How Pantera is preparing a new Fast and Furious movie

Major spoilers for “Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” follow.

When “Den of Thieves” arrived in 2018, many described it as a low-rent version of Michael Mann’s “Heat.” I also said pretty much the same thing about the movie, but I say it with love. I’m a big fan of “Den of Thieves,” a movie about big guys shooting big guns and featuring Gerard Butler as Big Nick O’Brien, the cop who always looks like he’s drunk no matter what time of day it is. Director Christian Gudegast’s film was often derivative (not only does it heavily borrow things from “Heat,” but it has a twist ending almost shamelessly stolen from “The Usual Suspects”), and yet it was also… Total explosion. I was excited when there was a sequel He announced all the way back in 2018Now that the sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, is out, I’m just as excited for what comes next.

While a third film has yet to be officially announced, “Den of Thieves 2” ends in a way that leaves plenty of room for more. Moreover, While speaking to ScreenRantGudegast said: “(We’re) building a franchise, so we have more space and time to explore these guys. We already have a lot to do…” The implication is clear: There’s more Big Nick to come. Interestingly, “Den of Thieves 2” changes the overall approach to this world of cops and robbers. Because if the first “Den of Thieves” looked like a sloppy “Heat” movie, then “Den of Thieves 2” and perhaps “Den of Thieves 3” are arguably like sloppy versions of “Fast and Furious.” Epic.

I didn’t care much about “Fast and Furious” series.. I’ve tried a few times to get into movies, mainly because a lot of people I respect have told me they’re a lot of fun. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t muster the enthusiasm. However, I respect the world-building of the series, creating a story of a group of crooks who bond together as a family to get increasingly ridiculous jobs. As Den of Thieves 2 concludes, this appears to be the exact approach Gudegast is going for.

In “Den of Thieves,” Big Butler Nick encounters a team of cops targeting a gang of bank robbers. Nick thought he had outmaneuvered the crooks by flipping their getaway driver, Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), into becoming an informant. But by the time the movie was over, the tables had turned. After a violent shootout that leaves several people dead, Nick discovers that Donnie was no ordinary driver – he was in fact the mastermind who put together the film’s climactic heist. He also ended up being the only gang member left alive, and fled to Europe with the loot.

In “Den of Thieves 2”, Donnie, still in Europe, teams up with a gang of thieves known as the Panthers, led by Jovanna (Evin Ahmed). Donnie and the Panthers plan a huge heist from the World Diamond Center in Antwerp, but the plan is in jeopardy when Nick tracks down Donnie. However, Nick says he doesn’t want Donnie arrested. Instead, he wants to participate in the outcome. From there, Nick joins the gang. He falls into a sort of ongoing flirtation with Jovanna and he and Donnie inexplicably become friends. “At its core, this film is a love story between a thief/gangster and a cop,” Gudegast says in the film’s production notes. “It’s an epic buddy movie.”

As the film progresses, Nick bonds with Donnie and the rest of the gang. Eventually, they all pull off the heist and end up in a dramatic situation Car chase shootout With some competitors. Just when you think everyone has gotten away with it, the film shows a (rather obvious) twist: Nick has been working with local law enforcement all along, and turns Donnie, Jovanna, and the rest of the gang over to the cops. . However, Nick feels guilty about it. He wasn’t doing any work, he had actually grown to care about Donnie and the gang. Eventually, Nick teams up with an exiled mobster (Adriano Chiarameda) to help break Donnie and the others out of prison. The implication is clear: Nick, Donnie, and the rest of the team will meet again, likely to pull off more heists.

It’s a surprisingly entertaining and touching ending, as Nick has found himself a family. It’s easy to see a “Fast and Furious” style situation here. The “Furious” saga is ultimately about a lawman who joins a team of criminals and learns to love them, and now “Den of Thieves” takes the same approach. I suppose you could say that “Den of Thieves 2” looks a little different from the first movie. Although there is still a lot of intense and violent action, it feels like a movie More beautiful Movie – The friendship that grows between Nick and Donnie is beautiful. Although I think I liked the first movie a little more, “Den of Thieves 2” is quite enjoyable in its own right, and by the time the end credits rolled, I was ready for more. If they want to keep making these movies and turn them into a sprawling, low-budget “Fast and Furious”-style epic, I’ll happily keep watching them.

“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” is in theaters now.