1 year ago
Netflix“Army of Thieves” is simply a heist movie imagination that some asks and answers nan mobility of what if a one-note characteristic from nan zombie movie you enjoyed sewage a two-hour root communicative that features nary armies and a unit of thieves from your ‘suggested follows’ database connected TikTok.
As a zombie outbreak originates successful Nevada, a safe-cracking savant – often dismissed arsenic a dweeb – is enlisted by a unit of crooks to behaviour a co-ordinated bid of heists connected immoderate of nan astir elaborately created safes ever built.
Matthias Schweighöfer returns arsenic Dieter – aliases Sebastian arsenic we observe successful this root – and graduates to some lead character and director. Schweighöfer benefits from nan template of Zack Snyder’s style of excess to thief guideline nan way.
Travelling from nan colourless, exemplary colony Munich and isolating regular of a lonesome slope teller by day, to a safe enthusiast unwittingly recruited to nan globetrotting world of death-defying heists.
Aesthetically, Schweighöfer gets to play pinch large splashy, propulsive montages for characteristic introductions and scores on pinch slow mobility for conflict scenes. There’s besides a grotesque belief of a spittle laden verbal barrage from a slope customer, barking orders his way, that rivals immoderate glimpses we spot of nan undead outbreak successful Las Vegas.
The glimpses of “Army of Thieves” that momentarily quell nan impulse to 2nd surface are nan extended moments wherever Schweighöfer’s Sebastian narrates nan lore of nan elusive safe builder Hans Wagner. Shay Hatten (co-writer of nan vastly superior “Army of nan Dead” and “John Wick – Chapter 3: Parabellum”) develops a benignant of safe-cracking “The Da Vinci Code” aliases “National Treasure” premise that turns story and fairy-tale into an elaborate mechanism.
Inspired by his namesake, composer Richard Wagner, nan safe-builder Wagner creates a four-segment bid of safes arsenic an engineering shrine to art. His 4 safes, each pinch expanding levels of safe cracking trouble (in nan lore and not successful nan people of nan movie), and pinch elaborate engraving (that are purely aesthetic) are Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of nan Gods – those of you who’ve seen “Army of nan Dead” will cognize why this is important).
In my “Army of nan Dead” review, I incorrectly publication Sebastian’s (then Dieter) short attraction span, obsessive focus, and verbal diarrhoea arsenic symptoms of arrested development. Since that viewing, further vulnerability to behaviours and lit connected nan taxable and revisiting nan Aussie heist/comedy classical “Malcolm”, I publication Dieter much arsenic a characteristic pinch an unspecified intelligence disability.
Sebastian’s slavish adherence to routines and near-magical (nee savant) level manipulation of these safes and expertise to interact beyond his capacity concerning this peculiar spot of his interests sounds for illustration a personification connected nan spectrum.
Neurodivergent characters tin beryllium sublimely deployed successful heist films from “Rainman” (the archetype) to “The Hangover” (extreme homage and highly funny), and moreover “Drive”. Schweighöfer and screenwriter Hatten nevertheless don’t straight reside it – and they don’t person to – which makes nan ‘army’ of thieves featured successful nan movie each nan much frustrating.
Ruby O. Fee’s Korina is nan crew’s hacker that’s a benignant of Frankenstein’s monster of archetypes; portion Velma from “Scooby-Doo”, portion “She’s All That”, partner hacker, and a D.J. Yes, I’m not joking. Stuart Martin’s Brad Cage is possibly nan astir thanklessly stupid characteristic I’ve seen successful immoderate Netflix original movies to day (and that’s saying something). No 1 reference would judge really ridiculous his character’s communicative is; you genuinely must spot it for yourself.
Guz Khan’s Rolph is simply a heist getaway driver that blends Tyrone from “Snatch” and nan car parkland attendants from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”; some irresponsible and inept. Nathalie Emmanuel’s capacity of Gwendoline is possibly nan only 1 that doesn’t wholly reek; it’s filled pinch charm and empathy towards nan geeky Sebastian.
The crew’s manipulation of Sebastian, if you construe him arsenic an retired of extent nerd, is cruel, though if you publication him arsenic neurodivergent, it’s downright sinister. Films that prosecute successful much superior takes of these issues person depth, “Army of Thieves” has nan dimensions of an oil-slicked car parkland puddle.
“Army of Thieves” is simply a movie that steadily rejects your impulse to for illustration it astatine each turn. After creating these gloriously intricate safes, that consciousness for illustration if an ancient artefact exuded nan threat of a “Saw” gadget, you’re forced to watch each nan ways that nan situation of these contraptions illness pinch lithe fingers and a bully ear.
In 1 instance, nan break-in occurs from nan backmost of a flatbed motortruck gliding astir icy upland roads. In nan top safe-cracking film, “Thief”, head Michael Mann and prima James Caan demonstrated nan unthinkable lengths required to penetrate a safe. The time, nan toil, nan measurement you must surrender to nan sophistication of building and usage gigantic devices to return nan metallic to liquid forge state.
In “Ocean’s Eleven”, too, we watch Danny (George Clooney) and Linus (Matt Damon) and their ‘inside man’ Yen (Shaobo Qin) coordinate elaborate explosives connected some sides of nan safe (amongst nan different countless cons) to region nan mechanism. Heist films usually relish successful nan process porn, each sublime hurdle jump blissfully executed. “Thieves” is simply a heist movie wherever safe’s ace for illustration nan characters person wands.
“Army of Thieves” is simply a misnomer. An service implies that there’s a superior force, tactically proficient, organised, and hierarchical. Going into battle, coordinated execution of force. And paired pinch thieves, disciplined master acquirers of valuable things, you’re expecting that they’re bully astatine what they do.
This piddly unit look for illustration a “Big Brother” location cast; they enactment for illustration their parents person near them money and gone distant for a weekend. If you’re looking for motivations for nan crew, nan Interpol agents pursuing them, aliases so Sebastian, it’s simply – because personification wanted to cognize really nan hellhole that feline sewage to “Army of Dead”, of course.
“Dead” was 1 of nan years genuine surprises, a dainty to spot Snyder processing a stylish, original story, unshackled from nan infatuation of nan DC fandom’s ongoing obsession pinch nan “Justice League” ‘what if?’ possibilities. “Army of Thieves” could person been nan “Dead” balanced of “The Tale of nan Black Freighter” for nan “Watchmen,” a 20 minutes accompaniment to nan mythos of nan Götterdämmerung, interspersed into an extended trim of “Dead”. Instead, we person a pointless, pitiless exercise.
