The Reasons Why "Army Of Thieves" Blew My Mind And Satisfied My Soul

    Always bet on Dieter.

    Anthony Orlando
    by Anthony Orlando

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Army of Thieves, the spinoff to Zack Snyder's zombie heist film, Army of the Dead, is finally out on Netflix.

    Dieter making a finger gun as he cracks a safe in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    Fans of the original film can now see their favorite German safecracker, Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer), return with the spotlight on him as they learn what led him to battle zombies in Las Vegas. To celebrate this occasion, let's take a look at the 13 best things about Army of Thieves.

    🚨WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!🚨

    13. Dieter Is the Director

    Dieter in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    Who better than to direct a film about Dieter than the man who portrays him? Along with playing the film's protagonist, German actor Matthias Schweighöfer sat in the director's chair for this project. This isn't his first time directing a film, having directed the romantic comedy What a Man, the comedy film Schlussmacher, and the Amazon Prime drama series You Are Wanted. What a man.

    12. Story by Zack Snyder

    Zack Snyder standing behind a poster for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"
    Henry Romero / Reuters

    While this film was directed by Schweighöfer, fans of Zack Snyder will be happy to know the story was written by the man himself. The movie is an epic, action-packed narrative with mythical and religious overtones — it has Snyder's fingerprints all over it. It's no wonder, actually, since it was him who created the ever-expanding universe this film is set in.

    11. Hans Zimmer's Score

    Hans Zimmer attending the U.S. premiere of "Dune"
    Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

    While Army of the Dead had Tom Holkenborg work on the film's music, we got another legendary composer for this spinoff in Hans Zimmer. Though having Zimmer alone was a guaranteed success, the composer collaborated with Steve Mazzaro to create the film's score. Alongside some exciting action music, Zimmer created whimsical pieces that integrated elements of German culture to fully immerse the audience in the protagonist's native land.

    10. The Mythic Quest

    Dieter trying to crack a safe in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    Like Army of the Dead, this spinoff presents Dieter's story like an epic quest straight out of Norse mythology. Each safe Dieter cracks represents a different stage in his journey, which is modeled after Richard Wagner's epic musical cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen. On top of these mythical references, the romantic relationship he shares with Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) also makes the narrative seem like a fairy tale, albeit a tragic one, in the end.


    9. Those Safe-Cracking Scenes

    The inner orb-like workings of a safe in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    With this film focusing more on Dieter and his adventures in safecracking, the audience gets a deeper look at the safes themselves. The camera ventures deep into the inner mechanisms of each safe, emphasizing the beautifully intricate puzzles Dieter has to solve in order to achieve his goal. Seeing how complex and detailed these safes are, we can see why Dieter is so into them.

    8. The Characters

    Dieter talking to Gwendoline, Korina, Rolph, and Brad in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    All great heist films feature a colorful cast of characters, and like its predecessor, this film delivered. Not only do we get the always lovable Dieter, but we also get ambitious jewel thief Gwendoline; uber-cool hacker Korina (Ruby O. Fee); the sandwich-loving getaway driver, Rolph (Guz Khan); and muscular meathead Brad Cage (Stuart Martin). Let's hope we'll get to see some of these characters again in future films.

    7. The Chemistry

    Dieter, Gwendoline, Rolph, and Brad playing beer pong in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    While some of the characters end up betraying each other, we initially see our group of heroes connect really well. Dieter and Gwendoline really work well together, and he has some moments with Rolph that invoke the kind of bromance he will have with Vanderohe. It's nice to see them all having fun with each other in moments like their house party together, even if they are for a short moment.

    6. The Comedic Moments

    Dieter screaming as he holds onto a safe in "Army of Thieves''
    Netflix / Via youtube.com

    Army of the Dead had a lot more comedic moments than one would expect from a Zack Snyder film, and this spinoff has no shortage of hilarious moments. This is particularly thanks to the awkward and quirky antics of our main protagonist as he adventures into a dangerous and unfamiliar world. Call it schadenfreude, but we just love to hear that little guy scream.

    5. It Deconstructs Film Tropes

    Rolph and Brad sitting at the front of a van while Dieter and Gwendoline talk in the back in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    While Army of the Dead seemed to have embraced heist film tropes, Army of Thieves humorously calls these tropes out many times, acting as a meta-commentary of the genre. We're all quite familiar with how these tropes have been done to death, no thanks to Ocean's Eleven, and it's funny to see how this film makes fun of them. The film also addresses multiple action movie tropes, particularly through the presence of ridiculously named muscleman Brad Cage.

    4. Dieter and Gwen

    Dieter and Gwen sitting on a bed in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    It's nice to see Dieter find some love in his life, and with a character played by Nathalie Emmanuel, no less. The protagonist's chemistry with Gwendoline was especially electric, and it was heartbreaking to see her separate from Dieter in order to keep him out of prison. Hopefully, if Dieter did survive Army of the Dead, we will get to see him reunite with his one true love in a sequel film.

    3. The Action

    Brad in a Nixon mask holding a gun in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    It wouldn't be a Zack Snyder story without some over-the-top action. Army of Thieves presents audiences with some fast-paced fight scenes that look like they were pulled straight out of a video game. We even get a hilarious chase scene with Dieter escaping the police on a bicycle. With such an exciting origin story, it's no wonder Dieter ended up fighting zombies in Vegas.

    2. The Superhero Origin Story

    Dieter listening to Gwen in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix

    While critics have argued that this film doesn't add much to the Army of the Dead universe, it still serves as an origin story for Dieter. Originally named Sebastian, the protagonist's alias is revealed to have been based on a superhero character he created as a child, harkening back to Snyder's work in comic book movies. Along with Army of the Dead, this film very well sets up Snyder's new universe of heroes for fans to enjoy on Netflix. But it would be 10 times greater for them if Warner Bros. decides to #RestoreTheSnyderVerse already.

    1. We Get to See Dieter Again

    Dieter standing victorious by an open safe in "Army of Thieves"
    Netflix / Via youtube.com

    Dieter was no doubt a highlight of Army of the Dead, particularly due to his humorously eccentric personality and his relationship with Vanderohe. With both of their fates left unknown by the film's end, it's a treat that we get to see the delightful safecracker again in his own movie. While Zack Snyder has claimed it's possible that Dieter survived the film, we can take comfort in having Dieter appear at least one more time onscreen.

    Do you agree with this list? Are there any other good things about Army of Thieves that I missed? Please let us know in the comments section below.