10 Great Performances That ALMOST Saved Disappointing Movies
9. Matthias Schweighöfer - Army Of Thieves
The break-out actor from Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, Matthias Schweighöfer, stole the show as neurotic, dorky, loveable safe cracker Ludwig Dieter - the perfect foil for a team of hard nut zombie killers executing a zombified bank job in Vegas.
Netflix predicted that the film would be a hit, and so green-lit a prequel - Army of Thieves - before the first film had even hit our screens.
Schweighöfer not only reprised his role, but took a double shift with directing duties. But while the actor is a joy in front of the camera, his skills behind it leave something to be desired.
Army of the Dead is far from perfect, but it managed to coast by on its premise, star power and shocking horror moments, building up hype for another film. Army of Thieves, conversely, lacks a strong premise, a zombie element or enough leading talent to bear out what amounts to a fairly run-of-the-mill heist movie plot.
Schweighöfer channels everything that made his character so good in the first film - pitching his social awkwardness, penchant for incidental comedy and moments of haphazard genius to perfection - but this gem of a performance wasn't quite enough to fill the vault.