It Pays To Switch Sides.

Synopsis:

Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. return in the sequel to 2018’s action-heist hit Den of Thieves. In DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA, Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.

Movie Backstory:

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was inspired by the real life Antwerp Diamond Heist in Antwerp, Belgium in February of 2003. In the city of Antwerp, Belgium lies The Antwerp World Diamond Centre where 84% of the world’s Diamonds make their way. Over the weekend of February 15-16, 2003 a crew of thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and jewelry valued at over 100 Million Dollars. The group had planned and orchestrated details and surveillance for 18 months before enacting their heist.

The Diamond Centre Robbery in the movie mimics the real life diamond heist right down to the details of how they did it. Just like in the movie the group had gained access into the Diamond Centre and rented an office under the guise of being in the diamond industry. Even the depiction of breaking into the safe and other details of the robbery were based on the details provided by the real life robbers themselves. The real life thieves were caught but the majority of the good stolen were never recovered.

The Review:

After thoroughly enjoying Den Of Thieves last night I was really looking forward to Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera. At the end of Den Of Thieves it completely sets itself up for the sequel involving the Diamond Centre so you knew which direction 2 was headed. But you don’t see the twists coming as the movie unfolds, just like the original. There is not quite as much gunfire and violence as in the first one, that was like a war movie in some scenes. This one is a little more laid back in that department and instead focuses more on the heist itself.

Den Of Thieves 2 really goes into detail as it shows how they set up the heist in the Diamond Centre, just like the real life Heist. It does a good job of following Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler) as he picks up Donnie Wilson’s (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) trail and hunts him down. It picks up exactly where the original movie ends with Nick struggling with his personal life and his divorce. And the disappearance of Donnie and any evidence that he committed a crime. In a surprise twist Nick seems to turn his back on his Law Enforcement career as he encounters Donnie, or does he or doesn’t he?

It follows Den Of Thieves penchant for twists and turns you didn’t see coming, right up until the last scene in the movie. Which completely sets itself up for a third installment in the Trilogy. And according to Variety in an article dated Jan. 30, 2025 by Katy Stephan that is currently in development:

Lionsgate, Tucker Tooley Entertainment and G-BASE are moving a third film in the “Den of Thieves” franchise into active development. It is expected that Gerard Butler will return to star and produce through his G-BASE banner, alongside partner Alan Siegel, and Lionsgate is in talks with franchise writer-director Christian Gudegast to return to write and direct. It is also expected that O’Shea Jackson Jr. will co-star in the third installment.

Earlier this month, Jackson Jr. told Variety he was hoping for more “Den of Thieves” in the near future. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: I’m trying to Vin Diesel this thing. To quote Ryan Reynolds, I want to work with Gerard until he’s 90,” he said. “I have such a family feel with these guys. I know how much I want to do these other films, but we cannot cheapen this beautiful thing that we made. This one took six or seven years to get done. I hope the next one doesn’t. In our heart of hearts, we won’t make it if it’s not right and if it’s not the same thing that made audiences fall in love with the franchise in the first place.”

I’m ready! I loved the first two and am ready for the third. I wonder where Den Of Thieves 3 will take us…………

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson in Den of Thieves 2: Panthera. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate

O’Shea Jackson Jr as Donnie Wilson in DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA Movie Poster
Courtesy of Lionsgate Publicity/ Lionsgate Films

Den Of Thieves

2018 STX Films

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr 19min

Action ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller

Directed by: Christian Gudegast

Starring: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway.

“Loose lips sink ships.”

Synopsis:

Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler) is the hard-drinking leader of the Regulators, an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) is the recently paroled leader of the Outlaws, a gang of ex-military men who use their expertise and tactical skills to evade the law. O’Brien, Merrimen and their crews soon find themselves on a direct collision course as the criminals hatch an elaborate plan for a seemingly impossible heist — the city’s Federal Reserve Bank.

THE REVIEW:

The movie starts out with:

2400 TIMES A YEAR. 44 TIMES A WEEK. 9 TIMES A DAY.

EVERY 48 MINUTES. A BANK IS ROBBED HERE.

THIS IS THE BANK ROBBERY CAPITOL OF THE WORLD.

LOS ANGELES

As a drone flying high slowly zooms down on an Armored Cash Truck driving at night on a street in downtown Los Angeles. The Truck pulls into a donut shop and two of the armed guards go inside for coffee and donuts. The Driver remains in the locked armored vehicle. Immediately after the two guards go into the doughnut shop two vehicles come flying into the parking lot in front and back of the Armored vehicle. Masked heavily armed men jump out and proceed to rob the armored vehicle. It quickly escalates and turns into an all out war as the police units start showing up. There is carnage, there are lots of bullets, there is lots of swearing, and there is tons of action. And that’s the first five minutes of Den Of Thieves.

It only gets more intense from there as we meet The Outlaws, the gang of ex-military men and convicts who use their past military skills to work as a criminal crew robbing anything that brings them a payday. And then there are The Regulators, the crew of tough corrupt policemen who operate somewhere between the Law and The Outlaws. Sometimes to catch the bad guy, you have to live like the bad guy. Both of these groups are hard core take no prisoner kind of guys. Not afraid to get down and dirty and spray the world with bullets. And each one of the groups is hell bent on achieving their goal at any cost. Heavily armed I might add.

Gerard Butler as Nick O’Brien, the hardcore hard partying streetwise cop not afraid to get his hands dirty is a complete bad-ass. As are all the men on both crews; Pablo Schreiber, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway. O’Shea Jackson Jr. turns out to be the sly one out of all of them, in a twist you didn’t see coming. Every step of the way as you think you know what they’re doing and how they are doing it, it turns out ya just don’t know what’s really going on. It is high caliber action and drama with a thrilling shootout and surprise twist in the end.

As my Dad would say it’s a Bang Bang Shoot ’em up! I don’t remember seeing it before but don’t know how I would have missed it. This is right up my alley, I love high action heist movies with lots of twists and this definitely delivers. I watched this last night so I could watch Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera tonight on Netflix. Watch it with me and let me know what you think, after last night I am looking forward to seeing it!