2018s LA set gritty heist thriller Den of Thieves carried the allure of being one of those machismo filled, adrenaline fuelled films that dads and uncles all over the world would watch, and as the credits rolls, stand proud and say, “Hell yeah”. And it’s probably quite likely the case that Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, the sequel 7 years in the making, might be the only film that dads and uncles know is coming out in cinemas in 2025.
Taking the action to France this time around, Den of Thieves 2 sees the return of O’Shea Jackson Jr. as heist mastermind, Donnie, who is contracted by the Panther Mafia to pull off the largest diamond heist ever in the highly secure World Diamond District in Nice. However, run ins with the Balkan mafia, world-class security, and cocky co-workers become the least of Donnie’s problems when gruff bad-cop, Big Nick (played once again by a thriving in his element Gerard Butler) inserts himself into the operation, blurring the lines between cop and criminal for both Donnie and himself.
Writer/director Christian Gudegast not only has taking his Heat-lite riff from one location to a new one, but he has switched up the film’s tone and style to match. Where Den of Thieves had a dirty, gritty aura complementing its street-based Los Angelas location, Den of Thieves 2 feels far more slick, stylised and suave, much like it’s rich-man setting of the World Diamond District, just blocks away from the lavish French coastline.
While the switch in style may work for the location, it does unfortunately detract from some of the elements that made the first film far more enjoyable and different from the slickness of most the films in the heist genres. The grittiness of the action, cast, and execution of Den of Thieves felt like a welcome change of pace from the Ocean’s Eleven’s of the world. But Den of Thieves 2 almost feels like it’s leaning more towards a Fast and Furious/Ocean’s hybrid that could almost be more franchise friendly.
Where the style change is most felt is with the character of Big Nick, who was such a stereotype of macho masculinity in the first one with his dirty beard, gruff demeanour, and “no bullshit” attitude that covered a more complex character of a man struggling with his demons. In the sequel, those surface level elements are used for comedic intention in the ‘fish-out-of-water’ scenario he is placed in, but the complexities aren’t explored as much until the last 15 minutes of the film, which is almost a better pay off for the first film’s version of Big Nick, as opposed to the sequel’s version.
That’s not to discredit Butler’s performance, because he also brings the laughs with Big Nick’s brashness, particularly in a drug-and-drink induced initiation into the heist gang that is quite entertaining. Butler is the highlight of the cast, whereas the majority of the supporting cast, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as the returning co-lead, giving less self-aware runs in a movie where it definitely feels like they could’ve had more fun with the heightened aspects of the story and tone.
There isn’t an action scene in Den of Thieves 2 that holds a candle to the traffic-jam shootout of the original, but a bold plane-hanger robbery that opens the film, and the final, white-knuckle tense 45 minutes of the movie in which the main diamond heist takes place is still incredibly exciting, pulled off with masterful direction from Gudegast. There are large sequences of the main heist in which there is no soundtracks and no score. Just the laboured, tension-filled breathing of the team trying to infiltrate a seemingly impossible to crack safe, and the way the lack of music builds the anxiety is palpable. And then Gudegasst puts his foot to the floor with an explosive and bellowing car-chase-shootout that is just pure adrenaline inducing.
Den of Thieves 2 may have more in common with Fast and Furious and Ocean’s Eleven than it does with its far grittier, grungier predecessor. The change in style may work for a more general audience, but since so many slick heist films exist in the zeitgeist, it’s slightly disappointing that this sequel didn’t stick to its guns and attempt to stay within the vein of what made the first movie work. This isn’t a terrible sequel, or even a terrible film, but it’s just a little too different for its own good.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is in Australian cinemas from January 9, courtesy of Roadshow Films.
