Christian Gudegast followed his directorial debut action hitDen of ThieveswithDen of Thieves 2: Pantera, which featured a high-stakes diamond heist that was based heavily on one of the biggest real-world heists ever accomplished.Starring Gerard Butlerand O’Shea Jackson, Jr. reprising their roles from the originalDen of Thieves, the sequel sees the cop and criminal team up to take down one of the most secure facilities in the world, the World Diamond Center. In the process, they run afoul of both the Mafia and the Pantera Task Force, both of whom are hot on their heels.
The originalDen of Thieveschronicled the cat-and-mouse game between Butler’s alcoholicLASD officer Nick “Big Nick” O’Briengoing toe-to-toe with Pablo Schreiber’s former MARSOC leader Ray Merrimen, only to reveal that O’Shea Jackson, Jr.’s Donnie Wilson was the mastermind behind the robbery of the LA Federal Reserve.Donnie steps his game up inDen of Thieves 2: Pantera, putting together an international diamond heist that makes the Federal Reserve robbery look like child’s play. As wild and complicated as it is, it’s actually based on reality.
Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera Review - Gerard Butler’s Tame Sequel Is A Missed Opportunity For A Thrilling Heist Film
The first film was more gritty; the sequel is more polished & developed. But it’s also the same amount of underwhelming despite an intriguing setup.
Donnie’s Plan For The World Diamond Center Heist Explained
The Plan Was Dependent On Precision Timing And Deception
Den of Thieves 2: Panterabegins with a team of specialists led by Donnie robbing a plane from South Africa as it lands, and making away with a number of diamonds, specifically including a rare uncut pink diamond. Those diamonds were a key part of Donnie’s plan to rob the World Diamond Center, as he needed that very real inventory to back up his persona as a West African diamond dealer, which is how he first managed to get into the World Diamond Center to begin investigating their security.
January 19th, 2018
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$11-$13 million opening weekend (projected)
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That helped him and Nick, who posed as his security guard, get all the way into the WDC’s vault of safety deposit boxes. Once they had all the intel and preparation necessary, the remaining Panthers (after Marko and Vuk were kicked out) approached the WDC from the sky, starting their infiltration by crossing onto the roof from the next building over. From there, the plan relied on a series of precision movements and clever manipulation of the security cameras.
Despite having a set of 127 security cameras covering the WDC, the security guards on duty only watched from a bank of 10 monitors, with each camera cycling through in 90-second intervals. Evin Ahmad’s Jovanna, AKA Cleopatra, was in charge of mapping out and monitoring which parts of the building were currently being watched, and relaying that information tothe secretly-plotting Nickand the rest of the team. That allowed them to time their movements through the building down to the second. From there, a series of clever gadgets and camera-fooling spray got them all the way into the vault.
Den Of Thieves 2’s Heist Is Inspired By The 2003 Antwerp Diamond Heist
The “Heist Of The Century” Yielded $100 Million In Stolen Goods
Director Christian Gudegast noted in an interview with Screen Rantin 2018 that the plot for his sequel toDen of Thieves, which wound up beingDen of Thieves 2: Pantera, was based off the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, which is commonly referred to as “the heist of the century.” In that heist, which was executed in a very similar manner as how the Panthers pull it off inPantera, the thieves made away with more than $100 million in loose diamonds, jewels, and precious metals, most of which were never recovered.
The scene inDen of Thieves 2: Panterain which Nick quickly sprays the security cameras outside the vault with mouth spray, which is a direct reference to the Antwerp diamond heist. The real-world thieves used women’s hair spray, which was transparent and wouldn’t obscure the camera, but would fool the camera’s thermal sensors.
The Antwerp diamond heist required 18 months of preparation, including intense surveillance operations (using camera pens) and the heist’s mastermind, Leonardo Notarbartolo, disguising himself as an Italian diamond merchant visiting the Antwerp World Diamond Center frequently, so the security guards would get used to seeing him. Notarbartolo and his team even practiced on a full-size replica of the vault they hoped to break into, so that when the time came for the real heist their motions would be precise.
How Den Of Thieves 2’s Heist Is Different From The Antwerp Diamond Heist
Some Key Details Were Made More Cinematic
A surprising number of details inDen of Thieves 2: Panterawere pulled directly out of reality. The Antwerp diamond heist’s mastermind did rent an apartment near the building he hoped to rob. He did in fact pose as a diamond trader to gain access to the building, and many of the technological and chemical gadgets that helped make the heist possible were real. However, some essentialdetails were added or changed purely for cinematic value.
For example, the ticking clock and precision movements to dodge the security cameras were exaggerated to heighten the drama of the movie, as was the roof-to-roof shimmying. The gang of Italian thieves that the Panthers were based on was actually called “La Scuolo di Torino”, or “The School of Turin.“There was no near-miss escape from the Diamond Center, as there is inDen of Thieves 2: Panterawith Nick having to run and fight his way out of the building.
The manner of the group’s capture was also different;Notarbartolo and his crew were caught when panicky members of the team tried to dispose of the heist evidenceby mixing it into someone’s trash instead of properly destroying it. The items were quickly discovered, and had evidence directly linking back to Notarbartolo, which is what set police on his trail. The Mafia subplot was also added to up the stakes and the drama for Nick and Donnie, butDen of Thieves 2: Panteranails a lot of the details of the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Cast
Sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien tracks Donnie Wilson to Europe after his daring escape. As Donnie becomes deeply involved with diamond thieves and the Panther mafia, the stakes rise with a plan to rob the world’s largest diamond exchange.
