Den of Thieves: Pantera (2025)★ 6.5/10

Visual effects are crucial in the climactic showdown. From speeding vehicles to bullet collisions and flying debris, the action is visually impactful, immersing viewers in that high-stakes environment.

This sequel revolves around an intricate cat-and-mouse game between cops and criminals, told through a conventional linear structure. The first half moves slowly, weighed down by lengthy exposition and moody European settings. But the pace picks up dramatically in the latter half, especially during a gripping car chase where tight pacing and smart action choreography finally inject momentum and suspense.

With dull cinematography and a slow pace, the first half-hour of the film feels inconsequential to the overall story. The lack of visual flair is striking. While the original had at least some creative moments, this sequel feels like a hollow imitation, lacking thrills or dramatic tension. To top it off, there’s an almost complete absence of a musical score.

As the sequel to a well-received heist film, this installment was disappointingly uninspired, even sleep-inducing. A series built on the allure of clever heist techniques somehow delivers none of that here. The set design lacks creativity, there’s no sense of urgency or clever twists, and the action sequences seem to imitate Christopher Nolan's “Tenet” but without any passion.

Back in 2018, a movie came out called DEN OF THIEVES, a fun action movie that’s apparently a lot like HEAT. Starring Gerard Butler as a cop that sometimes crosses lines, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as a thief who doesn’t kill, I had a lot of fun with it. The weird part is, I just watched it recently on Netflix. I don’t even remember the movie coming out. It feels like it was definitely underrated at the time. Well now 7 years later, we finally have a sequel, DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA. Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brian (Gerard Butler) is still on the hunt for Donnie Willson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), who is now embroiled with the Panther Crew in the beautifully nice city Nice, France. After a slipup, Nick finds Donnie and instead of arresting him, he joins Donnie and his crew for their next heist, the steal diamonds from the World Diamond Centre. First, the trailers for this are a little misleading. They make it seem like an action movie like the first when in reality it’s a highly stressful and entertaining heist movie where you never know where people’s loyalties lie. Writer and director Christian Gudegast is back for this one. I appreciate the fact that he doesn’t simply amp up the action and craziness like most sequels do. There is a LOT of planning and details before the heist in this one, where some people might get bored with. A positive aspect this brings is more character moments. What makes this work better than people think is the chemistry between Butler and Jackson. This might sound weird, but their dynamic reminds me of Batman and Joker. They need each other. Cops need criminals to chase. The side characters are more forgettable in this one, other than Jovanna (Evin Ahmad) the leader of the Panther Crew. This movie is surprisingly grounded and doesn’t get too unbelievable except for a couple moments. I was surprised to find out that Butler had a torn ACL the entire time they filmed this. He really puts in the work. It’s also the second January in a row where he’s had a surprisingly good movie release, with last year’s PLANE. DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA is a very solid heist movie that’s almost as good as the original. It’s a little slow to get going and a little long, but I recommend it. I can smell a franchise on the horizon.

Os efeitos visuais são cruciais no clímax do confronto. De veículos em alta velocidade a colisões de balas e destroços voadores, a ação é visualmente impactante, imergindo os espectadores nesse ambiente de alto risco.

Los efectos visuales son fundamentales en el enfrentamiento climático. Desde los veloces vehículos hasta los choques y los escombros voladores, la acción es visualmente impactante y sumerge a los espectadores en ese ambiente arriesgado.

Essa sequência gira em torno de um intrincado jogo de gato e rato entre policiais e criminosos, contado por meio de uma estrutura linear convencional. A primeira metade do filme é lenta, prejudicada por uma longa exposição e cenários europeus sombrios. Mas o ritmo se acelera drasticamente na segunda metade, especialmente durante uma emocionante perseguição de carro, em que o ritmo apertado e a coreografia de ação inteligente finalmente injetam dinâmica e suspense.

.Esta secuela gira en torno a un juego complejo de gato y ratón entre policías y criminales, contada a través de una típica estructura lineal. La primera mitad avanza lento y está sobrecargada por una exposición alargada y entornos europeos cambiantes. Sin embargo, el ritmo acelera dramáticamente en la segunda mitad, sobre todo durante una persecución automovilística atrapante en donde el ritmo ajustado y las finas coreografías de acción finalmente inyectan impulso y suspenso.

Con una cinematografía aburrida y un ritmo lento, la primera media hora de la película se siente irrelevante para la historia general. La falta de estilo visual es notable. Mientras que la original tenía al menos algunos momentos creativos, esta secuela parece una imitación vacía, sin emoción ni tensión dramática. Para colmo, hay una ausencia casi total de banda sonora.

Com uma fotografia monótona e um ritmo lento, a primeira meia hora do filme parece irrelevante para a história geral. A falta de estilo visual é impressionante. Embora o original tenha tido pelo menos alguns momentos criativos, esta sequência parece uma imitação vazia, sem emoção ou tensão dramática. Para completar, há uma quase completa ausência de trilha sonora.