“Den of Thieves” Sequel Is Decent, But Not as Good as the 2018 Movie

A few weeks ago, I checked out the 2018 action/heist movie “Den of Thieves.” The 2018 movie is definitely a great heist flick to check out and parts of it reminded me of “Heat.” And, now that I finally had the chance to check out its recently released sequel, “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera,” despite it being a decent watch, the 2018 movie is better.

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.

The 2018 movie is a gritty, heist flick that is quite intense and delivers some good twists and turns throughout the movie. The sequel can be an entertaining heist movie that also delivers a few twists here and there. But, the one major difference is that “Den of Thieves 2” is actually lighter in tone than the first movie.

Compared to the first movie, “Pantera” isn’t nearly as action-packed as the 2018 movie. This sequel still delivers a good amount of action and suspense, the movie focuses more on the planning and heist aspects, which can also be intriguing. It also takes its time building the suspense that does help build the anticipation of the actual heist.

The actual heist sequence (just like the first movie) can be entertaining, yet actually at times, a little bit on the confusing side of things. During this whole heist sequence, there is a lot going on between the Panther mafia involvement and the numerous twists and turns that involve betrayal and unexpected alliances.

Unlike the 2018 movie, “Pantera” also adds a touch of unexpected humor, especially between the Big Nick and Donnie characters. Surely, their scenes together can be rather humorous and entertaining and adds a buddy comedy style to the movie, But sometimes those scenes can sort of take you out of the movie a bit and slow things

down.

“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” can be an entertaining movie for those who thoroughly enjoy heist movies, but it may not satisfy fans of the original “Den of Thieves”.

Trivia: Development of a sequel started not long after the original movie was released in January 2018. The movie was originally slated to start filming in 2022, yet took place the following year in the UK and the Canary Islands between April and July 2023. It’s already rumored that a “Den of Thieves 3” is in the early development stages.

MPA: Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, drug use and sexual references   (runtime 144 minutes)