Starring Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, and Omari Hardwick, Army of the Dead is not your typical zombie flick. Zack Snyder, who already has some experience with the undead (Dawn of the Dead) took a big risk bringing to life a horror/heist film. Think the Gentleman meets World War Z ! What a brilliant combo ! The thrilling dark twisted comedy also touches upon pandemics, coping with loss, capitalism, and the fight for human rights. The exciting eye- catching opening credits start off with a brilliant, vibrant and neon Vegas being overridden by an enormous zombie horde, a Zombie Elvis, and zombie exotic dancers as Vegas literally falls apart.
The film takes place a few years after a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and completely walled off from the rest of the world. We meet Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), a displaced Vegas local, and former zombie war hero who’s now flipping burgers on the outskirts of town and is approached by casino boss Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) with an unexpected offer:
Break into the zombie-infested quarantine zone to retrieve $200 million sitting in a vault beneath the strip before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours. With a ticking clock, a notoriously impenetrable vault, and a smarter, faster horde of Alpha zombies closing in, only one thing’s for certain in the greatest heist ever attempted: survivors take all.
Why not?! What’s left to lose? Ward accepts the challenge, and assembles a misfit team of experts for the heist. We see some quality acting from Batista, and really get to see more range from him in his portrayal as Ward and his emotional interactions with his estranged daughter (Ella Purnell).
The film features a fantastic cast of characters all with unique personalities and stand out performances. Snyder nailed the typical trope elements from heist films giving each character a typical skill-set: the standard mechanic, getaway driver (in this case pilot), professional yeggman aka safecracker, a guide, highly trained gun-men, the guy no one trusts, and wait an Influencer ??!!