Christian Gudegast's 'Den of Thieves 2: Pantera' is a full-bodied action blast
All hail, the ruffled bed sheet swagger of Gerald Butler abides again.
“I got a badge… I got a gun… and I started hunting. But I am tired and broke.”
While watching Michael Mann’s Heat, did you ever wonder what it would look like if Al Pacino’s mad dog detective suddenly turned heel and joined Robert De Niro’s crew of thieves? Vincent Hanna putting down the shield and picking up the face mask for once is an intoxicating thought that Christian Gudegast explores with Gerald Butler in Den of Thieves: Panters, a sequel to his cult hit from 2018.
The film wasn’t exactly a meat and potatoes cops and robbers tale, carrying the kind of startling action sequences that recalled Mann’s legendary 1995 film. An opening scene with Pablo Schreiber’s crew taking on a slew of cops outside a donut shop following an armored car ripoff got your attention, and the final shootout on top of a highway gave it a place in the pantheon of indelible one scene stunners.
Gudegast wasn’t attempting to make a passing lane change in the genre, but really caused a force disruption. You don’t get as tactically efficient with the weaponry in his movies if he just took a job. He goes all in, putting the last decade of his life into these two movies. Whether they are heavily influenced by Mann’s classic or not, you feel it during Gudegast’s movies.
Part two, Pantera, dives headfirst into the idea of the hunter becoming the hunted and places the action in the sexy confines of Marseilles’ diamond district. The Santa Cruz surroundings breathe enough life into the sequel to be a supporting actor, but it’s a story centered on two men and their true ambitions.
Gudegast, who once again also wrote the script, wisely pares down the cast and subplots to keep a dialed-in focus on Butler’s detective Nick O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Junior’s Donnie Wilson. Gone are the ex-wives and crews, and in its place are a single team of diamond thieves with a new, unusual team member.
The juice in this particular screenplay squeeze was the twist that Gudegast let lie at the end of the first film; it wasn’t Schreiber’s ex-con who was the mastermind behind the audacious Federal Reserve heist, but Wilson’s informant/driver. Instead of merely being a competent action thriller, the ending left a credible door open for a second run.
Gudegast made another wise step and avoided the traditional “cop hunting thief” model he cooked to perfection in the 2018 film, plugging into the idea of the hunter joining the bad guys after years spent hunting and putting them away. The film’s marketing wasted little time in telling us that, but the spoilage doesn’t interfere with a good movie.
That’s due to the hook remaining in place, and it’s not only a matter of “the cop goes gangster,” but will he end up turning back to the other side? Can a once good cop who may have colored a little outside the lines but put the bad guys away be able to complete a heist as a member of the other team? Starting a bad deed isn’t quite as hard as finishing it and then living with it.
Butler plays those chips to the tilt and back, imbuing Big Nick with a genuine personality that has you rooting for him as he climbs into a different arena. For once in his life, he’s standing behind the mirror looking out at flashing lights propelling themselves towards him with intent to arrest and not just assist. The longtime Scottish movie star knows exactly what genre and arena he is playing in, and attaches the entertainment in Gudegast’s intentions and locates it for the audience.
If you don’t appreciate Butler by now, you never will. There are better actors who can’t do what he can in a role like this, dripping grit in a line of dialogue like “you’re not a killer, I am.” He brings you along for the ride of a lifetime through Europe due to his ability to compellingly portray a cop having fun with the gray area.
Jackson holds his own against him for a second time. Their bar scenes from the 2018 film were some of the best, like a pair of criminally kindred spirits conversing about a future partnership. The son of Ice Cube who portrayed his father in the hit film, Straight Outta Compton, Jackson cuts a multi-faceted character with his second go-around with Donnie. More than a driver but not quite a killer, he fills in some of the backstory that led him into Nick’s path.
The two men find a common ground resonance in their reasoning during a good scene halfway in, building some story to go with the action that takes its time to appear but cuts a visceral edge when it does show up.
That’s the other ace up the filmmaker’s sleeve here: Action at its cinematic finest! While a moderate portion of the first half and second act are spent on the recon work for the big jewel heist that Nick and Donnie are working on with fellow crooks (Evin Ahmad and Salvatore Esposito), the final act features one of the best gun fight car chases in a long time. Esposito is a real find with his quirky sense of humor and imposing presence, while Ahmad gives layers to Jovanna in only a handful of scenes.
Gudegast showed all of his shoot scouting on his Instagram page, showcasing the exact location for this high cliff pursuit around narrow turns and huge falls beside the most beautiful views. 3-4 cars streaking up around hills firing off machine guns never loses its luster when the sound editing and stunt work is on point. This is my kind of movie world, and the writer/director floods the eyes with entertainment in the third act.
Some will find the long runtime too much and the middle section too dry, but I appreciated the attention to detail of a crafty heist like the central one in the film. Most films skim over the technical aspects of such an ordeal, using a montage to show the layouts and planning. Gudegast has worked on this one since the first film came out, most likely before it came out. I dig it. It’s like whiskey; what some will find too much is my kind of cup.
The cast and writing give the film some much-needed humorous moments, including a song choice during work time fiasco that gets a different reaction from the crew. Butler and Jackson getting stranded at sea by drug dealers carries the benefit of them roasting each other like Paulie and Christopher in Pine Barrens. When an action film takes the time to build its world and be authentic, it usually includes some comedy and levity to go with the carnage.
The hook remains until the end: Will Nick stay crooked or straighten it out? Also, will he end the film with that decision, or will something rub off onto his future life?
If Den of Thieves was Heat’s red meat brother, I would say Pantera rides to the same tune of Mann’s Miami Vice. I really enjoyed it, because more of the first film’s goods were given with an original take on a juicy scenario.
Kudos, Christian. It hits theaters Thursday night. See it in a theater.