Army Of Thieves

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't watched this movie, beware there are spoilers ahead

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Army of Thieves. It is funny, animated and the cast energetic and captivating especially Gwendoline and Sebastian. Army of Thieves is essentially another heist movie about lovable and amiable thieves seeking adventure (and your money and valuables) without actually harming anyone. Though not cut in the mold of serious heist movies like Money Heist, Army of Thieves does give some Lupin and Oceans vibes where the lovable protagonists run rings around the police and intelligence agencies while executing their heist.

About This Movie

Army Of Thieves is a 2021 action heist movie and prequel to Army of the Dead written by Shay Hatten based on a story by Zack Synder and Matthias Schweighofer and directed by Matthias Schweighofer. The film's cast includes Matthias Schweighofer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen, and Noemie Nakai among others

Synopsis

Sebastian Schlencht-Wohnert is a lonesome guy working a dead-end job as a bank teller in a small banking establishment in Germany. He is obsessed with legendary locksmith Hans Wagner and the intricate safes he built and posts YouTube videos about Wagner and his own safe-cracking abilities. Although he has never actually cracked a safe, he is persuaded by the mysterious Gwendoline Starr to join her motley band of international criminals as they journey across Europe to break into all 3 of Wagner's safes before they are decommissioned due to the Zombie outbreak happening in America. Meanwhile, Gwen and her crew are being tracked by Interpol for previous bank robberies. The first safe is cracked successfully. The second job doesn't go as smoothly and Gwen's boyfriend, Brad abandons Sebastian in the street. This causes a break-up of the crew with each group seeking to do the 3rd heist alone. With each group angling to do the heist first and Interpol hot on their heels, Gwen, Sebastian, and Korina must use their unique skills to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, Interpol catches up with them and Sebastian is the only crew member to evade arrest

Social Relevance

Though this movie is essentially a light hearted action heist, it does highlight several issues like Family; Love and Relationships; Death and Grief; Talent, Passion, and Creativity; Work; Friendship; Technology; International Relations, and International Policing among others

Conclusion

TBH, I only succeeded in watching the first 1 or 2 episodes of Army of the Dead. Zombie Flesh Eaters aren't really my thing (I still haven't watched The Walking Dead) so I was quite surprised to learn that Army of Thieves is a prequel to Army of the Dead. I guess the decision to release Army of Thieves as a movie after Army of the Dead - a series, is genius marketing. This way, there is renewed interest in Army of the Dead as viewers will link both stories and be naturally curious about what happens to the last safe. It also addresses the unanswered question in Army of the Dead - Why break into a safe during a zombie apocalypse?

The producers and directors of Army of Thieves did a great job of ensuring it stands alone even while giving brief glimpses of its connection to Army of the Dead through Sebastian's dreams and international news coverage in Europe. The zombie apocalypse actually sets the tone for the movie as the crew must successfully perform each heist before the safes are moved

Army of Thieves is actually a fun watch. It might start a bit slow but gathers momentum as the movie progresses

Have you watched Army of Thieves and Army of the Dead?