Movie Review: ‘Army Of Thieves’ On Netflix

Review by James Lindorf

To pull off an epic heist, famed thief Danny Ocean needs a team of at least 11 while his little sister Debbie can do it with just 8. In Matthias Schweighöfer’s prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” they plan to pull off three world-class capers in just four days with a crew of five. Fan-favorite Dieter is back in Germany in his old life as a mild-mannered bank teller and safe cracking enthusiast. Dieter is a bit of a loser, with no friends, no family, no views on his YouTube channel, just his obsession with lock maestro Hans Wagner. All that changes when a mysterious invitation and woman walks into his life, promising the adventure of a lifetime. The “Army of Thieves,” Interpol’s most wanted criminals, will launch their crime spree across Europe on Netflix on October 29th.

Shay Hatten, a co-writer on “Army of the Dead,” is the lone writer with a script based on ideas he came up with Snyder. In this world expanding story, the zombie outbreak is in its infancy in the United States. Still, its effects are starting to be felt across the globe. Banks are looking to the most secure locations or safes to keep their money safe to rebuild society should the outbreak continue to spread. The consolidation of wealth means more risk but the higher potential of a significant payday, which is a prize the army can’t ignore. “Army of Thieves” promises to be a stand-out entry in this burgeoning franchise. An unnamed sequel is already in the works at Netflix, along with an animated prequel series called “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.” Those projects lend themselves more to the horror genre with their setting in America, where the Zombies are on the loose. At the same time, this film is a pure heist film with just enough nods to the franchise to remind you that it is part of a larger world.

This international ring of jewel thieves is led by Gwendoline Starr (Nathalie Emmanuel), a rich girl gone bad. She began her life of crime as a teenager and is now one of the best pickpockets in the world and no slouch in a fight. Second in command is Alexis, aka Brad Cage, (Stuart Martin), the team’s muscle and Gwendoline’s American action film-obsessed boyfriend. You can’t pull off a modern heist without dealing with cyber security, which brings in amateur DJ and ace hacker Korina (Ruby O. Fee). Rounding out the quartet is the easy-going getaway driver Rolph (Guz Khan). The only problem for the elite group is that they used to be a quintet. Their former safecracker is now behind bars thanks to intrepid Interpol agent Delacroix (Jonathan Cohen), who has been trying to track down the team for years. The ideal person to fill the vacancy, at least according to Gwendoline, is the talented and gullible loner Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert aka Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer).

Early on, the humor comes from focusing on the banality of Sebastian’s life that consists of rude bank customers, a work atmosphere that has him eating alone in the rain, and then there are nightmares fueled by televised accounts of the zombie outbreak. It is easy to see why he is enthralled by the secret message and Gwendoline’s offer to join the team. Once he enters this new world, the humor comes from his over-the-top reactions. If you thought he screamed a lot in The Army of the Dead, just wait. They also poke fun at his failures with the English language, and there is the inherent humor of a mild-mannered bank teller joining a gang. The jokes are chuckle-worthy at best, nothing that would make you laugh out loud. That is probably in response to the team chemistry not being where it should be. After all the years and risks that would build up trust and loyalty, they should feel like a family, but they often seem like they barely like each other. Schweighöfer and Emmanuel are easily the best part of the film, and it makes sense with their history in ensemble pieces.

The excitement of watching a caper movie is supposed to be found in the action and its suspense. Watching the characters attempt to pull off an incredibly intricate plan, predicting where it will fail, and seeing how they get out of a jam. “Army of Thieves” attempts and almost nails that, but the problem is that their “one last job” is actually three. The screen time for the action, the tension of the close calls and the general ideas are cut in thirds. There is something good to great about every robbery, and if they were all in one, it could have been tremendous. Instead, they rely on Dieter rambling on and on about the stories behind Wagner’s designs like it means anything to the audience, and way, WAY too many CGI shots of the inside of the safe. The biggest failing of this movie is that it tried to be too big. It reached for the stars when it should have tried for a slam dunk. “Army of Thieves” is an entertaining, decently acted, and beautifully shot action film with a little bit of romance at its core that improves on its predecessor. Still, Snyder and the crew will have to keep searching for the right combination. “Army of Thieves” is a 3 out of 5.

Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Director: Matthias Schweighöfer
Producer: Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Wesley Coller, Dan Maag, Matthias Schweighöfer
Writer: Shay Hatten, Zack Snyder
Release Date: Oct 29, 2021
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos