Prime Time: Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025)

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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Den Of Thieves (2018)

If you're going to emulate a modern crime thriller then Heat is one of the best that you could aim for, and that's exactly what Den Of Thieves does. The opening crime is a barrage of high-powered gunfire, and then things settle down a bit as we watch a number of professionals try to do what they're best at doing.

Pablo Schreiber plays Ray Merrimen, a professional robber about to lead a team on the biggest score of their lives. It's an audacious job, and he'll be helped by the likes of Enson Levoux (50 Cent) and Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.). Donnie is the wheelman, but he's also the weak spot, having had his collar felt by 'Big Nick' O'Brien (Gerard Butler). First being shown at a crime scene where he takes a doughnut from a blood-spattered box, Nick is the kind of cop who will let his life fall apart around him while he focuses on getting his man. Ray Merrimen is determined not to go back to prison though, but he starts to feed Nick information about their upcoming score. Is he that confident, or is it all a bluff?

Written and directed by Christian Gudegast, making his debut in the big chair, Den Of Thieves often feels like a film that shouldn't work. And yet it does. The main character is quite ridiculous, as is the game being played between him and the villains, there are a number of implausibilities that build up as everything plays out in the third act, the 140-minute runtime is too long, and there should be some more familiar faces sprinkled throughout the substantial amount of supporting cast members. The main players seem to be relishing their roles though, and that goes a hell of a long way to helping make this worth your time.

Butler is a lot of fun, playing someone who is only one or two steps away from an irredeemable Bad Lieutenant (although, crucially, he always seems to be attempting to do his job properly, albeit in unorthodox ways), and he's the main draw here, but Schreiber is very watchable and intense, Jackson Jr. continues to build a good selection of acting performances, and Curtis Jackson (AKA 50 Cent) proves himself able to work well alongside the leads. Evan Jones, Brian Van Holt, Mo McRae, Dawn Olivieri, and Cooper Andrews are also worth mentioning.

Created by Gudegast and Paul T. Scheuring with no attempt to be coy about their main influences, this feels somehow both like a standard action thriller and something quite a bit more bonkers than that. There's a vein of sly humour running throughout many of the scenes, and the very end is enjoyably amusing for how much it seems to directly lift from another classic '90s movie (which I won't mention here, that would spoil the impact). I'm not sure I would choose to rewatch this, but I am sure that I had a pretty good time while it was on. And, as much as I love McAvoy in the role, it kind of makes me wish that Butler had been given the lead role in Filth, because some of the same rules apply to his character here that apply to that reprobate. Oh yes, the same rules apply.

7/10

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