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Army of Thieves

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Army of Thieves
Official release poster
Directed byMatthias Schweighöfer
Screenplay byShay Hatten
Story by
Based onCharacters
by Zack Snyder
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBernhard Jasper
Edited byAlexander Berner
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
Running time
127 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish

Army of Thieves is a 2021 romantic comedy heist film directed by Matthias Schweighöfer from a screenplay by Shay Hatten, based on a story he wrote with Zack Snyder. A prequel to Army of the Dead, it is the second installment in the Army of the Dead franchise; the film stars Schweighöfer, who reprises his role as Ludwig Dieter, alongside a supporting cast that includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Guz Khan, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Jonathan Cohen, and Peter Simonischek.

Filming began in Germany and the Czech Republic in October 2020, and concluded by December 2020.[1][2] Army of Thieves was released on October 29, 2021, on Netflix. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Six years before the events of Army of the Dead, Ludwig Dieter is living a mundane life as a bank teller in Munich and going by his real name of Sebastian. News of a growing zombie outbreak in Nevada dominates international news but its effects have yet to reach mainland Europe, although this doesn’t stop Ludwig from having nightmares about zombies. Ludwig also produces YouTube videos about safecracking in his spare time that receive no attention until one video receives a comment from a a mysterious figure who invites him to an underground safecracking competition in the city. Ludwig goes to the competition and wins the contest, where upon he is greeted by Gwendoline, a skilled jewel thief who reveals herself as the mysterious figure who commented upon Ludwig’s YouTube video.

Gwendoline recruits Ludwig into a heist crew consisting of herself, expert hacker Korina, getaway driver Rolph and gunman Brad Cage with the intention of breaking into three banks that host three safes created by legendary locksmith Hans Wagner and which currently belong to billionaire Bly Tanaka. The safes are due to be decommissioned in less than a week, meaning that time is running out for any thief to break into them. Ludwig, a theoretical expert on the work of Wagner and safecracking but with no practical experience, decides to join after being convinced by Gwendoline about the challenge of breaking into a Wagner safe. Together, the crew successfully undertakes their heist of the first safe in Paris but escape with a minimal amount of money compared to what actually resides in the safe, which is justified by Gwendoline’s rationale that the challenge and reputation is better than any major monetary gain.

As the crew celebrate after the Paris heist, Ludwig develops feelings for Gwendoline and this draws the jealousy of Brad, Gwendoline’s boyfriend since their teenage years when he was known by his real name of Alexis. The crew travel to Prague where the second safe is located and are followed by Delacroix, an obsessive Interpol agent leading a unit that has been trying to capture Gwendoline and the crew for years after Brad shot him during a theft. Ludwig and Gwendoline enter the bank but are soon identified by security, forcing Brad to enter the bank to undertake a pretend robbery as a distraction. Ludwig cracks the second safe and leaves with Gwendoline and another haul of money whilst Delacroix and his team race to the bank to stop them. Brad is shot in the shoulder by a security guard and narrowly escapes the bank before Ludwig and Gwendoline. As the team flee, Brad deliberately leaves Ludwig behind, forcing him to escape the pursuing police by himself.

Angry at Brad’s actions, Gwendoline and Korina leave the crew even though they had previously agreed to ditch Ludwig after the three heists were complete. Gwendoline and Korina head back to Munich and reunite with Ludwig, telling him that the pursuit of the Wagner challenge is more important to them than any monetary gain. They head to St. Moritz where the third and final safe is located whilst Delacroix and his unit also arrive in the town. Delacroix’s team believe they have a lead upon the theft, only to find that they have been beaten again by Ludwig, Gwendoline and Korina, who have hijacked the safe during its transfer from the casino where it resides. Their hijack also usurps a planned attempt by Brad and Rolph to rob the safe themselves.

As Gwendoline and Ludwig leave St. Moritz on a lorry, Brad and Rolph discover that they are also in St. Moritz and take off in pursuit. Korina is caught by Interpol but manages to warn Gwendoline and Ludwig about Brad and Rolph beforehand. Ludwig is forced to try and crack the safe in the back of the lorry whilst it is pursued simultaneously by Brad, Rolph and Interpol. He succeeds in doing so and opens the safe to find another large haul of money for them to take. As Gwendoline and Ludwig begin to leave with it however, they are confronted by Rolph and an increasingly mentally unstable Brad. Gwendoline overpowers them both and handcuffs them to the truck for Interpol to find before leaving with Ludwig.

Just before escaping on a boat, Ludwig and Gwendoline confesses their feelings for each other. However, they are caught by Delacroix which results in an armed standoff between him and Gwendoline. Out of love for Ludwig, Gwendoline sacrifices herself to be arrested so that Ludwig can escape but promises to find him once she is free. Ludwig escapes on the boat and resolves that he will be reunited with Gwendoline one day.

Some time later, Scott Ward and Maria Cruz arrive in California at a locksmith shop run by Ludwig and named after Gwendoline. They offer him the chance to crack Wagner’s legendary ‘missing’ safe, which Gwendoline and Ludwig had resolved to crack together once she was free. Ludwig accepts the job, leading to the events of Army of the Dead.

Cast

Additionally, Amy Huck makes a cameo role as Lady Café, while Peter Simonischek appears as a locksmith at Dieter’s shop.

Reprising their roles uncredited from Army of the Dead are Dave Bautista and Ana de la Reguera as Scott Ward and Maria Cruz, respectively, while Hiroyuki Sanada appears as Bly Tanaka through a still image.

Production

Matthias Schweighöfer serves as director and actor

In September 2020, it was announced that the film, then known as Army of the Dead: The Prequel, was in development at Netflix.[3] Filming took place in Germany and the Czech Republic, and finished in December 2020.[4][5] In a February 2021 interview, Deborah Snyder referred to the film as Army of Thieves.[6] That same month, Army of the Dead composer Tom Holkenborg confirmed that he would be working on both the prequel and the tie-in animated series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.[7] In April 2021, Zack Snyder confirmed the official title.[8] In August 2021, Matthias Schweighöfer announced on Twitter that Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro will serve as composers for the film, replacing Holkenborg.[9]

In May 2021, Deborah Snyder described the film as similar to The Italian Job in a world where zombies exist, while explaining that the film is standalone in nature. The producer classified the genre as a romantic comedy heist film that canonically depicts the early stages of the zombie pandemic portrayed in the previous film; stating: "[it] takes place in a world where these zombies exist in America and it’s causing instability in the banking institutions. They’re moving money around, so it’s the perfect opportunity for a heist." The plot will center around Schweighöfer's character Ludwig Dieter, showing how he learned to crack safes with previous heist teams.[10] Schweighöfer acknowledged that while the movie isn't categorically a zombie film, the filmmaker teased that the undead may appear;[11] while Snyder confirmed that there will be zombies in the film.[12]

Release

Marketing

On July 25, 2021, Netflix unveiled its first teaser trailer for the film which premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con.[13] In the special panel, the team discussed the upcoming prequel as producer Deborah Snyder said; "Who's done a prequel where it's a different genre of film? To me this is more of a romantic, comedy, heist film than anything else. It just happens to live in this world where zombies are in the U.S. and it's causing the banking system some instability."[14]

Streaming

The film was released on October 29, 2021 by Netflix.[15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which categorizes reviews as positive or negative, 70% of 47 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Army of Thieves doesn't reinvest the heist thriller, but director-star Matthias Schweighöfer proves an appealing presence on both sides of the camera."[16] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 21 critics, the film received "mixed or average reviews".[17]

Gayle Sequeira of Film Companion wrote, "This prequel to Army of the Dead gives one of its minor characters a showcase of his own, and a pretty delightful one at that." [18]

References

  1. ^ Snyder, Zack [@ZackSnyder] (22 December 2020). "That's a wrap on Army of the Dead: The Prequel. Thanks to all the cast & crew and Netflix #armyofthedead #aotd" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Pirodsky, Jason (2021-10-06). "'Army of Thieves': Prague-shot 'Army of the Dead' prequel hits Netflix this month". The Prague Reporter. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  3. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-09-03). "Zack Snyder Netflix Zombie Pic 'Army Of The Dead' Spawning Film Prequel & Anime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  4. ^ "Zack Snyder's 'Army of the Dead' Prequel Movie Has Already Wrapped Filming". /Film. 2020-12-23. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  5. ^ Pirodsky, Jason (2021-10-06). "'Army of Thieves': Prague-shot 'Army of the Dead' prequel hits Netflix this month". The Prague Reporter. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  6. ^ Ep 145: Deborah Snyder, retrieved 2021-03-04
  7. ^ TheFilmJunkee (22 February 2021). 'Junkie v Junkee' w/ Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) - Film Junkee Vodka Stream. TheFilmJunkee. YouTube. Retrieved May 12, 2021.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Guttmann, Graeme (April 13, 2021). "Army of the Dead Prequel Movie Title Confirmed As Army Of Thieves". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Schweighöfer, Matthias [@MSchweighoefer] (12 August 2021). "I am beyond excited to announce that I have the honour to work with the legendary and incredible Hans Zimmer, along with co-composer Steve Mazarro! They will be composing the score for ARMY OF THIEVES, the Zack Snyder-produced ARMY OF THE DEAD prequel, starred and directed by me" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Erbland, Kate (May 21, 2021). "What's Next for 'Army of the Dead': 'Italian Job'-Esque Prequel, an Anime Series, and Maybe a Sequel". Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Boone, John (May 22, 2021). "Zack Snyder Talks 'Army of the Dead' Prequels, Sequels, Spinoffs and Spoilers (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  12. ^ Couch, Aaron (May 12, 2021). "Deborah Snyder on Intimate 'Army of the Dead' Shoot and Finding Closure With 'Justice League'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  13. ^ White, James (2021-07-26). "Army Of Thieves: First Trailer For The Army Of The Dead Prequel". EMpire. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  14. ^ Lussier, Germain (2021-07-25). "Army of Thieves' SDCC 2021 Teaser Takes Us Back to Zack Snyder's Zombieverse". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  15. ^ Motomayor, Rafael (August 23, 2021). "'Army of Thieves': Zombie-Less 'Army of the Dead' Prequel Gets Halloween Release Date on Netflix". Collider. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "Army of Thieves". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Army of Thieves Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Sequeira, Gayle. "Army Of Thieves, On Netflix, Is A Loving Ode To, And Cheeky Wink At, Heist Tropes". Retrieved October 29, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)

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