The original Den of Thieves ended with a surprising, satisfying twist: Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) had masterminded the entire heist from the start, even when it looked like he was an unassuming getaway driver. This sandbagged both audiences and furious cop Big Nick (Gerard Butler), who was left with no evidence a heist even took place, let alone that Donnie was behind it all. What, then, could the sequel to Den of Thieves do to get these two back at odds? The answer is, put them on the same team. But a straightforward heist story with Donnie and Big Nick probably wouldn’t sate fans expecting some kind of a twist, which Den of Thieves: Pantera does provide. But it gets a little convoluted, so let’s break down what happens at the end of the movie, why, and what it means for the future of these characters.
Den of Thieves: Pantera plot summary:
OK, so Den of Thieves ended with Donnie in Europe, working as a bartender again, his eyes clearly on another big-score prize. The sequel picks up with Donnie pulling off just such a job, stealing a diamond in Antwerp with the so-called Panther Crew. Donnie then uses that diamond to pose as an executive and case the site of his next target: a diamond reserve in France. While in the midst of planning this score, Big Nick shows up in France to engage in culture-clash antics and force his way onto the crew, claiming that his law-enforcement life in the states has been ruined. Donnie and Nick also find out that Donnie’s previously snatched diamond belongs to the mafia, who are demanding it back. So now the Panthers must retrieve both the diamond (which Donnie has placed at the diamond reserve) and whatever other loot they can find.
The Panthers lose a couple of members to conflict with Big Nick, but they’re able to pull off the heist anyway — and are then intercepted by thugs hired by those two ousted gang members, attempting to steal from the thieves. (This plays out a little confusingly on screen, because the movie’s many white European thugs are kind of interchangeable, and many of the gun-toting members of this gang haven’t been seen before.) They’re saved at the last minute by the Italians, who are pleased that Donnie has retrieved their diamond. Everyone celebrates in Italy. The best friends gang will live to heist again! Or will they?!
Den of Thieves 2: Ending Explained
As the remaining Panthers celebrate with their mafia buddies, the French cops show up and arrest everyone… only not so much Nick, who, as it turns out, wasn’t in Europe to join a crew and experience a newfound camaraderie on the other side of the law. No, Nick tipped the French authorities off because he’s still a police officer at heart. He visits Donnie in prison and confesses that while the two of them are now “even,” he doesn’t feel as good about the whole thing as he would have hoped. His affection for Donnie and the crew wasn’t insincere, Nick explains, “but at the end of the day, a tiger can’t just change his stripes.” He doesn’t exactly apologize, but as he leaves, he tells Donnie to “sit back left.”
Shortly thereafter, Donnie is hauled into a prison transport van, which is then intercepted by a helicopter carrying men with guns, who repeat that advice — “back left!” — as they open up the van and retrieve Donnie. They’re referring to his position in the van, and they extract him from the French cops, flying him out of there. Turns out the Italians have saved his ass again, and want to employ him on a future job.
Now, Donnie becoming an internationally famous diamond thief with his picture in the paper, then being involved a high-profile prison-transport breakout seems like it would make his next move far less attractive to the mafia. But, nevermind: He’s out of jail and he asks what the next job is. Big Nick, meanwhile, irresponsibly looks at his texts while driving and gets a message that says “And the tiger changes stripes. All the cats out of the cage,” ending with a “c u soon.” The Best Friends Panther Club is back in action! It seems like Donnie is conveying the information that their other fellow criminals have been similarly liberated, and Big Nick will be brought back into the fold for the next job.
Emotionally, this ending makes sense. Big Nick and Donnie, who obviously bonded during this experience, will likely reunite for another job, which for now we will call Den of Threeves. Thematically and story-wise, it’s a little weird; the whole cop-criminal dynamic feels further muddled by this adventure, albeit enjoyably so. In the first movie, likable Donnie was breaking the law, but easy to root for, because he wasn’t really taking anyone else’s money (just bills earmarked for shredding), and he was outwitting that galoot Big Nick. Pantera wants us to consider Nick apprehending a career criminal a betrayal of trust that must be atoned for, and working for the mob a terrific career opportunity. It manages to both resolve an internal conflict in Big Nick that seems hard to believe, and raise further questions about why he wouldn’t feel conflicted about potentially working for a network of far worse criminals. But maybe that’s for Den of Threeves to deal with! Den of Thieves: Pantera is more about making sure the vibes stay cool.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others.
