Army of Thieves is a heist romantic comedy directed by Matthias Schweighofer, produced by Deborah Snyder and Zack Snyder, Wesley Coller, Schweighöfer and Dan Maag, with a screenplay by Shay Hatten from an original story co-written by Snyder and Hatten. It is a prequel to the Army of the Dead and is the second installment in the Army of the Dead franchise.
Army of Thieves Movie Plot
Army of Thieves occurs during the beginning stages of the zombie outbreak and six years before the events of Army of the Dead. Ludwig Dieter is just in his initial years of safecracking when he is suddenly hired by a mysterious woman to pull off a series of international heists.
Ludwig joins their crew of aspiring thieves and together they attempt to pull of the legendary heist based on The Ring Cycle.
Army of Thieves Characters
- Matthias Schweighofer as Ludwig Dieter
- Nathalie Emmanuel as Gwendoline
- Guz Khan as Rolph
- Ruby O. Fee as Korina
- Stuart Martin as Brad Cage
- Jonathan Cohen as Delacroix
- Peter Simonischek
- Noemie Nakai as Beatrix
- John Bubniak as Christopher
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Bly Tanaka
Army of Thieves: Mythology with Lock and Key
The story of Army of Thieves introduces itself in a mythical way by combining the elements of Norse Mythology with locksmiths. The legend of Hans Wagner, a locksmith from Munich, who’s greatest work were a series of four safes that he built in his later years after losing his wife and son.
These four safes, one for each opera of Richard Wagner’s legendary Ring cycle, comprised of four epic operas with roots based in Norse mythology. The four safes were The Rheingold, The Valkyrie, the Siegfried and the Gotterdammerung. The locks were designed in such a way that if an attempt was made to open it forcibly, the contents would be incinerated and they would be locked forever. The Rheingold, The Valkyrie and The Siegfried were still in circulation while the final safe was said to be lost.
The beautiful element of the movie is the way it describes the art of creating locks and safe while comparing it to the various myths and legends of the Norse Pantheon. The way Ludwig cracks open each safe by following their roots based on Nordic legends is truly awe aspiring.
The way he describes the creator’s reason for building each vault by following a certain Norse myth is what truly signifies a magical fusion of Norse Mythology with the skill of locksmiths. Each vault has their legend and by understanding that legend, Ludwig is able to crack each safe.
For The Rheingold, it is by understanding the legend of the dwarf Alberich that the safe was cracked successfully. The Valkyrie is based on the myth of Brunhilda and her downfall from Valhalla which helped Ludwig understand the way to open the vault. Finally The Siegfried is based on the myth of the legendary warrior of the same name who slew the dragon Fafnir. All of these vaults are a fusion of myth and human mastery that was shown majestically in the movie and described beautifully by Ludwig.
Army of Thieves: Heist in a World of Zombies
The previous movie Army of the Dead introduced the world of a zombie apocalypse in full but this particular story showcases the aspects of a heist in a world that was just introduced to a zombie outbreak. In the type of situation where the whole world has all its eyes on zombies, a ragtag misfit group of people attempt to use this worldwide distraction to pull off a legendary heist.
The events of Army of Thieves occur six years before the events of the Army of the Dead and focuses on the aspect of thievery by following the origins of Ludwig Dieter, a major character of the previous movie. Ludwig, whose original name is Sebastian, is a fellow who has a passion for safecracking and he gets the invitation to join a crew to pull off a heist of the legendary Ring Cycle. He finds himself immediately drawn and together with their crew starts on a journey of safecracking.
The interesting part of the crew he joins is that each member is an eccentric with a particular mastery of a skill. They travel around different cities in Europe performing spectacular heist while at the same time being followed by Interpol. The funny thing is that the person in charge of brining them in is more invested in catching their misfit crew instead of focusing on the zombie outbreak. Yes, definitely the movie brings a shine on heists in a world of Zombies which is indeed amazing and funny.
Army of Thieves Movie Review
Army of Thieves is simply amazing. It is a romantic comedy based on a series of heists and the best part is that it is on world facing a zombie apocalypse. The entire movie is one whole package of action, emotion, drama, horror and comedy.
It is so full of unique elements that the entire movie is one hair rising moment after another. The previous movie was mesmerizing and had a certain individualistic style in the genre but this prequel is a definite upgrade that does the entire franchise justice.
The fact that the story is set six years before the events of the previous movie certainly brings a curiosity in every fan of the franchise. With the protagonist being Ludwig Dieter, a fan favorite character from the previous installation, it does indeed catch the eye of everyone. The noteworthy point of it being an origin story is what makes this movie so interesting.
The funny safecracker from Germany was a character that certainly left his mark in the Army of the Dead so to watch a movie that focuses on his journey from the start to the events in the Army of the Dead is something that anyone would be eager to find out. Yes, the movie certainly brings out the best parts of what made Ludwig Dieter the man he was.
All the characters of the movie are so diverse that every clash of their personalities brings out a certain charm. Gwendoline with her deep mystery, Korina with her nerdy yet straight on comments, Rolph with his serious humor and Brad with his American Hero persona.
When you combine all of them with the funny and nervous personality of Ludwig, we get a full package of hilarious and amazing moments. Even the character of Delacroix is very funny with his vendetta against Brad for shooting him in a particular embarrassing spot.
Every interaction or banter of every character with each other is so well portrayed that it showcases hilarious moments full of amazing action, drama and dark humor. Yes the best part of the whole movie is the addition of dark humor.
The chemistry between Ludwig and Gwendoline is shown beautifully. From being a nervous buffoon with a passion for safecracking, Ludwig slowly charms Gwendoline. Their every interaction displays the slowly growing bond developing between them after every successful heist. This can be seen when Gwendoline defends Ludwig and finally separates from the crew due to the way Brad betrayed Ludwig. The best part of their chemistry is how Gwendoline gets enchanted slowly whenever Ludwig explains Norse Mythology while cracking the safes.
Another interesting fact about Army of Thieves is the way it foreshadowed the events of the Army of the Dead when Ludwig gets constant dreams about a vault and zombies. This particular addition certainly gives flair to the origin of Ludwig Dieter.
So I would defiantly say that the whole movie is one moment of explosion after another filled with intense music, amazing characters, funny yet serious moments, amazing action and a whole bucket of fantastic dark humor. Yes indeed, Army of Thieves does bring justice to the origin story of the man named Ludwig Dieter.
Army of Thieves Critical Reception
Army of Thieves has rating of 5/10 on IGN. It has a rating of 3.5/5 on IndieWire.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Army of Thieves is seriously unique. It is a romantic comedy yet filled with dark humor. Every moment is similar to one where you sit at the edge of your seats in anticipation only to laugh out loud at the next moment. The characters are amazing and our protagonist is a fan favorite.
The previous movie was amazing and the prequel is just as good. A movie where one can just kick off their legs on the couch table and have an amazing time watching. Yes, definitely a great addition to the franchise. Army of Thieves is will be available on Netflix to watch from 29th of October 2021.
