Netflix's ARMY OF THE DEAD: ARMY OF THIEVES (10/29/21) 1 1

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Overall, I had a blast with Army of Thieves. While it doesn’t have any zombie action, it’s nonetheless a jaunty, energy test movie that should win a lot of fans once it hits Netflix later this week. Heck, even if you hated Army of the Dead, you might dig this one.

 

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Great lead-in to the first movie

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Army of Thieves, apart from some brief TV newscast references to an impending zombie war on Vegas and a couple of nightmares for our star in that regard, is a smart take on another movie genre altogether: the well-worn heist film in which a ragtag group of thieves try to pull off the impossible.

 

Schneighöfer clearly knows what is required of the genre, but in the end it is his goofy, nerdish charm, romantic longings for Gwendoline and ability to bounce back against Cage and evade Delacroix that keep us engaged with him throughout. Yes, we see the connections to where he will eventually get involved in the zombie wars of Army of the Dead, even with a couple of cameos at the end, but this prequel truly stands on its own as a swell introduction to an irresistible movie character. His command of filmmaking also sets this German icon up for a career that deservedly should take on international stardom with this his first English-language film as director and star.

 

It is a lot of fun, and all the production credits are aces including the score from Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, cinematography from Bernhard Jasper and snappy editing by Alexander Berner. Producers are Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Dan Maag and Schweighöfer. Check out my video review with scenes from the film at the link above. Netflix begins streaming it on Friday.

 

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Overall: 5.0/10

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Overall: 64% of 100% - a fun film!

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Overall: B - a surprising fun time!

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Overall: Takes the best bits of heist movies - 4.0/5

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Matthias Schweighöfer was feeling the pressure. It was his first day on Army of the Dead, and he’d just met Zack Snyder, a director he’d long admired. Now he had to deliver his most challenging scene and prove casting him had been the right choice.

 

“It was a ten-minute scene in the original version. It was huge,” says Schweighöfer of a monologue he delivered to co-stars Dave Bautista and Ana De La Reguera as they tried to recruit his safe-cracking character, Ludwig Deiter, for a zombie-infested heist.

 

“There was one moment where I knew, ‘OK, I’m in this film,'” recalls Schweighöfer. “It’s when Dave touches the blueprint, and I say, ‘Take your sausage fingers away, Mr. Big Hand.’ Dave started laughing. Zack started laughing. And I knew, ‘OK, welcome to the show.'”

 

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No interest in seeing this since Army of the Dead let me down but I’m ten minutes in and I like the premise so far. I’ll give it another ten before I make a commitment.

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On 10/31/2021 at 3:53 PM, Oddball said:

No interest in seeing this since Army of the Dead let me down but I’m ten minutes in and I like the premise so far. I’ll give it another ten before I make a commitment.

I watched it last night, and you totally forget this is tied to a zombie franchise other than a few brief scenes.

I'd give it a 7.0/10

[rexinnih]

Didn't really get into Army but will give this a spin. 

[Beige]

Worse than Army of the Dead

Both movies bored me to tears - which should have been impossible with a zombie flix set in Vegas - and a prequel.

 

Not good

 

2/10

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On 10/31/2021 at 5:35 PM, rexinnih said:

Didn't really get into Army but will give this a spin. 

You don't require the first film to appreciate this spinoff. So if Army of the Dead didn't work for you, that's okay. Thieves does its own thing.

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