Criminal Squad: Pantera

DOT2: Pantera is a good slow burn heist film bringing the bromance or love hate relationship between our two main characters as Butler is licking the wounds from the first film inflicted by Jackson.

The nice thing about Pantera is that it takes us the Mediterranean setting as the stakes go big with the Diamond Heist (inspired by the 2003 Antwerp true event) in Nice, France with the wrong move of stealing from the Italian Mafia.

The film does start with a heart pounding opening sequence and ends with a exciting car chase BUT the rest of the film is all talk and planning the heist.

Evin Ahmad and Nazmiye Oral both shine in their respective roles.

Nice twist to leave the doors open for DOT: 3.

Story ~ 6 ⭐ Unfortunately, the story was not fully developed. It felt lackluster. Just, maaaah. It had all the ingredients of an acceptable script, but it lacked high stakes. There was not nearly enough pressure put on the two leads. It had a great hook at the beginning, but then it dragged on trying to build character or story or ... so there it is, it just tried and never succeeded at being special. There is one scene where the film focuses on backstory and character. Just one, all jammed into one. It's noticeable.

Acting ~ 6 ⭐ Gerard is a long way off from Sparta here. His performance wasn't moving; it lacked emotion and nuance. The 2nd lead, O'Shea Jackson Jr., well how can I put this nicely ... was not as good as Gerard. There was no chemistry between the leads. It just was not there. They tried to add a romance sub-plot but that failed too. Enough said.

Cinematography ~ 8 ⭐ The cinematography was saved by the sweeping drone shots and the chase scene. It was good but not great. I think I'm being generous here. The landscape where this film was shot is breathtaking. They were smart to spend a lot of money on drone work. It's a pretty film, but nothing spectacular.

Some Commentary I was excited to see this movie, mainly because of the trailer-it's got a killer trailer. While in the theater, I kept hope, saying to myself, okay now it is going to ramp up and change for the better, but it plateaued and never did. The gravy never thickened.

There's a formula in Hollywood that big studios use. It goes something like (Name Actors + cool stunts + marketing = box office). There are of course numbers and multiples attached to this equation. This movie felt like it was plugged into the equation and shown to be profitable, then green-lit.

My Advice Wait and see it on Prime Video. It's still fun, but not theater fun. Or, go watch it and let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree. Until next time.

Den of Thieves 2 delivers a slow-burning narrative with a runtime that overstays its welcome at 2 hours and 25 minutes. While there are some lighthearted moments sprinkled throughout, much of the film relies heavily on dialogue, which may not hold the attention of those expecting more action. The pacing feels uneven, particularly as it moves toward the ending, which seems more focused on setting up a sequel than providing a satisfying resolution. Though it has its moments, the film struggles to justify its length and lacks the high-stakes energy that made the first installment more engaging. It was intense in certain scenes but one character motive change my rating since it was a dishonorable act.

There is good and bad with this film, even as it feels like it is missing some of the magic of the first.

The cinematography, sound, and music are great. The film looks and sounds slick and flows well.

The story has some complexity to it as it involves more than just a set of good guys and a set of bad guys. It also follows the first film plot-wise, so having seen it will add to the experience.

At a few points in the story it would be better to not ask too many questions, as there are some plot conveniences that might be considered questionable for the validity and believability of a major international organized crime scenario. Some of the foundational premises of how characters are placed into the story are also tenuous.

The highlight for me though, was the heist execution and the subsequent chase. A long and gripping sequence of events that takes up much of the last half of the film. Superb sequences with sustained tension and realism. Really well directed and scored. And a very cool helicopter intervention.

The acting overall I would call very so-so. Often poor. The improvisation obvious. The casting, generally terrible. Adsurdly so. Aside from the two lead actors, I found the rest of the characters and cast playing them to be both unattractive and instantly forgettable. I never knew that French women had such large noses. Even the star of the film, and really the only one more or less acting in it, looks so haggard as to be a bit of a let down. The co-star was unconvincing generally in his role; he did not fit the part.

I think that this is what differentiates the feel of this film from the first. The first film had tight bands of opposing forces with strong main protagonist and antagonist characters. It also had believable and well-defined entourage characters played by actors who could act. The intensity felt genuine. This film sorely lacks all of this. It went full Euro and feels sloppy because of it. Casting was over-the-top diverse to the point of distraction, resulting in a lack of cohesion, with too many weak characters with no charisma that only made the plot contrivances more obvious.

Overall, still a good watch for fans of the first film.

Well I just got out the theatre and let me say this:

Whereas the first movie was very gritty, dark, violent, this movie is very colorful, tacky and sassy.

Kind of dissapointing sequel if you compare it to the first. I guess it's a solid Sunday movie if you're bored and want to watch something. The first movie gave me a vibe similar to HEAT. This is like they tried to aim for the Italian Job. Wish they would've stuck with the Formula of the first movie. It worked. Don't know why they tried to change it so drastically and do a 180. The characters are not interesting at all and you don't really get invested like you did in the first part. Butler and Jackson's characters don't feel like the same guys from the first movie either. Could've been better. It's a ok-ish sequel.