Based on the character Zack Synder from Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves is a 2021 Netflix film that lays the premise for an impending zombie apocalypse after an extraordinary heist. This spinoff prequel is directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, who is also reprising his role from the original film, only under a different name.
With a duration of two hours, this film focuses on Sebastian’s story and what happened to him before he became Ludwig in Army of the Dead. The film also stars Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei in the Game of Thrones series, as Gwendoline, as the recruiter and love interest of Schweighöfer’s character there.
The film Army of Thieves opens with a young man named Sebastian Schlecht-Wöhnert recording a YouTube video of his true passion, talking about the 4 Ring Cycle: Rheingold, Valkyrie, and Siegfried vault built by the great Hans Wagner and hints how the story isn’t just about stealing some money. big money but also, a quest that aims to make his life unusual. Shortly thereafter, his obsession with the legendary Hans Wagner leads him to be recruited by international jewelery thief Gwendoline for a heist that includes breaking three of Wagner’s safes from the Ring Cycle before they are destroyed.
As the film progresses, television visuals are shown about a zombie outbreak which is the catalyst and the main premise of the Army of Dead. However, this spinoff prequel can be categorized as a pure heist film. The characters are introduced in exactly the same format as Snyder’s introductory scene in previous films – with their names in intricate font flashing across the screen and quick flashbacks of childhood, including a heist team made up of brash drifter Rolph (Guz Khan), a young hacker. the great Korina (Ruby O. Fee) and the muscular guy who looks like an alternate version of the wolverine Brad Cage played by Stuart Martin with Sebastian and Gwendoline.
As the team begins their heist action, they are soon chased by Interpol led by vengeful agent Delacroix (Jonathan Cohen). With its breezy romance and hilarious yet well-done heist, Army of Thieves does a much better job than its predecessor. It’s nice to see that this film has changed its genre to provide audiences with an entertaining film with a slightly tidier storyline.
Matthias Schweighöfer is a character who unites everything in the film whether it’s comical by becoming ‘Mr. Nervous Guy’ from the start to the romantic and naive man who falls in love with Gwendoline. It’s great how dynamic Schweighöfer’s character is and the charm he brings to the screen that makes him easy to sympathize with.
However, for those who watched this film as an Army of the Dead spin-off, the question of how Sebastian Schlecht-Wöhnert came to be known as Ludwig Dieter remains a story that must be carefully observed. In one scene, there is a significant scene that explains the issue, triggering how in Army of Dead the artist unloading this safe has that name.
Army of Thieves also seems to find a connection with the Army of the Dead films as the latter serves as a medium through which Sebastian, then Ludwig can finally crack the last of Hans Wagner’s legendary vault, Götterdämmerung. In this film we see him breaking the first three- Rheingold, Valkyrie, and Siegfried, making the two films together look like the journey of destiny that the safecracker has made.
Army of Thieves is arguably an action film for people with romantic hearts looking for fun action and emotional tragedy at the end. Overall, this is a movie you can stream if you like fast-paced action, predictable clichés, and entertaining goofy romance.
The Army of Thieves movie can be streamed on Netflix
