Netflix’s Army of Thieves – A Fresh Heist Film (Early Review)

Heist films seem to be making a resurgence as of late. Army of Thieves does not only offer a new take on the genre, it also catapults viewers back into the world of Army of the Dead which was released earlier this year. Produced by Zack Snyder, the film offers a lot of the similar feel and tone as the former but with the new perspective of Army of the Dead star Matthias Schweighöfer who reprises his role and also takes the helm while showing some skill behind the camera. The story centers around a team coming together to do multiple bank heists by cracking the world’s toughest safes. These films look and feel like a comic book and that’s the best way to look at it. At the end of the day, Army of Thieves is a silly and action-packed thrill ride that many will surely enjoy. Despite issues with its pacing and tonal shifts in some scenes, it is still worth the watch.

Playing one of the best characters in Army of the Dead, Dieter (Schweighöfer) is back with more witty sayings and great character moments. He knocks it out of the park, allowing viewers to fall in love with him all over again. Following this character and diving into his backstory made this film and Army of The Dead in retrospect that much better. Army of Thieves is a great companion piece and an interesting experiment to see if more prequel films will be made based on other Army of the Dead characters. That being said, watching the former does help with connecting with Dieter. Throughout the film, it introduces viewers to an amazing heist team that one can’t help but root for. While occasionally falling in the depths of overused tropes, the film still packs a punch thanks to the over-the-top nature of its characters. Each one stood tall and carried their weight for what easily could have been a throw away robbery film.

Army of Thieves boasts stylistic flare through its quick editing techniques, great cinematography and sound design. There were some great shots of the inner workings of the safe and how all the mechanics worked. Viewers can literally hear every turn, click, adjustment and so much more from every safe Dieter cracks. It’s easy to see the influence of someone on the level of Snyder on some of the shots here. The visuals were also breathtaking, delivering a very visceral unique style. Then again some of the brutality of the action sequences would lead to a tonal shift that seemed out of place for a film like this. Nevertheless, every Snyder fan are likely to enjoy the film because of it.

The story may not bring anything new to the table in terms of the genre but this type of story has never really been told from the perspective of a safe cracker. Harkening back to Drive and Baby Driver, both films follow the getaway driver who is usually the centerpiece for these type of films. Watching the story told from the perspective of Dieter, the film offers a different take on a bank robbery. One can tell that the film relished this perspective and its passion for the intricacies of safes. There was surprisingly a lot of layers to it, hitting some deep thoughts that offer a new perspective on life as many only see things at a surface level and very rarely take the time to understand how things work. There are many creators that invented these amazing things we use everyday and take it for granted. This made for a shocking and powerful lesson that many are sure to get a lot out of.

In the end, Army of Thieves helped the characterization of one of the best characters of Army of the Dead by touching so many genres that it is worth the recommendation for just about any viewer. Though the film is far from being perfect and will not completely blow anyone away, it is still definitely worth the watch. It not only features a lot of humor but also. cool effects, amazing action sequences and brings to light something new and fresh. It will be definitely exciting to see if any other projects can come from this world. The likable cast across the board make it a very satisfying watch. The film offers some good scenes that connect both films and flesh out the world as a whole.

Check out Army of Thieves and Army of the Dead. the perfect double feature for your viewing pleasure!

still courtesy of Netflix

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Frederick Nuti