How Pantera Sets Up A New Fast And Furious

Major spoilers for “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” follow.

When “Den of Thieves” arrived in 2018, many described it as a kind of low-rent, dirtbag version of Michael Mann’s “Heat.” I, too, have said more or less the same thing about the film — but I say so lovingly. I’m a big fan of “Den of Thieves,” a movie about big men firing big guns and featuring Gerard Butler as Big Nick O’Brien, a cop who always seems to be hungover no matter what time of day it is. Director Christian Gudegast’s film was frequently derivative (not only does it heavily borrow stuff from “Heat,” but it has a twist ending almost shamelessly stolen from “The Usual Suspects”), and yet, it was also a total blast. I was excited when a sequel was announced all the way back in 2018, and now that the sequel, “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” is here, I’m just as excited for what comes next. 

While a third film hasn’t been officially announced yet, “Den of Thieves 2” ends in a way that leaves plenty of room for more. On top of that, while speaking to ScreenRant, Gudegast said: “[W]e’re building a franchise, so we have more room and time to explore these guys. We already have so much left to do…” The implication is clear: there’s more Big Nick to come. Interestingly enough, “Den of Thieves 2” changes the overall approach to this world of cops and robbers. Because if the first “Den of Thieves” felt like dirtbag “Heat,” then the case could be made that “Den of Thieves 2” and potentially “Den of Thieves 3” are akin to the dirtbag versions of the “Fast and Furious” saga. 

I’ve never much cared for the “Fast and Furious” series. I’ve tried on multiple times to get into the films, mainly because so many people I respect tell me they’re a lot of fun. But try as I might, I just can’t muster up the enthusiasm. That said, I respect the franchise’s world-building, creating a story of a bunch of crooks who bond together like a family to pull increasingly ludicrous jobs. And by the time “Den of Thieves 2” ends, it feels like this is the exact approach that Gudegast is striving towards.

In “Den of Thieves,” Butler’s Big Nick fronted a team of cops targeting a gang of bank robbers. Nick thought he had the drop on the crooks by flipping their getaway driver, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), to become an informant. But by the time the film ended, the tables had turned. After a violent shootout that left multiple people dead, Nick made the discovery that Donnie wasn’t some low-on-the-totem-pole driver — he was actually the mastermind who put together the film’s climactic heist. He also ended up being the only member of the gang to survive, and he escaped to Europe with the loot.

In “Den of Thieves 2,” Donnie, still in Europe, has teamed up with a gang of thieves known as the Panthers, lead by Jovanna (Evin Ahmad). Donnie and the Panthers are planning a massive heist of the World Diamond Center in Antwerp, but the plan hits a wrinkle when Nick tracks Donnie down. However, Nick says he doesn’t want to bust Donnie. Instead, he wants in on the score. From there, Nick joins the gang. He falls into a kind of on-going flirtation with Jovanna and he and Donnie inexplicably become buddies. “At its core, this film is a love story between a thief/gangster and a cop,” Gudegast says in production notes for the movie. “It’s an epic buddy film.”

As the film progresses, Nick bonds with both Donnie and the rest of the gang. Eventually, they all pull off the heist and end up in a thrilling car chase shootout with some rivals. Just when you think everyone has got away clean, the film pulls out a (somewhat obvious) twist: Nick has been working with the local law enforcement all along, and he turns Donnie, Jovanna, and the rest of the gang over to the cops. However, Nick feels guilty about this. He wasn’t putting on an act — he really did grow to care for Donnie and the gang. In the end, Nick teams up with an exiled mobster (Adriano Chiaramida) to help spring Donnie and the others from jail. The implication is clear: Nick, Donnie, and the rest of the team will reunite again, presumably to pull more heists. 

It’s a fun, surprisingly touching ending — Nick has found himself a family. It’s easy to see the “Fast and Furious”-style situation at play here. The “Furious” saga was ultimately about a lawman who joined a team of criminals and learned to love them, and now “Den of Thieves” is taking the same approach. I suppose you could argue that “Den of Thieves 2” feels a bit different than the first film. While there’s still plenty of violent, burly action, it almost feels like a nicer film — the friendship that grows between Nick and Donnie is sweet. While I think I like the first movie a smidge more, “Den of Thieves 2” is immensely enjoyable in its own right, and by the time the end credits rolled, I was ready for more. If they want to keep making these movies and turn them into a sprawling, lower budget “Fast and Furious”-style saga, I will gladly keep watching them. 

“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is now in theaters.