet another film in a struggling franchise.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is in theaters on January 10. The film is 144 minutes long and rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug use and sexual references.

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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

5/10

Pros

Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s characters are best when interacting
The heist itself has suspense

Cons

The characters are underdeveloped and have little personality
The film is too long and becomes stagnant until the heist
There’s a lack of urgency