Considering that this sequel was the reason I finally got around to watching Den Of Thieves, it took me a bit longer than expected to see it. That wasn't my choice, but rather tied to the way it was distributed here in the UK. Or just not really distributed at all, which would be closer to the truth. I kept checking cinema listings for this after it seemed to get a decent reception over in America, but there was no news. I kept an eye on VOD release dates, but didn't see anything (although that may have just been me missing the relevant information hidden somewhere on the internet). And now it's here, another title dropped rather unceremoniously on to the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. Anyone would suspect that it's a bad movie.
Gerard Butler is back as Nicholas 'Big Nick' O'Brien, but this time around it looks as if he is leaving the world of law enforcement behind him. He is still pursuing Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), and gets himself in the middle of an intriguing plan to rob a VERY secure diamond exchange. Seemingly relishing the challenge, and also seemingly enjoying the camaraderie, Nick continues to tread heavily through the murky waters of gray morality, to put it mildly.
Christian Gudegast returns to the director's chair for this outing, and he also decides to go it alone on the writing duties this time around. I really can't make up my mind on how good or bad a decision it is, but he's opted to move away from the grit and violence of the first movie in favour of something that feels much more like a crime caper flick. There's still some tension, and the main characters are never portrayed as altruistic innocents, but viewers are allowed to root for the leads even as they get themselves deeper and deeper in a pit of their own creation.
Butler and Jackson Jr. are comfortable while reprising the characters they last played back in 2018, and they benefit from being able to spend more screentime together, displaying a nice rapport that creates a softer core than the first movie had, for better or worse. It's not quite a buddy movie, but there are times when it comes close. Others onscreen include Evin Ahmad (as a woman who catches the eye of Nick, despite her ex being able to cause them quite a bit of trouble), Dino Kelly (as the aforementioned ex), Salvatore Esposito, Orli Shuka, and Yasen Zates Atour.
There are a couple of decent set-pieces spaced throughout the hefty 144-minute runtime, including the main robbery itself (of course), the tone moves deftly between the fun and the tension, and cinematographer Terry Stacey helps to give the whole thing a different look from the first film, but with the same clear choreography and focus during the action beats. The end result may feel a bit unnecessary, and there's a chance that it will annoy people who just want a repeat of the first film, but it's not a bad movie. It's not great, but it's not bad. Which puts it nicely alongside many other Gerard Butler vehicles from the past decade or two.
6/10
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