Army of Thieves (2021)

(Netflix Streaming, June 2022) All right, let’s go full fanboy mode: I was absolutely not interested in any sequel, prequel, interquel or whateverquel having to do with zombie heist film Army of the Dead – an overblown production that had a lot of ideas but very little discipline in executing them. But a romantic heist comedy starring Nathalie Emmanuel? Great genre, cute actress, say no more: I’m there with no questions asked. I’ve been crushing hard on Emmanuel since Game of Thrones (the fate of her character partially explains why I soured on the last season of the series), and seeing her get a good supporting role in the ongoing Fast and Furious series is an ongoing delight. But here, she gets nothing less than a full lead role – and, in a delightful bit of fan-service, a brand-new fancy hairstyle every time the film skips ahead a few hours. In this heist film, she plays the mastermind who seduces our nerdy protagonist (director-star Matthias Schweighöfer) into four daring bank robberies, each of them targeting vaults built by a near-mythical craftsman. (A fifth vault is the one tackled in Army of the Dead if you’re wondering about the link between the two films.)  The weakest aspect of Army of Thieves is the zombie background noise meant to make the film more interesting to zombie fans – considering that I didn’t want a zombie film, this was counterproductive. It’s far more interesting when it delves into this funhouse portrait of safecrackers and thieves thirsting for great scores for the fun and accomplishment of it rather than the money. With a joyously European setting, the film zips through a few set-pieces and character moments. It’s not that good – there’s a sense that it’s a good imitation of better films, but not anything more. There’s also a lessening of tension toward the end (culminating in a forgone but contrived conclusion) but it’s not a fatal flaw: if you’re a romantic heist comedy fan (and who isn’t?), the film delivers the goods. Emmanuel is superb from beginning to end, and she gets a run for her money from Ruby O. Fee as a tech expert. I’m more than willing to ignore Army of Thieves’ links with Army of the Dead and pretend that our lead couple will find a happy ending in an eventual sequel. (Considering the films’ mentions of time loops and precognition, I wouldn’t necessarily bet against it.)  Army of Thieves delivers exactly what I expected, and even throws in a few bonuses while it’s at it. There’s a lot to say about those breezy, unassuming mid-tier films if they strike their target audience’s fancy, especially if it means going fanboy for two hours.