How Pantera creates a new Fast and Furious.

Major spoilers for Den of Thieves 2: Panther ahead.

When Den of Thieves came out in 2018, many described it as a kind of cheap version of Michael Mann’s The Heat. I also said more or less the same thing about the movie – but I say it with love. I’m a big fan of Den of Thieves, a movie about big men who shoot big guns, starring Gerard Butler as Big Nick O’Brien, a cop who always seems to have a hangover no matter what time of day it is. Directed by Christian Gudegast, the film was often derivative (it not only borrows heavily from The Heat , but also has a twist ending almost shamelessly stolen from The Usual Suspects ), and yet it was a total blast. I was thrilled when there was a sequel announced back in 2018and now that the sequel, Day of Thieves 2: Panther, is here, I’m just as excited for what’s next.

While a third film has yet to be officially announced, Lair of Thieves 2 ends in a way that leaves plenty of room for more. In addition, while speaking with ScreenRantGudegast said, “(We’re) building a franchise, so we have more space and time to explore these guys. We’ve got so much left to do…” The implication is clear: there’s more Big Nick to come. Interestingly, “Den of Thieves 2” changes the general approach to this world of cops and robbers. Because if the first Den of Thieves was like a dirty Heat, then you could argue that Den of Thieves 2 and potentially Den of Thieves 3 are like dirty versions of the Fast and Furious saga.

I never really cared for The series “Fast and Furious”.. I’ve tried to get into movies a few times, mostly because so many people I respect tell me they’re so much fun. But try as I might, I just can’t muster the enthusiasm. Still, I respect the franchise’s world-building, creating a story about a bunch of crooks banding together as a family to do increasingly ridiculous jobs. And by the time Day of Thieves 2 rolls around, it seems like that’s exactly the approach Gudegast is going for.

In Den of Thieves, Butler’s Big Nick led a team of cops targeting a gang of bank robbers. Nick thought he had a hit with the crooks, setting up their getaway driver Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to become an informant. But by the time the film ended, the situation had changed. After a violent shootout that leaves several people dead, Nick makes the discovery that Donnie wasn’t some kind of totem driver, but in fact he was the mastermind behind the film’s climactic heist. He also turned out to be the only surviving member of the gang, and he fled to Europe with the loot.

In “Day of Thieves 2,” Donnie, still in Europe, teams up with a gang of thieves known as the Panthers, led by Giovanna (Evin Ahmad). Donnie and the Panthers plan a massive heist at the World Diamond Center in Antwerp, but the plan is derailed when Nick tracks Donnie down. However, Nick says he doesn’t want to anger Donnie. Instead, he wants to be counted. From there, Nick joins the gang. He falls into some lingering flirtation with Giovanna, and he and Donnie inexplicably become friends. “Basically, this movie is a love story between a thief/gangster and a policeman,” Gudegast says in the film’s notes. “It’s an epic movie about friends.”

As the film progresses, Nick grows closer to both Donnie and the rest of the gang. In the end, they all pull off a heist and have a thrilling ending car chase shootout with some rivals. Just when you think everyone has gotten away with it, the movie takes a (somewhat obvious) twist: Nick has been working with local law enforcement all along, and he turns in Donnie, Giovanna, and the rest of the gang to the police. However, Nick feels guilty about it. He wasn’t making it up—he really cared about Donnie and the gang. In the end, Nick teams up with an exiled thug (Adriana Chiaramido) to help break Donnie and the others out of prison. The subtext is clear: Nick, Donnie and the rest of the team reunite, presumably to pull off more heists.

It’s a fun, surprisingly touching finale — Nick has found a family. It’s easy to see a Fast and Furious-style situation. The Furious saga was ultimately about a lawman who joined a team of criminals and learned to love them, and now Den of Thieves takes the same approach. I guess you could argue that Den of Thieves 2 feels a little different than the first film. Although there is still plenty of violent, burly action, it seems that more pleasant the film is the friendship that grows between Nick and Donnie is sweet. While I think I like the first film a bit more, Lair of Thieves 2 is very enjoyable on its own and by the time the credits rolled I was ready for more. If they want to keep making these movies and turn them into a big, low-budget Fast and Furious-esque saga, I’ll happily keep watching them.

Lair of Thieves 2: Panther is in theaters now.