July 9th: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Released: 2025
Directed by: Christian Gudegast
Starring: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito
When you fail at your job, you begin to question not only whether you’re fit for it, but also your entire personality. That is what happens to Big Nick O’Brien, played by Gerard Butler, in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. He has lost his family and his position at work because of his actions in the last film. When a robbery of a diamond shipment takes place in Belgium with some familiar details, Nick believes he knows where Donnie, the mastermind thief from the first film played by O’Shea Jackson Jr., might be.
Nick arrives in Europe and quickly finds Donnie. Donnie has been working with a group of Serbian thieves, and they are planning another epic robbery: the World Diamond Center in Nice, France. Nick demands to be included. In doing so, he bonds not only with Donnie but also with the rest of the team — except for two guys who aren’t fans of Donnie either. The jerks get kicked out, and Nick is in. Will they succeed? Has Nick honestly turned to crime? Will they get murdered by the Calabrian mafia, who are furious about the Belgium robbery? Oh yeah…the Calabrian mafia is really mad about the Belgium robbery.
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Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are really fun in this movie. It has a lighter tone, and the two of them flourish in that context. Their rivalry evolves from dislike to respect, back to dislike again…before ultimately becoming a partnership in which each saves the other’s life. There is an element of the original The Fast and the Furious to it, which is a positive in my book.
Small Observations:
- Man, Donnie learns a language fast. After only two years outside the U.S., he speaks Serbian well enough to use it while planning and executing a heist. Learning a language is difficult enough. Being able to use it fluently in the context of a robbery is crazy.
- Like most heist movies, one of the most fun parts is watching the crew actually pull off the heist and seeing all the little tricks they use to get past security. In this one, I particularly like how they get into one building, make their way to the roof, and then use the fact that the building across the street — the one with the vault — is one story taller as part of the plan.
- One particularly effective scene is when Donnie and Nick talk about their lives growing up and the parts of their pasts that make them who they are today. It gives each actor a chance to show more than just anger, frustration, and sarcasm.
- MCU actors: 0
Overall Rank: A
I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. The action scenes are taut and well-directed, and the two leads give excellent performances. Recommended.
