'Army of Thieves' unlocks a prequel that doesn't steal much more than your time

(CNN)Before getting to "Army of Thieves," it's just to inquire wherefore Netflix and shaper Zack Snyder felt compelled to marque a prequel to the zombie/heist mashup "Army of the Dead," which doesn't truly request its ain cinematic universe. This much accepted heist yarn somewhat stands alone, but hardly feels similar it has the close operation to merit this exercise.

The main holdover from the archetypal movie is German actor/director Matthias Schweighöfer, who played the safecracker Dieter, and not lone stars successful the movie but directs it.

The main asset, however, is Nathalie Emmanuel (of "Game of Thrones" and "Fast & Furious"), who makes the astir of her crook arsenic the deadly brains of the outfit, Gwendoline, who recruits Schweighöfer's quality to assistance ace a trio of legendary safes.

Dieter is intelligibly implicit his caput successful Gwendoline's eccentric set -- and amusingly prone to letting retired piercing screams during moments of information -- but helium does person a knack for safecracking, an creation illustrated by taking the spectator into the mechanics arsenic lone peculiar effects can. That gets aged beauteous fast, which leaves down the elaborate mechanics of the plot, the questions astir who tin beryllium trusted and Sebastian's lovestruck stares astatine Gwendoline, the pistillate of his dreams.

Other than vague quality accounts astir thing weird happening successful Vegas (the determination of the earlier movie), the connections to the earlier movie beryllium limited. "Thieves" frankincense functions fundamentally arsenic a alternatively low-octane drama thriller, with a throwback consciousness that's arsenic breezy arsenic it is disposable.