Army of Thieves (2021)

Certainly Matthias Schweighöfer's Army of the Dead character, the safe cracker Ludwig Dieter, was a highlight of that film and the sort of character who would be interesting to follow into his own adventure. So this little spin off, a prequel that tells the story of the start of Dieter's career as a criminal, was a smart bet that ends up delivering with a fun heist movie with a hyper-stylized energy that makes it highly entertaining. 

Set when the zombie "apocalypse" of this world is just beginning. The titular band of thieves takes advantage of the distraction to pull of a series of robberies breaking into a famous series of safes named after the cycles of Wagner's Ring Cycle. This provides the cool Tarantino-like character back story/motivation which animates this little tale. Dieter, introduced to the exciting world of crime falls in love and gains confidence in his safe-cracking abilities. And the film is filled with fun adventures, comedy, and honestly heart. 

One of the strengths of Army of the Dead was its characters and the way each was fully rounded, unique, and in their own way truly fascinating. Here Dieter really shines. His supporting cast may not all be up to the same standard but they are still enough to give him the support he needs. He is enough to centre this movie around. Emmanuel has charisma to spare but her character is a bit thinly drawn. But again she's enough for Dieter's story to play out and lead us into his role in the main film. 

The zombies here are very much just on the side. They play an interesting role however as they symbolize the insecurities that are holding us back but also the chaos which creates opportunity. But Army of Thieves isn't a zombie film. It's a heist film, fully embracing the tropes of that genre. Perhaps it isn't the next step forward in the heist movie genre but it is certainly a fun entry in the oeuvre. And it works completely on its own without the need to have seen Army of the Dead. But, as the best prequels do, it also compliments the original film to enrich it further. 

At the centre of this is Matthias Schweighöfer showing American audiences that he is a actor/director to be watched. I don't know if we'll see more of Dieter but I'm hoping we might.

Army of Thieves

Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Guz Khan, Ruby O Fee, Stuart Martin, Jonathan Cohen, Dave Bautista, Ana de la Reguera

Director: Matthias Schweighöfer

Writer: Shay Hatten