{"id":106793,"date":"2025-01-12T20:20:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T20:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegeek.games\/?p=106793"},"modified":"2025-01-12T20:21:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T20:21:33","slug":"den-of-thieves-pantera-a-heist-movie-that-spends-more-time-than-it-earns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegeek.games\/2025\/01\/12\/den-of-thieves-pantera-a-heist-movie-that-spends-more-time-than-it-earns\/","title":{"rendered":"Den of Thieves: Pantera \u2013 A Heist Movie That Spends More Time Than It Earns"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/em> a thrilling return, or just a bloated follow-up that overstays its welcome? Spoiler: It\u2019s mostly the latter.<\/h4>\n

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Den of Thieves: Pantera<\/strong><\/em> 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\u2019Shea Jackson Jr.<\/strong><\/em>) and no-nonsense cop \u201cBig Nick\u201d O\u2019Brien (Gerard Butler<\/strong><\/em>). While fans of the original may appreciate the familiar beats, the sequel doubles down on the original\u2019s greatest flaw: an unnecessarily stretched runtime that drags its feet before delivering the promised heist.<\/p>\n

Christian Gudegast, back in the director\u2019s chair, leans heavily into Butler\u2019s 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 \u201cPantera\u201d task force injects some novelty, but it quickly gets lost in translation\u2014literally. Unsubtitled dialogue, thick accents, and convoluted criminal hierarchies turn what could have been an engaging international setting into a muddled and incoherent backdrop.<\/p>\n

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French Flair Meets Formulaic Fumbles<\/h3>\n

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It\u2019s been seven years since the first Den of Thieves<\/strong><\/em>, and one would hope the extended development time would yield something more innovative. Instead, Pantera<\/strong><\/em> feels like a patchwork of borrowed ideas, with shades of French Connection II<\/strong><\/em> sprinkled throughout. Sending O\u2019Brien to France to team up with his former adversary Wilson has the makings of a compelling story, but the film fumbles the opportunity.<\/p>\n

Rather than exploring the dynamic between its leads, Pantera<\/strong><\/em> fills its runtime with tired tropes and flimsy motivations. Butler\u2019s O\u2019Brien appears more interested in enjoying the French Riviera than chasing criminals, while Jackson Jr.\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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From Gritty to Glossy: A Franchise in Search of Identity<\/h3>\n

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Unlike the grounded, street-level grit of the original\u2019s Los Angeles setting, Pantera<\/strong><\/em> 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\u2019Brien as the quintessential \u201cUgly American\u201d blundering his way through a foreign land. While some jokes land, they\u2019re not enough to offset the film\u2019s lack of direction.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t until the 90-minute mark that Pantera<\/strong><\/em> finally finds its stride. The central heist sequence, with its intricate set design and nail-biting tension, delivers on the genre\u2019s core promise. Motion sensors, surveillance cameras, and split-second decisions provide the kind of thrills fans came to see. While the execution doesn\u2019t quite match the ingenuity of Mission: Impossible<\/strong><\/em> or Ocean\u2019s Eleven<\/strong><\/em>, the sequence is a welcome reminder of what Pantera<\/strong><\/em> could have been if it had focused less on filler and more on substance.<\/p>\n

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