User reviews

I wasn't expecting much from Army of Thieves, but I ended up liking this prequel spin-off more than I liked Army of the Dead. The characters are what really make this movie enjoyable. Matthias Schweighöfer, Nathalie Emmanuel, and the rest of the gang have good chemistry & entertaining dialogue. And while it does seem strange to have a zombie apocalypse NOT be the center of your story, this film was still a fun ride.

I'll be honest I was not a fan of Army of the Dead at all. So I had absolutely no expectations watching this and I have to say it is much better than I thought it would be. They also picked one of the better characters to do a prequel on also.

It has some problems don't get me wrong. I thought it was quite predictable at times and the plot never really went out of its way to surprise you. I was also a little surprised by the amount of action involved, what I mean by this is that there wasn't much. However the film did really keep my interest and the suspense was built well.

The characters i thought on the whole were very good. I think they missed a trick on a couple of them. The driver in particular. He had a good sense of humour and was likeable, but he just wasn't really in the film enough to make any sort of impact. But overall they did a good job of making these heist people really likeable and making you root for them.

The ending was much better also. I thought the ending of Army of the Dead was absolutely awful, but this rounded up significantly better. In terms of prequels the ending was spot on.

But yeah, overall I'll give it a 7/10. I ultimately enjoyed watching it, the characters were fun and I was intrigued the entire time. Sure it's absolutely not going to blow your socks off, but it's entertaining and much MUCH better than Army of the Dead. Feel like they learnt from the mistakes a bit.

I enjoyed this one more than its predecessor.

While the first one was a disappointment cos there were expectations, this one surpassed the expectations in terms of being a very different prequel.

Hope there are more chapters of Ludwig Dieter/Sebastian.

Also they shud get the zomtiger back somehow.

Dieter was one of my favourite parts of Army of the Dead. There are moments where he falls into the "weird European" trope but Matthias played it well and he got more than a few laughs from me. Giving his character his own movie was a bold choice and while Matthias retains his charm as Dieter, making him the main player stretches that likeability to its limits. He starts to grate in certain scenes but the movie pulls back enough that it didn't become annoying or ruin the experience. His naivety and underdog spirit are still relatable considering the circumstances. I can't say much either way about the other members of the team, only Gwendoline avoids being a stock character, even if her interest in Dieter is a little puzzling. There's nothing wrong with the characterization in Army but other than Dieter, it's not driven by strong character development.

Schweighofer is pulling double duty as both the star and the director and the star. Thieves is competently shot and put together, the car chases and action scenes are all decent and they flow as they should. The bits with the zombies are sprinkled in effectively but what's interesting to me is how little connecting tissue there is between the movies despite them existing in the same universe. It's another interesting choice and in a way Thieves benefits from it. Thieves stands on its own and doesn't rely on Dead to justify itself. It shows confidence and I respect that for sure.

Matthias Schweighofer is more established as an actor in foreign films but Thieves shows that his performance in Dead wasn't a fluke. He's consistent with the performance and while I didn't always love Dieter as a character, it wasn't due to his acting. He's actually pretty good at displaying a child-like wonderment when he's brought into this world. Nathalie Emmanuel has a lot of screen presence and this movie knows how to use it, she's sultry and mysterious as Gwendoline. You can see why Dieter would be captivated by her and she's good at showing that there's still humanity and vulnerability underneath the front that her character is putting up. I wish Ruby O. Fee was given more to do and ditto for Guz Khan and Jonathan Cohen, they're all forced to go over-the-top to make up for the fact they're given so little on the page. Brad Stuart is appropriately cast but he's also relegated to just being the pretty-boy jerk and his performance is just that.

Army of Thieves has a decidedly different feel than Army of the Dead. It's contained and doesn't feel like the world hangs in the balance. I appreciated that, it's a choice I wish more movies would make and it limits some of the cartoonish feel that Army of the Dead couldn't escape. But this will turn some people off and it wasn't as "epic" in scale so that could limit interest. The downside is that Thieves has more than its share of heist movie cliches, from the character types to the surprise twist. The focus on safe-cracking is a new angle but from the dialogue to the characters, you've seen a lot of this before.

