Gerard Butler Letting Loose Is a Beautiful Thing to Behold

Photo: Rico Torres/Lionsgate

If 2018’s Den of Thieves played like a meathead remake of Michael Mann’s Heat (1995), then the new Den of Thieves 2: Pantera plays like a meathead remake of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice (2006). Neither of these are bad things. Gone is the attention to process and scuzzy detail that made the first film notable, replaced here by a wild, drunken emotional energy that dispenses with story logic and clarity. That also makes it a fine showcase for star Gerard Butler...