If Christian Gudegast’s 2018 L.A. financial institution heist film Den of Thieves was an affectionate love letter to Michael Mann’s Warmth, then Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is overtly impressed by one other must-see ’90s Robert De Niro actioner. Certainly, touring overseas for Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to precise a dangerous diamond heist in London within the cinematic sequel, it is onerous to overlook the elegant European thrives of John Frankenheimer’s Ronin.
Though Gudegast has cited a number of further traditional European crime motion pictures from the halcyon days of the French New Wave, the author/director insists that Ronin has extra affect on Den of Thieves: Pantera than another. If nothing else, Den of Thieves followers ought to come away with a a lot better appreciation of the deliberate course Gudegast has taken the franchise and hunt down Ronin to see how the 2 European-set crime movies examine.
‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’s Premise, Defined
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/5
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
- Launch Date
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January 10, 2025
- Forged
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Gerard Butler
, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
, Meadow Williams
, Jordan Bridges
, Evin Ahmad
, Swen Temmel
, Bob Jennings
, Michael Bisping
, Salvatore Esposito
, Orli Shuka
, Cristian Solimeno
, Nazmiye Oral
, Yasen Zates Atour
, Dino Kelly
, Rico Verhoeven
, Velibor Subject
, Antonio Bustorff
, Yuri D. Brown
, Birol Tarkan Yıldız
, John West Jr
, Ciryl Gane
, Mark Grosy
, Ignacio Herráez
, Stéphane Coulon
Launched in 2018, the unique Den of Thieves traced the extraordinary rivalry between L.A. financial institution robbers, The Outlaws, and an L.A.P.D. Particular Crimes Unit known as The Regulators. Led by maverick investigator Large Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler), The Regulators bend the regulation and do no matter is critical to catch The Outlaws, who search to steal $30 million in non-circulated payments from the Federal Reserve Constructing.
With either side of the regulation on a lethal collision course, Den of Thieves 2 ends with a breathless shootout harking back to Michael Mann’s traditional 1995 L.A. financial institution heist film Warmth. The film famously starred Robert De Niro because the lead financial institution robber, with Al Pacino taking part in the lead L.A.P.D. detective on his tail. For Den of Thieves 2, Gudegast discovered inspiration for an equally riveting but lesser-known ’90s De Niro motion film, with Ronin offering the blueprint for depicting a mysterious American loner in Europe.
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Den of Thieves ends with Large Nick discovering {that a} low-level Outlaw member named Donnie Wilson is, actually, the mastermind behind the L.A. Federal Reserve heist. Nick learns that Donnie has fled the U.S. for London, the place he intends to drag off an elaborate diamond heist. The subtitle Pantera refers back to the Pink Panthers Diamond syndicate, jewel thieves behind the notorious 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, additional inspiring the plot. But previous the plot, the tone, tenor, pacing, aura, and existential philosophy are influenced by Frankenheimer’s Ronin.
How ‘Ronin’ Impressed ‘Den of Thieves 2’
Selling Pantera with Slash Movie, Gudegast addressed the largest cinematic inspirations behind the movie, stating:
“It was actually, ‘Ronin’ was an enormous affect. ‘Gomorrah, ‘Suburra,’ after which lots of the previous French New Wave like Melville and ‘Le Cercle Rouge’ and ‘Rififi’ and ‘Borsalino,’ and all these nice motion pictures. I imply, I’ve seen a lot of the old-school classics. Extra the vitality and vibe of sure movies. ‘Ronin’ was an enormous one, once more, an American character in Europe and type of a mix between American and European cinema, proper? However there was no particular homage, no.”
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Written by David Mamet and J.D. Zeik, Ronin stars De Niro as Sam (brief for “Samurai,” “Ronin” in Japanese), a lone wolf American intelligence analyst employed to find a mysterious briefcase whose unknown contents are wanted by rival Irish and Russian mobsters. With a languid tempo, a difficult plot requiring the utmost consideration, and intriguing character growth that takes its time to unfold, Ronin has a distinctly European aptitude that Gudegast intentionally channeled for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.
Why ‘Ronin’ Is a Should-See Heist Movie
Whereas Warmth is a hard-boiled American motion film that includes De Niro as an unsentimental and unsympathetic villain with little redeeming worth, Ronin stars the all-time nice Oscar winner as a morally advanced character conflicted about his task. The movie was hailed for its character growth, impeccable craft, intense automobile chases, and visceral motion scenes. Regardless of underperforming on the field workplace, the movie holds up properly in 2025 and must be seen by Den of Thieves followers.
In Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Large Nick struggles with related moral quandaries that Sam does in Ronin, leading to a extra cerebral and contemplative efficiency that reinforces the European qualities that Gudegast was aiming for. Previous the central efficiency, the London setting, ambiguous tenor, slow-burning tempo, and “stranger in a wierd land” dynamic make Pantera and Ronin simpatico. The latter is a must-watch cult traditional that ranks as Frankenheimer’s final nice film and one among De Niro’s biggest ’90s performances. Ronin is accessible to stream on The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is in theaters now.