MOVIE REVIEW – Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. reunite in this long-awaited sequel, attempting to recapture the gritty charm of their first outing. But is Den of Thieves: Pantera a thrilling return, or just a bloated follow-up that overstays its welcome? Spoiler: It’s mostly the latter.

Den of Thieves: Pantera makes no attempt to rise above the modest bar set by its predecessor, and sadly, it falls short even of that. The film plays it safe, recycling the tense rivalry between master criminal Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and no-nonsense cop “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler). While fans of the original may appreciate the familiar beats, the sequel doubles down on the original’s greatest flaw: an unnecessarily stretched runtime that drags its feet before delivering the promised heist.

Christian Gudegast, back in the director’s chair, leans heavily into Butler’s disheveled tough-guy charm. With his gruff demeanor and hilariously questionable American accent, Butler dominates the screen, peppering his dialogue with enough expletives to rival a Tarantino script. The addition of the French “Pantera” task force injects some novelty, but it quickly gets lost in translation—literally. Unsubtitled dialogue, thick accents, and convoluted criminal hierarchies turn what could have been an engaging international setting into a muddled and incoherent backdrop.

French Flair Meets Formulaic Fumbles

It’s been seven years since the first Den of Thieves, and one would hope the extended development time would yield something more innovative. Instead, Pantera feels like a patchwork of borrowed ideas, with shades of French Connection II sprinkled throughout. Sending O’Brien to France to team up with his former adversary Wilson has the makings of a compelling story, but the film fumbles the opportunity.

Rather than exploring the dynamic between its leads, Pantera fills its runtime with tired tropes and flimsy motivations. Butler’s O’Brien appears more interested in enjoying the French Riviera than chasing criminals, while Jackson Jr.’s Wilson is saddled with a flashy yet underdeveloped character arc. What could have been a gripping partnership devolves into long-winded exchanges of backstory that do little to move the plot forward.

From Gritty to Glossy: A Franchise in Search of Identity

Unlike the grounded, street-level grit of the original’s Los Angeles setting, Pantera opts for a more global approach. While this shift adds scope, it strips the franchise of its distinct identity. The film tries to mask this loss with self-deprecating humor, positioning O’Brien as the quintessential “Ugly American” blundering his way through a foreign land. While some jokes land, they’re not enough to offset the film’s lack of direction.

It isn’t until the 90-minute mark that Pantera finally finds its stride. The central heist sequence, with its intricate set design and nail-biting tension, delivers on the genre’s core promise. Motion sensors, surveillance cameras, and split-second decisions provide the kind of thrills fans came to see. While the execution doesn’t quite match the ingenuity of Mission: Impossible or Ocean’s Eleven, the sequence is a welcome reminder of what Pantera could have been if it had focused less on filler and more on substance.

Overdrawn and Overplayed

At 140 minutes, Pantera tests even the most devoted fan’s patience. Gudegast’s ambition to craft a sprawling crime saga akin to Heat is evident, but the film lacks the narrative depth to sustain such a runtime. The first Den of Thieves ended on a note that didn’t beg for a sequel, yet Pantera goes out of its way to set up a third installment. If the franchise continues, it would do well to cut the fat and get straight to the action.

Den of Thieves: Pantera isn’t an outright failure, but it’s far from a triumph. The chemistry between Butler and Jackson Jr. provides fleeting moments of charm, and the climactic heist sequence shows flashes of the potential buried beneath the cluttered script. However, the drawn-out pacing and lackluster storytelling ensure that the film struggles to justify its existence.

-Gergely Herpai „BadSector”-