Big Nick (Butler) is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (Jackson), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
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After watching Den of Thieves, I thought it was a decent heist flick. So, when Den of Thieves: Pantera popped up on streaming, I figured I’d give it a shot. Would it be able to surpass the first film? Or was this sequel just a quick cash grab?
Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. both return for Den of Thieves: Pantera. They continue to do pretty good in their roles as cop and bad guy, respectively. They have an interesting antagonistic approach to either other, and play off the other in keeping their history in their minds. They may have been on opposite sides in the first film, but the two characters developed a mutual respect for each other, and Butler and Jackson do a good job of showing that in this second film.
The rest of the cast is decent enough, but the two main stars far overshadow them. They aren’t fleshed out very much at all, and could have been interchanged with numerous others. Since the main story is on Butler and Jackson, that’s not that bad. It would have been interesting if the secondary characters were a bit less stereotypical bad guys, but that’s not really something viewers will expect from these films.
While the first film was filled with twists and turns, Den of Thieves: Pantera gave away the big twist in the trailer: Butler’s cop teams up with O’Shea to rob a diamond exchange (similar to The Fast and the Furious but with less focus on cars). They still have their antagonistic banter, and there is an extra complication thrown in the mix, but the extra layers set up in the first film aren’t really here. And then there’s a subplot out of nowhere that isn’t really explained at all, and an ending that was obviously tossed together last minute to set up another sequel.
The heist itself is done very well in Den of Thieves: Pantera. As in the first, that’s what everything is leading up to, and it doesn’t disappoint. As with the first, there is a long setup to the heist. Since each of these films is nearly 2½ hours long, it seems like they overdo it a bit, especially with this one. Viewers could have gotten the gist with less time spent, but oh well.
All in all, Den of Thieves: Pantera is a decent sequel. It’s got a good heist sequence and the anti-buddy schtick between Butler and Jackson is definitely entertaining. Still, it has a few flaws – including not making more memorable secondary characters, there are a few unexplained side plots, and the ending is a bit too obviously slapped together to cater to the audience – but viewers should find enough here to enjoy this one anyway.
Den of Thieves
