Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Meadow Williams, Jordan Bridges, and Evin Ahmad
Director: Christian Gudegast
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Movie Review Out (Photo Credit – Instagram)What’s Good: Butler and Jackson have fantastic chemistry, making their characters worth following even under the overlong runtime.
What’s Bad: The film is just too long, and the pacing can feel glacial. This makes the movie feel boring when it doesn’t have to.
Loo Break: The first act is definitely too uneventful, so you can go to the loo and come back in time for when the planning and the execution happen.
Watch or Not?: If you were a fan of the first one, then yes, go watch it. If you only want a good time at the movies and Gerard Butler is someone you like to watch, then go watch it.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Theatres.
Runtime: 144 Minutes
User Rating:
In the 1990s, action films were everywhere, a consequence of the genre explosion in the 1980s when many action stars were born. The genre exploded with such a force that it overtook cinemas worldwide as the kind of films people wanted to watch, relegating the prestige dramas to more of a background role. is a film that would feel right at home with the genre if it had come out in the 1990s, and as such, it feels simple in its ideas but solid in its execution.
The original Den of Thieves came out seven years ago, and it is definitely one of the decade’s most remembered heist action films. Still, a sequel never materialized until today, when Christian Gudegast returned with a new film in the franchise. While still being a heist film at heart, it also goes in an unexpected direction, taking our main characters on new arcs and a road that would define them forever if the series continues into a third entry.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is very different from the first film in terms of vibes and atmosphere. The first film in the franchise tried to be a serious action film that took strong influence from Michael Mann’s Heat. This created a grounded and almost believable tale of a group of thieves trying to win their bread by pulling off one impossible heist while dealing with their issues. However, the new film goes against that atmosphere and more into the Fast and the Furious book of rules.
Our main characters, Nick and Donnie, have amazing chemistry, but the story feels much more emotional. Their relationship becomes a central part of the film in ways that feel unexpected if you saw the first film. All this change is good because it makes the movie more relatable, which has always been an essential part of the success of the Fast and Furious franchise, even when they go crazy with the action sequences.
The emotional aspects of the story make you quite involved in the character’s situations. While there are definitely some scenes that feel like filler, there are also quite a few that make a point of building the relationship towards a climax that will change the entire situation, and how the characters deal with that feels just as exciting as how will they pull off the heist they are planning, so in that sense I much prefer this one over the original.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Movie Review: Star Performance’s career is quite strange. He came forward into stardom thanks to his role in 300, and while that became the pinnacle of his career, the actor has never stopped working since then, and his commitment to the work is truly appreciated. It would be lying to say Butler doesn’t have charisma and a big aura around him that is just fun to watch, which makes him the perfect candidate for a film like this one, you really want him to succeed even when he is not precisely a role model.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. also does an amazing job as Donnie. It is a shame that, unlike Butler, Jackson has become a staple on our screens, but if this film is a success, it will help his changes a lot. Jackson has great energy, and his chemistry with Butler is through the roof. The rest of the cast does well, but they are primarily unknown faces to the masses, so it might be that one of them can catch people’s attention and jump to the next level. I’m looking at you, Evin Ahmad.
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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Movie Review: Direction, Music
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is just the second feature from Gudegast, but you can already tell that he has grown quite a lot as a filmmaker since the first one, mainly because Pantera has a new feeling that feels totally on purpose and feels less generic than the first film. Gudegast also proves, once again, that he can direct action, including some car scenes that are as solid as anything you have seen in other films, and on top of that, he can pull off emotional bits as well.
However, the ‘s pacing becomes a problem very early on, and the film needs to be tighter. By the one-hour mark, you feel that the movie is just starting, leaving the first hour feeling meandering for its own good. It would have been so much better if this film had been just two hours, not more, not less.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a nice choice for a cinema trip if you need action, emotion, and a movie that is not afraid of feeling a bit old in its execution but confident enough to do just that in the first place. There could have been a lot more action, but what is there is thrilling and meaningful. Butler and Jackson are a perfect pair, and this film really feels like the launching pad the franchise needed in the first place.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera TrailerDen of Thieves 2: Pantera releases on 10 January, 2025.
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