Den of Thieves II: Pantera (2025)

Watched 1/10/25 (theater)

The reteaming of director Christian Gudegast (who?) and star Gerard Butler for a 7-years-later sequel to a very entertaining, if discounted, heist thriller, would on paper resemble a recipe for a horrible direct-to-video cash grab. It could have been a small, choppy, charmless act in Hollywood failure. But the delightfully-titled Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, is not any of those things. Instead of returning to the scene of the crime in Los Angeles, Gudegast’s sequel pivots to beautiful, sunny Nice, France. Trading in gunfights for buddy comedy and escalating confrontations for awkward odd-couple interactions, this is a sequel that allows for its actors to have fun in a terrific European location that really downshifts the testosterone for something more—hmm, avant garde is too pretentious a term—but more experimental, maybe?

Not a ton happens in Den of Thieves 2. Where the first film was predicated on two gangs (cops and robbers) of muscle-bound, alcohol-chugging thugs getting into a series of dick-measuring contests, its sequel puts a lot of focus on the vacation vibes of its Euro-destination and their impact on the characters. These people are in a locale that they don’t know, they’re outsiders, and they find a camaraderie in that. Much of the plot that isn’t occupied with third-act setup just allows its characters to bounce off of each other with all of the awkwardness you would expect of a 54-year-old writing “young people” dialogue for his characters’ social interactions. Seriously, it feels like this guy has listened to his kids talk and tweet way too much, to the point where “fuck” may be the most used word in this script. And the house music is all over the place. It certainly creates a unique atmosphere.

Big Nick O’Brien is back, being played again by a spot-on Gerard Butler. He tailors his mannerisms so perfectly to this fish out of water role that you genuinely cringe every time he opens his mouth in the company of his new friends, a group of thieves led by the equally-game O’Shea Jackson, Jr. Long playing bit parts in good movies for the last decade, Jackson feels perfectly at home as the wisecracking foil to his bigger co-star. They’re in cahoots with other well-pitched performances by such actors as Evin Ahmed and Salvatore Esposito, whom I first saw in Fargo and hope to see more of in American films across the board. There may not be much tension through the first two acts of this hangout comedy of manners, but there are enough screwball antics and odd-couple chemistry to fuel the fire as we build toward the inevitable diamond heist, the reason they’re in Nice.

With multiple factions being set up to have a stake in this World Diamond Centre robbery, the climax feels truly sturdy as we methodically moved through its components and players for over an hour and twenty or so to open the film. They really trojan horse a hangout movie into a trashy action programmer, which I haven’t really seen before! There might not be quite enough adrenaline to justify such a patient set up, but some good heist logistics and clever set piece work make up for what could have been a disappointing endpoint. Plus it helps that there’s just a very loud, appropriately-high-octane shootout/car chase through the French hills to cap off the escape plan. This sequence is both the artistic and commercial apex of the movie and definitely poking at the Michael Mann worship that director Gudegast clearly has. Pretty good!

That’s not to say this movie doesn’t have its issues. While some of the strange dialogue is truly charming in its off-kilter generational gappage, and some of it is just plain oddball in an endearing way, the movie ends like three times, none of which are completely satisfying and all of which offer multiple question marks. It is definitively overlong, filled with holes, and again, that final car chase makes me wish we had one more action beat. But hey, this movie also allows Gerard Butler to do ecstasy, eat shawarma, and sweat all over some super obvious, hilarious product placement—so you win some you lose some.

If you’re looking for a cocktail of American idiocy and European EDM mood, with hints of ‘70s minimalist crime procedurals and Michael Mann zen, Den of Thieves 2 is a cocktail you should try. It may not be the digestif that ends your night on the most satisfying of nightcaps, but it will more than likely give you just enough of a buzz to keep you smiling along with Gerard Butler’s big dumb bearded grin. Fun stuff, especially for a January release—and any movie put out with the vague subtitle of Pantera is worth giving a chance.

6.75/10