The cop goes gangster in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. And if anybody can pull that off with grit and believability in equal measure, it’s Gerard Butler. The Plane and How to Train Your Dragon star reprises his role as Detective ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien from 2018’s Den of Thieves and brings along O’Shea Jackson Jr. again as the clever heist man, Donnie.
If the first film was an intricately produced cat-and-mouse heist in which a steely detective (Butler) desperately tries to catch a viable foe (Jackson), the second film is director/writer Christian Gudegast‘s attempt to shake the creative snow globe. He brings Big Nick to the inside of an elaborate European diamond heist and forces him to work with an unlikely partner: Donnie, the man he’s been after all along. That’s a groovy flip, sure, making Den of Thieves 2 2025’s first subversive buddy movie. But, like many buddy films, things here are hit-and-miss.
It’s Good to See These Guys Again
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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
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
Director
Christian Gudegast
Runtime
0 Minutes
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
Writers
Christian Gudegast
Studio(s)
Atmosphere Entertainment MM
, Diamond Film Productions
, G-BASE
, Entertainment One
, Tucker Tooley Entertainment
Pros
- Gerard Butler is great and has wonderful chemistry with a fun O’Shea Jackson Jr.
- The new setting and addition of some excellent chase sequences make this a fresh sequel.
- The new buddy-cop dynamic suits this franchise.
Cons
- The film is too long, and the repetition of some action sequences get tiring.
- The heist itself is a bit too convoluted and overdone.
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Having Butler and Jackson reprise their roles is the good news. More sketchy is the filmmaker’s fierce insistence on this being a classic heist film, no matter what. This movie aches to be something akin to 1969’s The Italian Job by way of 2001’s Heist with 1981’s Thief and 1995’s Heat tossed in for good measure. The vibe feels a bit too forced if not, once again, bloated, clocking in at nearly two and a half hours.
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Once the initial set-up is established — Big Nick and Donnie teaming up — Gudegast’s script manages to successfully capture the new dynamic as the fellas attempt to outsmart a new slew of dangerous criminals without getting killed in the process. The film soars high when it mixes great action sequences and suspense, but feels weighed down by the filmmakers’ attempts at being cleverly complicated and paving the way for another sequel. It’s an overly zealous approach to crafting a more intricate heist film, and sets us up for Den of Thieves 3.
Big Nick is humiliated over being duped by Donnie during that Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank heist from Den of Thieves when this film opens. His life suddenly out of control, Nick’s been benched from the force and divorce papers have been filed. Obsessed about how Donnie outsmarted him, we soon learn more about Donnie’s disappearance into the European criminal underground. A new big plan is about to roll and Big Nick, seeing red, wants nothing but revenge. Fate has other plans for the man.
Gerard Butler Helps You Stay Patient
It takes a while before we’re deep into Team Nick & Donnie. You see, Donnie is planning a more elaborate heist in Europe, and it’s based on the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist. This ups the stakes considerably in the storytelling and execution. Who doesn’t appreciate a diamond heist caper? Here, we’re taken to the inside of a European criminal underworld, where a massive robbery is about to go down.
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Fortunately, the way Big Nick and Donnie have to join forces feels believable and well-written. That could have gone horribly wrong. Instead, it allows for a swift transition into these two foes becoming unlikely allies. The plan is to break into one of the impenetrable World Diamond Centers in Antwerp, Belgium. Big Nick and Donnie’s cohorts are involved and go along for the thrills across the Mediterranean, creating a new kind of thieves’ den.
Overall, this works, and if you have patience for the film to find its footing — a lot of patience — there’s some fun to be had here. It’s Gerard Butler, so, it’s hard to go wrong and, at this point in the man’s long career, it’s refreshing to see a seasoned actor still fully committed to the characters he takes on. Butler loses himself here, disappearing into this iteration of Big Nick. That alone is worth the cost of the movie.
Thrilling Action Sequences and Drag-Out Fights
Filmmaker Christian Gudegast’s devotion to heist films is evident throughout Den of Thieves. The man has got this down, yet tends to still let this sequel drag at several junctures. This back and forth between extended set-ups and then vigorous action creates an unstable feel to the overall pacing of the film, and at times, you’d swear you’ve seen something like this last week on an elaborately produced streaming series you’ve binged. There’s a tendency to either zone out or pinch yourself to pay attention and absorb all the details, of which there are many.
But again, the entire cast, the scenic locale, and Gudegast’s sharply executed action sequences feel downright wondrous. One throughline in the film is that Nick is impressed by Donnie’s mind, but at the same time, he wants another chance at getting him. And good. Fans of elaborate heist films will appreciate the depth and detail this film offers and its layered storytelling. For instance, early on, a flight carrying diamonds from Johannesburg is hijacked in Brussels, and thieves dressed in Police Federale SWAT gear dash off with jewels worth tens of millions. A single huge pink diamond becomes a sweet allure. Enter the French police chief (Yasen Zates Atour), who blames the Panthers, an elite posse of thieves from the Balkans.
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Donnie is the one who partners with the Panthers initially, posing as a legitimate gems dealer, so we see plenty of inside dealings and the rough fellas who will ultimately spar with Butler’s Big Nick later on—and in ways that may leave you breathless. Watch how brilliant the likes of Salvatore Esposito (as Slavko), Orli Shuka (as Dragan), Cristian Solimeno (Florentin), Dino Kelly (as Marko), and Rico Verhoeven (as Vigo) ignite their scenes.
The Den Is Getting a Bit Crowded
Lionsgate
As if the film wasn’t stuffed enough, toss into the mix a Mafia don, Matteo “The Octopus” Venzolasca (Adriano Chiaramida), who’s seething about the theft — that’s his pink diamond. He orders his thugs to get it back, no matter the cost. These kinds of characters set up an elaborate balancing act of plot threads and details and fight scenes and car chases to track. There’s plush Mediterranean scenery to boot. Hello, thrilling and winding car chase so high above the countryside. We love you. (Gudegast used the all-electric Porsche Taycan for these brilliant scenes.)
Themes that explore the fine line between cop and criminal come into play, but that creative card isn’t overplayed (much). Ultimately, like the first outing, Den of Thieves: Pantera hopes to illuminate that the cops and criminals are equally complex and fallible. This gives the film, like its predecessor, a kind of relatable, razor-sharp focus on character. The movie’s buddy-film component works in its favor, too, as we uncover a few new layers to both Big Nick and Donnie, and wonder if and when they can either work together again or, perhaps better yet, try to outwit the other for another riveting ride. Stay tuned. Looks like this “den” is about to expand. Den of Thieves: Pantera opens in theaters January 10 from Lionsgate. Find theaters and showtimes here.
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