‘Den Of Thieves: Pantera’ Review – Butler And Jackson Flounder In This Gutless Sequel

Den of Thieves: Pantera is the follow-up to the surprise 2018 hit Den of Thieves. The original was a compelling action thriller that, at its best, delivered some of the most gripping cops-and-robbers shootout scenes since Michael Mann’s Heat. The film felt like a homage to the great action fare of the ’90s, maintaining that energy for much of its runtime—until writer and director Christian Gudegast reminded us we can’t have nice things.

Gudegast saddled the first film with an obnoxious, truly awful twist ending that unraveled nearly two hours of carefully built goodwill. Den of Thieves: Pantera follows a similar playbook. While it avoids being as egregious as its predecessor, it features less effective action sequences and some eye-rolling twists that don’t hold up on rewatch, leaving too many loose ends unresolved.

According to Lionsgate, the film picks up right after the events of the original. (Those events must have aged the leads terribly.) Sheriff Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler) sees a news story about a jewel heist and, without any definitive evidence, immediately concludes it must be Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). Ignoring his boss’s orders, O’Brien pursues the case, claiming authority because he was deputized as a U.S. Marshal a few years earlier.

Is this Tombstone, and is Big Nick supposed to be Doc Holliday? Butler’s Nick brushes that aside momentarily, but the scenario is ridiculous. Then, he goes across the pond to Europe to track down Wilson, with no funding or money, which is disappointing. Many seem willing to give Den of Thieves: Pantera a pass simply because Gudegast’s script includes several winks to the audience, introducing a lightheartedness that some viewers welcome. However, for this critic, the man who previously wrote solid, self-serious action scripts like A Man Apart and London Has Fallen now comes across as chasing a quick payday.

Additionally, a handful of scenes fail to land, further undermining the film. For example, the mob throws the characters played by Butler and Jackson into the ocean, seemingly leaving them to die. Yet, they are only about a hundred yards offshore. A group conveniently shows up at the end to rescue the leads. This moment is just bad. You will ask yourself, how did they know where to scale down a mountain at precisely the right moment?

It’s a head-scratching choice, especially since the villains’ location was established by a car chase that ended in a crash. The entire experience of Den of Thieves: Pantera feels similarly contrived, unlike the original grounding approach. By the time Gudegast reaches the ending, he can’t resist inserting an unearned twist that serves more as a band-aid for leaky plot holes than a satisfying conclusion.

Additionally, the film feels compelled to set up yet another sequel—a tired trend resurrected from the action films of the 2010s. It’s unnecessary and ultimately undermines the story. On top of that, the inclusion of needless buddy-comedy scenes dilutes the gritty tone that made the original compelling enough for audiences to enjoy and demand a sequel.

The result is Den of Thieves: Pantera is an undercooked Gerard Butler action film that leans too heavily on Jackson, who struggles to carry the story’s weight and lacks the hard-hitting intensity audiences expect.

Den of Thieves: Pantera is currently playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Lionsgate.