Film Review: DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA (2025): Gerard Butler is Back in Another Action Yarn with Serious Future Sequel Potential

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Review

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Christian Gudegast and starring Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Orli Shuka, Cristian Solimeno, Nazmiye Oral, Dino Kelly, Fortunato Cerlino, Yasen Zates Atour, Constantin Vidal, Michael Bisping, Giuseppe Schillaci and Rico Verhoeven.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, director Christian Gudegast’s follow-up to Den of Thieves from 2018, is an intriguing action movie that takes its time to unfold. It runs well over two hours but keeps your attention thanks to Gerard Butler’s charismatic turn in the film as Nicholas (AKA “Big Nick”), a cop out of his jurisdiction but on the trail of some jewel thieves, including his buddy, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). Set mostly in France and Italy, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera features a familiar story but the execution, though long-winded in the beginning, actually makes the film fun to watch.

Gudegast’s movie establishes the bond between Nicholas and Donnie. In one mildly humorous scene, they’re left out at sea in potentially shark infested waters and must swim back to shore. However, their on-screen rapport is mostly serious and can be reminiscent of Brian and Dom’s bond from The Fast and the Furious films. Of course, Butler’s Nicholas is the one undercover, working for Hugo (Yasen Zates Atour) to help take down a group of bandits trying to get their hands on a priceless piece of merchandise that is locked deep in a safe-deposit box under high security.

Evin Ahmad plays one of the bandits who is a beautiful female named Jovanna. Butler and Ahmad get to sizzle together in one dance scene early in the movie but Jovanna learns that Nicholas has two kids so he may not be able to make her his wife despite their mutual attraction for one another. Ahmad is an appealing actress and she and Butler have some chemistry that never fully develops. Perhaps, it just might develop, though, in the third film of the franchise if it happens and it could well come into fruition given the open-ended conclusion of this sequel.

The great scenes that happen in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera occur mostly in the film’s last hour as the gang of bandits try to manipulate the cameras so security doesn’t catch them in the vault where the MacGuffin of the film is located. One of our characters starts lagging behind as the head of security is on his way back and this makes for some nail-biting suspense that could keep viewers who weren’t so fond of this film’s first half finally invested in the action.

Of course, there’s a car chase or two that is reminiscent of something out of The Fast and the Furious. There’s a car that goes off a cliff at one point just to keep audiences engaged as fans of those The Fast and the Furious movies will certainly like this one if they make it past the halfway point.

Butler is very engaging as an average guy in the middle of something huge. He plays the down-on-his-luck cop with great skill and the actor establishes some nice interaction with the character played by Jackson Jr. and the one portrayed by Ahmad. Jackson Jr. and Ahmad both play their characters with likability that makes them easy to relate to just in case they come back for another movie in this franchise. Expect some jumping off rooftops and an establishing scene at the beginning of this new film which introduces the story line and the item people will be trying to get their hands on throughout the picture. It is associated with the mafia so this is that type of movie where old guys will appear on-screen to make sure vengeance is carried out and the precious jewel of the film is recovered.

There is a twist in the story line regarding the character of “Big Nick” where the viewer is never quite sure if he’s siding with the law or with the thieves who he gets friendly with. This suspense will keep the audience invested in the action. At the end, the movie employs the song “Outro” by M83. You may remember this song from a movie from over 10 years ago called The Gambler. It starred Mark Wahlberg and the music was put to great effect there. It’s a good track for this film as well, concluding the picture on a positive, if inconclusive, note.

While Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is predictable in certain respects and throws in one too many plot twists willy-nilly at the end, it is clearly trying to set the stage for another entry in this series so it’s easy to understand the fact that the filmmakers are trying to get the viewers comfortable and familiar with these characters. I’d certainly be up for another Den of Thieves film or two since I enjoyed this one.

Rating: 7/10

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