Army of Thieves is more familiar and less high-concept that its predecessor but I think it has far fewer problems and is a better movie overall. Is it stellar or must-see material? Absolutely not. But I want to applaud Schweighofer and his team for taking this universe in a different direction and although adhering to the basics isn't always exciting, it can make for a better overall film. If you liked Army of the Dead or enjoy heist movies, give this a watch. But if you haven't seen Army of the Dead, I can't insist on a viewing but I also wouldn't describe it as a waste of time.

The acting was great across the line and kept me engaged. The plot was cliche, but what do you expect, its a recycled idea, but that's what makes it great. I've seen the story told time and time again, yet it still stayed engaging throughout. The cinematography is faultless especially the way the safe mechanisms are beautifully conveyed. I really enjoyed the movie whole time , a bit comical with series of bank heist . The acting and cinematography , background music all spot on.

What makes this movie different is that it excels in the filming of the details. Every time they crack a safe and the film zooms in on the details, it is just marvellous. And then there is the superb acting of mainly Nathalie Emmanuel (Gwendoline) and Matthias Schweighöfer (Dieter). The plot and storyline are predictable but this does not prevent to put a quality label on this movie. Just watch the credits at the end, then you realize what an amount of work has been put into this movie. Now I am waiting for a sequel where they go for the fourth and final Wagner vault! This is not a zombie movie but a thoroughbred heist movie. Heist movies tend of course to be similar and predictable, and "Army of Thieves" is not different. You've got all the usual stuff from the assembly of the team of experts with highly specialized skills to the double-crossing. I was also happy to see a Nixon mask during a heist. The last time I saw this was in 1991 (Point Break) "Army of Thieves," is a prequel starring and directed by the "Army of the Dead" ensemble player Matthias Schweighöfer and takes place in the very early days of the zombie apocalypse. With the undead safely confined to the United States, the Europe-set "Thieves" is free to focus entirely on pulling of the biggest heist in history.

Straightforward review, just watch this movie. It's just over 2 hours but is over in a jiffy.

The movie starts in a very unique way. It is artistic and creates an interesting built up. The pace of the movie is fast enough to keep you awake, which is good; even if you're not too excited about the happening, you still don't get bored. However, the end of the movie doesn't make enough sense. It felt like sort of another movie. It's like nobody knew how to finish it properly, in an interesting and meaningful way. Also, "Army" of Thieves doesn't make much sense either. Where's the "Army"? The ending of the movie might make more sense if there's second movie to it, but in any case, the ending is not fun.

This is good fun, and part of a series of films. I've only seen this one so far. This is a prequel to Army of the Dead.

Army of Thieves introduces us to a bank teller, Sebastian (Matthias Schweighöfer), whose obsession is safe combinations. He practices at home seeing how fast he can open a lock.

Sebastian has a YouTube video about the great locksmith Hans Wagner. Wagner created four impenetrable vaults, named after the Ring Cycle: Siegfried , Die Walküre, Das Rheingold, and Götterdämmerung.

No one knows where Gotterdammerung is, but a young woman named Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) is impressed by Sebastian's video and wants him to join her in cracking Siegfried, Die Walkure, and Das Rheingold. He agrees.

He then joins Gwendoline and her gang, Korina (Ruby O. Free), Brad (Stuart Martin), and Rolph (Guz Khan). A frustrated detective Delacroix (Jonathan Cohen) and Beatrix (Noemie Nakai) are after them, but the crooks keep beating them. Meanwhile Sebastian (who later changes his name to Ludwig Dieter) is successful in opening the first two safes and stealing a great deal of money.

For Sebastian, it's the challenge; for Gwendoline, it's making history. The money is secondary.

When they reach the third safe, trouble brews. As bad as it gets, Gwendoline's jealous boyfriend Brad makes the situation even worse.

Very enjoyable film, with an excellent performance by Schweighofer as a man who leads a dull and somewhat lonely life and is introduced to danger and adventure by Gwendoline.

The entire cast is excellent.

In Army of the Dead, which was actually made first, a group goes after the Gotterdammerung during a zombie apocalypse in Las Vegas. The zombie apocalypse is going on during Army of Thieves as well. I can't give anything else away, but if you come across these films, see Army of Thieves first.

This is a prequel to Army of the Dead (2021). Sebastian (Matthias Schweighöfer) is a mild-mannered bank teller by day and a YouTube expert on safes by night. His clip has one view. It's master thief Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) and she recruits him into her gang. They're planning to breaking into three legendary safes.

This is an origin story but nobody was asking for one. It's fine. The whole point of the original is zombies. This one kept the zombies by putting them into nightmares. It's not the same thing. It's fine. Korina has some minor fun. Sebastian and Gwen are good. It's a lot of fine.

Many people out there will not like the type of film that Army of Thieves is. Yet many people like myself love it. So, much like the previous film, scores will will either be very low or quite high.... A super serious drama Army of Thieves is not. What it is however is 2 hours, of light drama laced with comedy that is very enjoyable. It tells a prequel story of how the master safe cracker Sebastian, comes to be involved in the world of crime. Joining with a crew that include Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) as the master thief, Brad Cage (Stuart Martin) as the muscle, Beatrix (Noémie Nakai) as the hacker and finally Rolph (Guz Khan) as the Driver. All the actors and actresses were very good. Its not the type of script/film that one of them could show a 10/10 performance, however they brought to life the good script at hand

One of the criticisms I imagine is that this movie will be called cliched due to its "cliche" moments. However, this movie isn't trying to be super serious and accidently putting in cliches while trying to make a 10/10 film. This film does it in a self aware funny manner. Another nice little feature of this movie was learning about classic music and german mythology via "cliche" exposition. But I enjoyed the movie all the more for it. I loved this movie being all breaking into safes and Interpol being in pursuit. Rather than Zombies. But only by a little. So 8 out of 10. If you liked the original movie watch this one and if you haven't watched either. Watch the original movie first, then this one if possible.

Army of Thieves is a superior (zombie-less) prequel to Zack Snyder's original zombie fest "Army Of The Dead". Although this is a predictable Netflix production, there are enough action, twists, shallow dialogue and romance for an evening of entertaining viewing. Set in Europe, Army of Thieves is a starring vehicle for German director/writer Matthias Schweighöfer, who shines in the lead role as the nerdy and silly safecracker and in giving a European angle to the film's directing. Hans Zimmer's music score also gets a thumbs up, and so does Bernhard Jasper's cinematography work.

That's what we needed, a prequel to one of the worst big production zombie movies and major disappointments in years (I should add that I like Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead a lot) - Army of Thieves is at best a mediocre heist movie, and as a zombie movie a fail like Army of the Dead. Who wants this? Who finances such a idea? It looks like these days every (crap) idea gets produced because some pay channel needs new "content" to lobotomize the audience to brain dead mode.

Zack Snyder serves as a producer and co-writer for the prequel to his Army of the Dead which is titled Army of Thieves, but the screenplay is written by Shay Hatten who was behind John Wick 3 and its sequels but of course serving as a co-writer for Army of the Dead. But Snyder leaves the director duties to Matthias Schweighöfer who was a stand out star in the original who also who reprises his role as Ludwig Dieter, alongside a supporting cast that includes Nathalie Emmanuel and a couple of lesser known actors like Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan and Jonathan Cohen.

Deborah Snyder described the film perfectly 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 film focuses on German safecracker Ludwig Dieter leading a group of aspiring thieves on a top secret heist during the early stages of the zombie apocalypse, and showing how he learned to crack safes with previous heist teams.

Army of Thieves is a good addition to the heist genre, though a very entertaining movie the problem I think many are having is how the film isn't taking itself very seriously and that means some of the logic takes a backseat. The director knows it and thus he could make an entertaining film that will make you happy. Matthias Schweighöfer's direction is absolutely fantastic, showing he's a promising upcoming director. His performance as Ludwig Dieter is also terrific, fleshing out the character and making him even better than he was in Army of the Dead. Matthias Schweighöfer is truly the reason why this movie works so well. The editing and pacing is perfect, making each scene entertaining. Something on the negative side is of course parts of the screenplay isn't that great and most of the characters are cliched. Some of Shay Hatten's writing is flawed. Though the musical score is great, the sound editing isn't quite on the same level. About the acting, both Matthias Schweighöfer and Nathalie Emmanuel are great in this film is great. The rest are either underused or just bad, Stuart Martin and Jonathan Cohen's performances were flawed regarding their over-acting.

