Heist movies are the cat’s meow. Zombie films are beyond fun and they have a nice habit of placing a mirror to the world we live in. Zack Snyder has brilliantly decided to merge the two genres together. In the end, it is a bombastic joy.
Dave Bautista is Scott Ward, a war hero, who after the zombies have taken over Las Vegas, is flipping burgers at a nearby roadside joint. Clearly, his mind is elsewhere. Enter Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada). The entire Las Vegas landscape has been overtaken by the undead and lucky for us, has been quarantined off. Tanaka has a casino amongst the zombie apocalypse, and in its vault is over $200 million in cash. He wants it and Tanaka seeks to employ Ward to find a crew, invade the deadly space and if successful, there will be a $50 million payday. Eyebrows go up and plans ensue.
There are two things at work here and both seamlessly exist. He has a daughter, Kate Ward (Ella Purnell), who is estranged and has been for years now. There’s also the fact that she is working with residents who have been displaced by the Vegas zombie overtaking. Sin City. Their two worlds will collide on this mission to enter the quarantine area, somehow make their way to Tanaka’s casino, work his way through the zombie-infested landscape, enter it, find the safe, crack it, and make it upstairs to the helicopter that he knows was left behind as people frantically left America’s so-called playground.
Part of the fun of Snyder’s film is the putting together of the team. It is a terrific way to introduce each individual by giving them three-dimensional characters in the most efficient of modes. As this crew comes together, we immediately pull for them to succeed. The one who can lead them there, aka the Coyote, is Lilly (Nora Arnezeder), who for however many times she has taken people into the quarantine zone, it is made clear that this journey is different. She plays the varying aspects of her role immaculately.
Then, there’s Garret Dillahunt’s Martin. He is head of security for Tanaka and will accompany the crew as he knows the building. But there’s something kind of swarmy about him that immediately puts everyone off. Dillahunt is an incredible thespian. The way he has effortlessly woven from comedy to drama and action is uncanny. Here, he is in full militarized hardass mode. Yet, he keenly knows that once they get inside Vegas, death is around every corner. He is a man driven, but by something we do not know. It will be revealed and as handled by the veteran actor, it is a head-nodding, smile-inducing delight.
Bautista is an actor who has brilliantly taken his time to develop himself into a bonafide movie star. Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2 put him on the map, and films such as Blade Runner 2049, Dune, and even child fare such as My Spy, have stretched his thespian muscles. It shows in films such as Snyder’s Army of the Dead. There’s an unbridled toughness to his character, but he is obviously someone burdened by a broken heart and the loss of connection with his only child, Kate.
At the same time, Bautista is one serious movie tough guy. Time will tell if he can become the “next” Schwarzenegger or The Rock, but this much is absolute—he will do his best to fill those iconic shoes. He’s off to a good, and smart, start. Anchoring films such as Army of the Dead only will improve his talent reach. He can pull of sentimentality without it seeming forced for the script and narrative. Then, two seconds later, he can be the fiercest fighter in the room. The movies needs actors like him and thankfully, things for him (and us witnessing his career) are going just swimmingly.
His crew is so much fun. Especially the German Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer), who steals every scene he is in—he’s the safecracker who clearly has a love affair with the safe that sits underground at Tanaka’s casino. The way he marvels at its brilliance, you’d think he’d seen his soulmate. Also, his bond with Omari Hardwick’s Vanderohe is actually surprisingly moving. These two start as such polar opposites and find a kinship that is one to cherish—and yes, I’m speaking of such things all with the backdrop of a zombie invasion.
Then, there’s Tig Notaro. The comedienne is Marianne Peters, helicopter mechanic, and pilot extraordinaire. She brings comic relief, as do others, but she is the main deadpanned laugh creator. Her Marianne is a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense character that adds countless layers of light to Army of the Dead. Her role is one of those moments in cinema where you cannot imagine anyone else portraying this particular soul. Witnessing her chomp on cigars and shout at her cohorts, could be seen all day.
Purnell and Bautista are the emotional core of this endeavor. This only works if the rawness exhibited by the actress comes through and boy does it ever. Their relationship is complicated, but it never seems to quite be for reasons one would expect. The father-daughter moments are a nice little touch that never overwhelms the swarming action that makes Snyder an exciting helmer. But he does know that there must be an emotive tether between the screen and his audience. The filmmaker achieves in droves with the Purnell and Bautista tandem.
Dads with daughters…. You might find yourself hugging your girls a little tighter after witnessing Snyder’s sizzler. Surprise, right?
These zombies are more World War Z speed than The Walking Dead. There’s also the fact there is an alpha zombie whose bites turn people into super-zombies that are able to lead, make decisions and lead lives that seems eerily normal. This is a nice wrinkle in the zombie cinematic lore.
There is an opening sequence of Army of the Dead, that sets this entire madness in motion. Immediately, we see what our heroes will be up against and it is about as fierce as the zombie movie world has seen. The way that the Alpha organizes, communicates and motivates his followers is right out of a cult or Nazi movie. It is a fresh take on what could be an overdone trope.
The scope of Army of the Dead feels awe-inspiring. Yes, most of the film takes place in the confines of a quartered off Las Vegas overrun by the undead. Even better, much of the action occurs within the casinos themselves. It is better to travel from building to building. After all, that’s what you do when you’re in Vegas!
With each successive building, the terror and suspense tighten as they near Tanaka’s casino. There are frequent establishing shots of the Las Vegas strip that for those of us who have been there many times, is jaw-dropping. The depth of the destruction and mayhem seems to know no bounds.
Yet, Snyder keeps the action and the emotion firmly locked on this crew as they work their way through the most insane of zombies to a payday.
There’s an old rule in screenwriting that each character should be so rich that they deserve their own film. Snyder has achieved that with Army of the Dead, particularly with Bautista’s crew. Each member is three-dimensional and has enough of a backstory that we are firmly connected. Actually, more importantly—invested. It was such joy watching these men and women wade through hell to the promised land and having the conclusion of this journey continually and repeatedly altering.
There is gore, sure. Lots of it. After all, this is a zombie movie. We all know you have to shoot them or somehow dislodge their head. There have to be hundreds, if not thousands of that. But it can be said that it is no more or no less than the previous genre flicks of this sort.
Snyder has done something extraordinary to the long-beloved milieu of the zombie flick. He added in the heist element, which not surprisingly, literally ups the ante.
When in Vegas, it’s always good to up the ante. Snyder does that and the payday for the audience is huge.
Grade: A-