When we’ve seen it last “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler) in 2018 Den of thieveshe was in the midst of defeat. Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) had outdone him and robbed the Federal Reserve, so the books didn’t even notice the missing millions. According to the federal government, no one had robbed the safest building in America. What good would it do to prosecute a criminal who technically didn’t steal anything? Donnie fled to Europe with his millions in search of his next big success. Big Nick appears for the first time in the entertaining, if slow-paced sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera taking a big piss and having a permanent hangover after losing in family court. After saying goodbye to the only good thing in his miserable life, Nick throws his wedding ring down the drain, rips a hand dryer off the wall, and heads for his next drink.

In the last six years Den of thieves has built a cult around his junkie action movie charisma. In the age of superhero spectacle and science fiction opera that has to be everything to every audience, Den of thieves was a dirty, uncompromising macho riff heat. However, the film was superior to the direct-to-Redbox titles that could just as easily live up to this claim. By focusing on the technical authenticity of the crimes and the war-torn pathos of his characters, writer-director Christian Gudegast went overboard. But Butler’s real breakthrough came after a decade fallen angelS And GeostormSfinally found a screen personality into which he could sink his massive meat hooks. As Big Nick, Butler ironically couldn’t get big enough, turning the corrupt, get-the-guy-at-all-costs member of the famously ethical Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department into a sympathetic dishrag who left a trail of spilled whiskey and cigarette ash whenever he went he is on the screen.

The line between police officers and robbers is blurred beyond recognition Den of Thieves 2: Panterawhile Gudegast tones down the moral ambiguities so that boys can be boys. Nick dissolved his divorce and became an outcast because he believed Donnie had robbed the Feds. Nick chases Donnie to Europe. There, the master criminal has expanded and joins an elite team of thieves – the Panthers, led by Jovanna (Evin Ahmad) – who rob the Antwerp airport of a diamond the size of a 20-sided die. But that’s just the first part of their plan. Donnie assumes a French identity and manages to get the diamond into the vault Antwerp World Diamond Centerone of the best protected buildings in the world, which he also wants to crack. Nick is tired of being the hunter and wants in on the job.

Instead of coming into conflict with reality, Gudegast tones down the intensity in his sequel. Pantera is more principle as Thiefbut the European air is good for Butler and Gudegast, taking them out of their comfort zone and opening the door for a different kind of film. Funnier and more focused on the homosocial bond of its main characters, Pantera It’s less about action and more about scenes in which Nick and Donnie crash scooters and burp kebabs. The film lives and dies on the chemistry between Butler and Jackson, using a little of Butler’s dirty charisma to win him over to the audience’s side.

Gudegasts Rififi-inspired structure devotes much of the running time to planning, executing each part, and the final third of the film to infiltrating the incredibly guarded Diamond District in Nice, France. This too comes from reality. The film’s crown jewel sequence was inspired by 2003 diamond robbery in Antwerpthe so-called “robbery of the century”.

However, Gudegast doesn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of European life like he does in LA, so Nick is forced to fit in with the crew like a fish out of water. Detaining Nick in France proves to be a success almost immediately. He is led to a French police station and stumbles over the word “croissant”. He smokes hash with signed heavies and tries to prove he’s on the cutting edge. Although the ensemble is less defined in this follow-up, Gudegast still finds points of characterization, such as an argument over the aux cord, that make some of his members shine. However, his burly, sunglasses-wearing machismo is a lot sillier than Gudegast suspects (this man’s husband drinks). full-bodied Pepsi – just like Madame Web!), is still pretty adorable. Gudegast loves these characters, but fails to bring up the same moral complication a second time. Nick and Donnie are unapologetically the good guys because they establish one ground rule for the big heist: “No one gets hurt.”

To his credit, Gudegast turns around Den of Thieves 2: Pantera into a grounded version of Mission: Impossiblewhich provides bulkier, more useful versions of devices the IMF may have developed. Their reflective screens and 3D printed masks are designed for practicality and can fool censors without being elegant. They are simply doing their job. The bulky technology suits the main actors, who have the size but not the physique of typical action film stars. Butler and Jackson’s broad, imposing frames exude the same power and agility as a six-headed Avenger, making for believable thugs and greater human tension when it comes to the point.

While the boys are huge, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is lighter than the first film. Gudegast cranks up his personality to make Big Nick more morally palatable, emphasizing throughout the likeability of his ragtag crew, not the moral gray areas of law enforcement. Nick’s simmering inner conflict over switching sides with the thieves feels a bit like an afterthought, but focusing on fun isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What’s wrong with relying on your strengths? Big Nick isn’t just a scumbag. He’s Gudegast’s scumbag and he wants the audience to feel good about loving him too. There are no vulgar displays of power here; Big Nick is just plain vulgar. And he – and the film – are all the better for it.

Director: Christian Gudegast
Writer: Christian Gudegast
With: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Release date: January 10, 2025