Army of Thieves, directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, follows the main character Sebastian
Schlencht-Wönert (Matthias Schweighöfer) a highly trained locksmith living a mundane life in
Germany. When one day he gets recruited by a group of highly trained thieves, they want him
to help them break into and complete the legend of the Wagner safe ‘Ring Cycle.’ This movie
specifically is to set up and show the events that happened prior to its sequel, Army of the
Dead.
Furthermore, for the people experiencing the movie with no prior knowledge of its sequel Army
of the dead, will be quite surprised to see in the middle of their bank robbing and safe cracking,
there is a zombie apocalypse happening. The apocalypse is mentioned lightly throughout the
movie and created some conflict and crisis for the main character Sebastian. However, the outbreak is centered in America which is why there is no major concern for our crew of bandits.
because all the heist happening in the movie is centered in and Throughout Europe.
Now, apart from the movie’s interesting plot, the acting that was performed by the movies is
the main cast of misfits Sebastian (Matthias Schweighöfer) Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel),
Korina (Ruby O. Fee), Brad Cage (Stuart Martin), and Rolph (Guz Khan). They were outstanding
and the actors fit each character very well especially, Matthias Schweighöfer who played
Sebastian, and directing the film, has the most knowledge on his characters background and
how exactly he wants the character to be played. He was able to fit his role perfectly, being able
to capture the awkwardness that goes with playing a socially awkward loner which is very
impressive and interesting to watch. His role was very refreshing and normally the comic relief
contrasted with his other cast members perfectly. Although none of the character’s
personalities overlapped and they all had their sense of originality that never made it boring to
see any of the characters on the screen.
This movie most doesn’t lack originality, to be completely honest when the movie starts it’s
hard to tell whether it’s an action, comedy, or slice of life. The clear use of the fourth wall
breaks, and irony adds a strange yet hilarious touch. And the chase scenes are more than a nail biting experience.
Moreover, the editing was done to the movie to show the names of places and people was also
very appealing. This type of editing is not something most people notice in a movie, but
Schweighöfer was able to keep it visually interesting. This added a touch to this movie that
makes it unique from others and was an element that could of either made the movie
incredibly cheesy or wonderfully intriguing.
Army of Thieves was an interesting film to watch that will leave its viewers laughing, anxious,
and possibly even crying. The Movie incorporates incredibly interesting editing and camera
shots. Not to mention that all of the characters are never boring to see, giving this movie a 7/10.
Katie Lind // Staff Writer
