Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025)

A Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy follows a diamond thief to Europe and, instead of arresting him, asks to join the crew. The sequel knows that’s silly and trades the first film’s permanent scowl for a wink, the best call anybody made here. Gerard Butler’s Big Nick, freshly divorced and off the clock, tracks down O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Donnie and talks his way onto a team of thieves run by Evin Ahmad’s Jovanna. The job: crack the World Diamond Center’s vault in Nice. Butler is a blast as a big lug flirting with the boss at a club, and the heist has real metal and real weight, including a crossing between two buildings that goes very wrong. The problem is the clock. At 144 minutes, with an angry Italian mob and a rival crew stacked on top, the plot ties itself in knots and the buddy comedy lands with a clunk. A 6.0 because it’s a fun hang that wears out its welcome. $74.51 says you spot a gap between two buildings downtown and wonder if Big Nick could clear it.

What works: Butler is loose and funny, and the heist has a practical, physical weight that CGI-heavy capers lack.

What doesn’t: At 144 minutes the mafia and rival-crew subplots tangle the story, and the buddy comedy often thuds.

Who it’s for: Heist fans who love vault-cracking procedure and don’t mind a sequel that takes the scenic route.