“Prepare for a Surprisingly Affectionate Gerard Butler in ‘Den of Thieves 2’ on Netflix”

The highly anticipated movie event of 2025 for a specific audience has finally premiered on Netflix: Following the success of the first film on streaming platforms, Den of Thieves: Pantera has now been released. The excitement surrounding the sequel’s debut on Netflix highlights the challenge it faces as a follow-up to a beloved surprise hit: The element of surprise is no longer there. The original Den of Thieves pleasantly surprised viewers as a cop movie that had more depth and complexity than anticipated. Consequently, Den of Thieves 2 is under pressure to meet the bar set by its predecessor.

In some respects, the sequel does not disappoint: Writer-director Christian Gudegast takes a different approach compared to the first film. He somewhat follows the Fast & Furious formula by teaming up cop “Big Nick” O’Brien (played by Gerard Butler) and cunning heist mastermind Donnie (played by O’Shea Jackson Jr.), rather than pitting them against each other throughout the movie. While conflicts and potential betrayals still arise, Gudegast chooses to showcase the chemistry between his lead actors. Unlike Heat, where the focus remains on individual storylines, Butler and Jackson are not yet at the level of iconic duo Pacino and De Niro.

Similar to Heat, a significant factor contributing to the success of Den of Thieves: Pantera is the onscreen presence of its actors, particularly Butler. Jackson, a relatively new face in the movie industry, delivers a solid performance, while the supporting cast of European actors doesn’t stand out. Butler shines in his role as the disgraced Big Nick. The backstory of why Donnie’s escape at the end of the first film would ruin Big Nick’s life and career is somewhat unclear. Despite Big Nick’s already troubled personal life, and the meticulous plan executed by Donnie in the first movie to avoid detection, the implications of one criminal getting away affecting a single cop so severely remain questionable.

Part of what once made Butler seem like such a poor man’s action hero for so long was his raffish bluntness; he projected all of the “old school” man’s-man bullshit that’s supposed to characterize on-screen tough guys, without the physical grace you get from a Jason Statham or Keanu Reeves. But the Big Nick character, who started off leaning into Butler’s rough-hewn persona, has come to unlock something in him – something that almost passes for soulfulness. Even as Big Nick imposes himself on Donnie’s crew or inflicts his American-isms on his French cop counterparts in Pantera, there’s something rascally, even kind of warm about him. In one of the movie’s best scenes, Butler and Jackson get drunk, get a snack, and have what passes in the Den of Thieves world for a heart to heart.

None of this quite crosses into Fast & Furious-style sentimentality, which is good, because the movie is not as well-equipped to pull that off as a long-running series with the courage of its own bold absurdities. But there’s something touching about seeing a bearded, dissolute Butler show a little sensitivity, even as he maintains his Ugly American bluster. (Maybe that’s Butler’s Scottish charm escaping once he’s safely landed in Europe.) If the Den of Thieves series continues – and Pantera very much seems to assume that it will – Butler may reach Keanu-level lovability yet.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.

Stream Den of Thieves: Pantera on Netflix