Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis:
The “Den of Thieves” franchise might become a January staple. After their original confrontation, Big Nick is back to chasing Donnie. After Donnie orchestrated the events of the first film, Nick believes he has been duped. He decides to track Donnie in Europe, where he plans a heist to target the world’s largest diamond exchange. Donnie is caught in between the infamous Panther mafia as well. Nick sees an opportunity to join Donnie on his mission, but his alliances are muddled. Will Donnie and Nick put the past behind them? Or is there still a score to settle?
Positives:
I hadn’t even heard of the original “Den of Thieves” movie before seeing the preview for this one. Being that January is a slow movie month, I decided to check it out. I probably wouldn’t have seen it if this was released during the summer. But sometimes I’m treated to a surprise! “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is a perfect little January thriller, where audiences can enjoy a game of cat and mouse between two powerful personalities. Nick and Donnie continue their frenemy relationship, where their differences keep them at arms length. But they have a certain comradery that blurs the lines this time. Nick is no longer working for the police force so his ability to play in the gray is an interesting change of pace. Now that Donnie’s abilities have been revealed, he also has more to chase this time around. I enjoyed seeing these two team up, combining their unique set of skills to pull off a heist of this magnitude. Both Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson are better in “Pantera” than in the first film. They are allowed to lean into their characters more, where instead of competing with one another they are actually working together. The intrigue of where Nick’s true alliances lie made for a mysterious element to the story.
The premise has a nice amount of espionage. I enjoyed hearing about Donnie’s plans with the mafia as they plan to execute a massive diamond heist. The plot raises the stakes this time around, where Donnie has more to lose and Nick’s drive to get in on the action is evident. While the movie won’t win any awards for its screenplay, it delivers exactly what people come to see. We get a testosterone exuding duo between the two leads, a heist that keeps us guessing, and some exciting action to conclude the film. I’m surprised at how much development both Nick and Donnie get in the film. We learn more about their background and what shapes their ideologies. This makes the franchise stronger as we know we are going to see these two again. Credit to the writers for making the leads better characters while giving them a higher stakes situation. Surprisingly fun!
Negatives:
The “Den of Thieves” franchise has the same strengths and weaknesses in both films so far. While the character development in “Pantera” is better, it still struggles with its pacing and story flow. Both films are about two hours and twenty minutes, which is way too long for a franchise like this. Each movie could be cut by twenty minutes and be better. If director Christian Gudegast was able to trim the fat from the story the pacing would be stronger. There are some strange ebbs and flows, where the characters are meandering around in situations that are inconsequential to the central premise. There are a surprising amount of slower sequences that really drag down the momentum. “Pantera” has even less action than in the first film too. That’s a bummer because a better blend of action and espionage would elevate this franchise a great deal.
Conclusion:
“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is a surprisingly entertaining January thrill ride. The stakes are raised and the characters get even better. Both Butler and Jackson give good performances and strengthen their unique relationship. I do hope that the next film cuts some of the excess material because it really made the pacing feel sluggish. This is the perfect guys night out movie that is (mostly) what audiences will expect. Check it out if an action/episonage film sounds like a good time!
