Den of Thieves: Pantera was the sequel we didn’t know we wanted or were going to get. It’s been 6 years since the original and several factors led to it taking that long for a sequel to come out.
Was it worth the wait or was it just another money grab? So many sequels recently have been from movies that came out 10, 15, or even 30+ years ago. Some have been really good; Top Gun: Maverick, Blade Runner 2049, Furiosa, Gladiator 2, Twisters and others. (Let’s establish right now that audience attendance doesn’t indicate whether a sequel is successful or not. Sometimes people are just idiots!) Other “long-awaited” sequels haven’t been near as good; yes, looking at you Beetlejuice.
Gerard Butler doesn’t make Oscar-winning movies. Who cares? He makes movies that are entertaining…most of the time. DOT2 falls squarely into that category. Once again, with plot holes that you can drive a truck through, he teams up again with O’Shea Jackson Jr. to make the movie that was set up at the end of the original Den of Thieves. The movie is more complex than it needs to be and is longer than it needs to be but the ending is spot-on and yes, ready for a continuation of the story. That in itself is a success in my book. See my review of The Substance for a movie that just can’t say, “Cut” at the right time.
Den of Thieves: Pantera was the sequel we didn’t know we wanted or were going to get. It’s been 6 years since the original and several factors led to it taking that long for a sequel to come out.
Was it worth the wait or was it just another money grab? So many sequels recently have been from movies that came out 10, 15, or even 30+ years ago. Some have been really good; Top Gun: Maverick, Blade Runner 2049, Furiosa, Gladiator 2, Twisters and others. (Let’s establish right now that audience attendance doesn’t indicate whether a sequel is successful or not. Sometimes people are just idiots!) Other “long-awaited” sequels haven’t been near as good; yes, looking at you Beetlejuice.
Gerard Butler doesn’t make Oscar-winning movies. Who cares? He makes movies that are entertaining…most of the time. DOT2 falls squarely into that category. Once again, with plot holes that you can drive a truck through, he teams up again with O’Shea Jackson Jr. to make the movie that was set up at the end of the original Den of Thieves. The movie is more complex than it needs to be and is longer than it needs to be but the ending is spot-on and yes, ready for a continuation of the story. That in itself is a success in my book. See my review of The Substance for a movie that just can’t say, “Cut” at the right time.