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    Den Of Thieves 2’s World Diamond Center Heist & Real World Inspiration

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    Christian Gudegast followed his directorial debut action hit Den of Thieves with Den 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 Butler and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. reprising their roles from the original Den 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 original Den of Thieves chronicled the cat-and-mouse game between Butler’s alcoholic LASD officer Nick “Big Nick” O’Brien going 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 in Den 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.

    Gerard Butler as Big Nick standing next to O'Shea Jackson Jr as Donnie Wilson in Den of Thieves 2 Pantera

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    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

    Nick (Gerard Butler) and Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) standing next to each in Den of Thieves 2

    Den of Thieves 2: Pantera begins 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.

    Den of Thieves Franchise – Key Details

    Movie

    Release Date

    Budget

    Box Office Gross

    RT Tomatometer Score

    RT Popcornmeter Score

    Den of Thieves

    January 19th, 2018

    $30 million

    $80.5 million

    41%

    63%

    Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

    January 10th, 2024

    $40 million

    $11-$13 million opening weekend (projected)

    60%

    78%

    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 to the secretly-plotting Nick and 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 Rant in 2018 that the plot for his sequel to Den of Thieves, which wound up being Den 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 in Pantera, the thieves made away with more than $100 million in loose diamonds, jewels, and precious metals, most of which were never recovered.

    The scene in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera in 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

    Evin Ahmad looking skeptical in Den of Thieves 2 Pantera

    A surprising number of details in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera were 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 essential details 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 in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera with 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 evidence by 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, but Den of Thieves 2: Pantera nails a lot of the details of the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist.



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