I also want to add that Matthias Schweighöfer is the best thing that Army of Thieves has to offer, his direction is aligned with Zack Snyder's vision and own style which shows how much he learned of him. But he brings his own touch on the direction and dare I say, it's brilliant. Army of Thieves is a nice addition to the Army franchise, but it has its flaws. But overall an entertaining heist film.

Not perfect but entertaining .so much better than army of the dead ! And I like zombies I wish there had been more for Guz Khan character to do definitely a missed opportunity for some humour.

I had low expectations going in because I didn't plan on watching it initially. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the likeable characters and I enjoyed watching two people bond and fall in love over random things like the beauty of safe cracking.

Let it be clear, Army Of Thieves is entertaining, there's no doubt about that, but some scenes are just too over the top that it brings the quality of the movie down. I'm thinking like scenes where robbers take their time when commiting a heist, telling a little story, listening to music, and that all while they should be highly stressed and in a hurry. You almost want to commit a bank robbery yourself, when you see how easy it is. I thought those scenes could have been much better. There is enough action though, so boring it is not, and the acting isn't bad. I enjoyed Matthias Schweighöfer the most in this heist movie, but the rest wasn't bad either. The best thing about Army Of Thieves is the quality of the shots and images, the cinematography was top. Too bad for those handful scenes that made it look unreal.

Wow, the prequel that you never knew would happen and you never really wanted. Now, the 2021 movie "Army of the Dead" was somewhat of a swing and a miss, and then comes the follow-up, which actually is a sequel about the character that was one of the least interesting. So this definitely has the ingredients for a smash hit. Right?

Wrong.

I didn't even know that they were making a prequel before I stumbled upon it by random chance on Netflix. And seeing that it was about Dieter (played by Matthias Schweighöfer), then I wasn't really particularly stoked. But still, I opted to give "Army of Thieves" a chance. So I watched it.

And felt like I had just effectively wasted a little more than two hours of my life. Wow, this movie was even worse than "Army of the Dead". At least "Army of the Dead" had zombies in it. "Army of Thieves" was just a boring and pointless heist movie. Nothing more, nothing less. And heist movies doesn't really get me worked up.

So yeah, the storyline written by Shay Hatten and directed by lead actor Matthias Schweighöfer himself, just didn't bring much entertainment or enjoyment to the table for me. And while I did manage to sit through the entire ordeal, I can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, nor is it a movie I would recommend you wasting your time or effort on.

Sure, they had a good ensemble of actors and actresses on the cast list here, but it didn't really matter much as the storyline itself fell short of providing me with an entertaining viewing.

My rating of "Army of Thieves" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

This was much more fun. Doesn't take itself too (at all) seriously, and takes us all on a very entertaining ride. The imagery of the out and insides of the safes, and location sets were excellent. But the entire film was nothing spectacular or we haven't already seen in a heist film. The directing, cinematography and casting & performances were great, but it was the infantile cheesy writing that just didn't do it for me. The entire love/jealousy dynamics was predictable and too overbearing for a heist film.

A fun movie and worth a watch. Not a unique storyline but made well with good characters and humour, great locations and good pace. It's not a must see movie by any means but if you're stuck for something to watch it's entertaining.

Horribly written, horribly executed, brutishly jammed with corny looking characters. Just a complete mess of a movie. Trying to be too many things at one time and failing at them all.

I didn't watch "Army of the Dead", which a lot of people say bad about the movie, and maybe that was good for me, that I started watching this one without having any knowledge of the other and it brought me fun.

The movie starts very well, the first 20 or 30 minutes are very good, then it drops a little in quality, mainly because some supporting actors are a little forced, like those who play Brad Cage and Korina, but the main couple of actors is very well and carries the film on his back, compensating a little for the forced and more amateur work of the supporting actors.

One thing I didn't really like was that the action scenes that take over the screen in some parts of the film aren't very well done. But even with these slips and drop in performance, the movie is still fun and good entertainment. And more: the cinematographic part that involves the scenes with the safes is very beautiful, a great work of art direction and production.

A film that gets a score between 6 and 7, a good pastime, with very fun moments.

I enjoyed the background story about the safes. The actual heist and cracking the safes were a bit underwhelming. However, I applaud its originality and recommend watching if you fancy something easy.