In “Army of Thieves,” director Matthias Schweighöfer (“You Are Wanted”), reinstalls his favorite character Ludwig Dieter as a bank teller with a fascination for hacking into ominous locks. Perhaps, only in his dreams. 

In the film, Dieter follows the legacy of locksmith Hans Wagner, and his creation of impossible locks, as there are four that have yet to be opened. Within their walls are hidden vaults with legendary treasure. Only those who are worthy can absolve it. 

In “Army of Thieves,” Dieter shows his audience what he was truly made of before the character’s debut in “Army of the Dead.” In the film, he was a Las Vegan arcanist with the ability to slay zombies. 

Both movies are now streaming on Netflix, so grab the popcorn. 

Our character, Ludwig Dieter, is portrayed as an awkward and betrothed ‘little brother’ prototype. Instilled with a what-not-to-do attitude,  the film shows him screaming in a high pitched tone and definitely not consulting the zombie girl haunting his apartment hallway. 

As time goes by, Dieter does not alter his inner-joy to demonstrate a darker progression. However, he shows the audience an inner gusto that is both daring and teetering on elegance. 

Compared to “Army of the Dead,” the film finds Dieter dealing with a new crew consisting of a club valet drifter, a street fighter, a ghost computer hacker and a slick pickpocket criminal to bring justice to the world again. 

With this film, the audience can enjoy the thrill of  an action movie that is spot on and timely, instead of the thrasher gore of the apocalypse, as seen in “Army of the Dead.” 

Some of the action seen in the film includes Ludwig useing his nimble fingers to hop a train freight, turn a safe wheel and escape the city cops. This is done in an effort to bring his crew to new ground as they find their true mission; something greater and beyond themselves. 

The film also features a score from musical royalty Hans Zimmer (“Dune”). 

Afte viewing this film, fans of the “Army of the Dead” series will definitely warm up to the idea of   Schweighöfer exploring more of the franchise’s characters in future films, as well as pulling more out for yet another movie set in the Las Vegas chaos of the first. Perhaps the next film will find characters like Scott Ward (Dave Bautista, “Dune”) and Kate Ward (Ella Purnell, “Maleficent”) engaging in a family showdown.

Image from Netflix via YouTube