DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA – Review

Just ten days into the new year and it appears that the studios are trying to create a new action thriller franchise. Technically it really began in 2018 with a flick that attempted to combine a heist caper plot with a police procedural led by a detective that’s not exactly squeaky clean. It did modest business (some might say barely a box office “ripple”), so this sequel is more than unexpected (“outta’ nowhere” is more like it). But since the big Summer blockbuster season feels light years away, especially with the weather’s artic plunge, those fans of tough guys with big guns driving fast cars need an adrenaline “fix”. And if they “check their brains” at the concession counter, then they may get the needed “rush” from DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA.

Whoa, in the opening moments, we’re thrust right into a big “heist” involving computer hacking, a phony flight attendant, pilfered jewels, and a hijacked armored vehicle. Hey, it sounds similar to that big crime seven years ago. Well, that was in the US rather than a busy foreign international airport, though there is one familiar face. Barking commands in French is that criminal mastermind Donnie Wilson (Oshea Jackson, Jr.). Luckily, his old nemesis back in the States gets wind of it through his stripper snitch Holly (Meadow Williams). LA County Sheriff’s Department Detective Nick “Big Nike” O’Brien (Gerard Butler) needs a new case to occupy his time having just endured a really nasty divorce. After pulling a few strings with the feds, Nick’s on his way across the pond to a quaint, quiet Marseilles, which has an elite, and very protected jewelry exchange district. This is where Donnie and his crew have settled in. He uses gems from that airport heist to open a space in one of the office buildings, aided by the proper “intro” from the gang’s “femme fatale” Jovanna (Evin Ahmad). It seems those heist jewels were bait in order to break into the big vault in that exclusive district. Ah, but Donnie’s plans shift with the unexpected arrival of Nick. Hold up, this cop wants “in” on the score. Has he really gone rogue, or is Nick truly under deep, deep “cover”? Donnie’s got to take a chance, otherwise his crew will turn on him (some already are planning that). But Nick is in contact with the local cops, who tell him that the armored heist has made them a target of the feared Panther mafia, who want to retrieve a revered family stone that was part of the theft. Will these new “players” botch the job, or will Nick work with Donnie and disavow his cop career and turn his back on the “badge”?

Butler easily shifts back into swaggering “bro” mode as “big Nick”, though this new plot throws a few curves his way. Mainly in his new ‘stomping grounds” far away from “La La” Land. This allows Butler to display his comedic chops as the burly, coarse cop being the loud, violent “fish out of water” in the cultured climes of Marseilles. And he’s got to “clean up his act” considerably and adjust his “fashion sense” in order to glide in and out of the “diamond fortress”. To do so, he must follow the lead of Donnie, played with smooth and silky confidence by the charismatic Jackson, who’s quite believable as the crew’s “point man”. Despite their past conflicts, Donnie and Nick become a slick team shifting into a duo capable of this complex game of deception and duplicity. Complimenting them is the sultry Ahmad whose fashion-model looks and poise distract. allowing her to use her keen intellect in easily accessing and evading the tight (much like her attire) security measures in place.

Also returning for this follow-up is writer/director Christian Gudegast, who attempts to tweak the story structure of the original with the exotic European locales. and the ambiguity of Nick’s motivations as we wonder if he has embraced the “outlaw’ life. Unfortunately, the obstacle more daunting than the hallway camera and the countless guards scanning the multiple monitors is the languid pacing that makes its 144 runtime (c’mon, really) feel like a round trip to France…in coach. The flick has far too many scenes of the guys trying to out “macho” each other at various bars and bistros, including a disco packed to the gills with supermodels in tight shiny gowns (of course, a big brawl occurs). Plus there are endless “prep” bits (the crew clashes over the music choices) that wear us down before the big “break-in”, which includes every possible “crime caper” cliche. It feels like a retread of heist ” challenges” done with more style and suspense in the OCEANS and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchises (they must climb up a long metal hook between buildings, so we’re waiting for the eventual “slip”). And as with most action flicks, we get multiple endings to allow for double and “triple crosses”. All this is in service to a sequel that nobody was demanding other than investors of the forgettable 2018 original. Hopefully, all of this tiresome “mach-man” preening will be shelved after the chaotic cinema crimes of DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA.

1/2 Out of 4

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, January 10. 2025