Den of Thieves Pantera review (2025)

Den of Thieves Pantera takes a bit to really get going, but once it reaches that gear it becomes one of the better action heist films in years.

This is the second installment of Den of Thieves, but the script covers all the necessary story beats for those who missed the 2018 opening act. Director/writer Christian Gudegast took longer than the norm for a sequel, so it was smart not to expect that all viewers saw the original.

LAPD Detective ‘Big’ Nick (Gerard Butler) is still trying to track down Donnie (O’Shea Jackson, Jr.) the surviving member of the crew that pulled off the heist of the Federal Reserve Bank. Nick is sure Donnie was the brains behind a daring robbery of a precious diamond in Belgium and hops overseas in hopes of bringing him in.

Donnie has found new associates in Team Pantera this round, led by Jovanna (Evin Ahmad). They’ve got their sights set on a major score — getting into the World Diamond Company in Nice. Jovanna’s crew, including Slavko (Salvatore Esposito) and Dragan (Orli Shuka), all naturally bring different skill sets to the job, but it’s Donnie who’s going to engineer how to pull off this heist.

Den of Thieves Pantera has an exciting opening act with Donnie leading the group in stealing the diamond before Gudegast kicks back and gets comfortable with a lot of scene setting. Den of Thieves Pantera has a challenging two-and-a-half-hour runtime, but Gudegast could have condensed some of the establishing scenes and cut a half hour easily.

Pacing is Gudegast’s biggest hurdle as it feels like there’s too much padding in a film that would be more effective if the characters acted like they were on a pressing deadline instead of strolling along like they’re killing time at work.

Eventually, Nick finds Donnie selling the idea that he wants in on the score. Donnie is dubious of bringing Nick onto the job but goes along with it eventually introducing him to the team. Gudegast has some fun with Nick trying to get into the good graces of Jovanna’s crew by doing ecstasy and getting near blackout drunk.

This is a pretty wild scene and memorable for how readily Butler portrays a cop fully jumping into the criminal lifestyle. The only ridiculous aspect of this sequence is Gudegast entertaining the notion of some romantic chemistry with Nick and Jovanna. A romantic subplot really doesn’t fit the tone of the film and the thought of those two characters coming together felt incredibly forced.

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One thing that’s easy to appreciate with Butler is he actually embraces being an action star. He’s not trying to get out of his lane doing rom coms or seeking Oscar glory with some dramatic performance.

He’s fine being the gruff, charge into battle with his unique swagger action hero. Right now, it’s just Butler and Jason Statham holding it down for viewers reared on 80s action blockbusters.

Jackson and Butler have an unlikely chemistry playing off each other well. Den of Thieves Pantera snaps out of the malaise Gudegast created while setting up the stakes once Nick and Donnie start acting like they’re in an 90s buddy action film.

Jackson has been a solid performer since his 2015 debut in Straight Outta Compton. He reaches a new level in Den of Thieves Pantera as he’s no longer the third or fourth lead, but a strong co-lead fully capable of carrying scenes on his own.

As you’d expect, the fun really gets going when it’s time for the heist. Gudegast didn’t set up the film with a series of escalating action pieces, so it all falls on the third act. Fortunately, there’s enough tension, suspense and shootouts to nearly justify the action drought for most of the film.

Den of Thieves Pantera needed some tighter editing, but the performances are solid, and the European setting adds a stunning visual element. Lionsgate is already developing a third installment and if it maintains this level of quality, it should be worth checking out.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

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