Bank robbers are posting their heists on social media, causing police to chase them.
As a big fan of David Leitch’s work (“Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2,” “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” “Bullet Train”), I went into “How to Rob a Bank” with high expectations. To say I was let down is an understatement. It’s the sort of film Mr. Leitch could have directed in his sleep. The fact that it’s so much more character-driven than action-oriented is also entirely in keeping with the nature of a director whose primary claim to fame is action cinema, and who is attempting to show a wider dramatic range.
Regrettably, “How to Rob a Bank” fails in both departments. The action is derivative and unoriginal; you’ve seen it before in other films that did it better, and while there’s a decent cast (Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Pete Davidson, and John C. Reilly), their performances are unremarkable. Reilly is the best of the lot, playing against type as an FBI agent hot on our heroes’ tails.
They’re a crew of anti-capitalist, social media-savvy bank robbers based in Pittsburgh. Ryan (Nicholas Hoult), Vince (Pete Davidson), video editor Hugo (Rhenzy Feliz), and Ryan’s girlfriend Emi (Anna Sawai) make up the group, who go by the name “Hungry Wolf.” They livestream and upload each heist to a YouTube channel called How to Rob a Bank (HTRAB). Ryan is the face of their social media videos, wearing a wolf mask and operating under the alias “The Wolf.” Their stated motivation is to expose corporate greed, to fight systemic inequality, and to incite a popular uprising against the rigged financial system.
After several successful heists, they quickly realize FBI agent John West (John C. Reilly) is on their tail. West brings in Reagan Gardner (Zoë Kravitz), a clever software engineer and hacker currently on house arrest, who has developed a powerful surveillance algorithm that can track people and image origins online. Gardner uses her software to track them down as they’re about to pull off one last, massive heist involving a ruthless mega-banker.
The crew presents their crimes as a Robin Hood-type uprising against corporate greed, the crushing burden of unaffordable healthcare debt, and a system that has left the working class behind. They believe their intentions are good because they give most of the money they take to charity and communities in need. The film goes from a fairly silly, broad farce in the first half to a very dark, tragic tale in the second. And therein lies the problem. There are some genuinely funny scenes and moments in the first half, but as the film progresses, it shifts completely. All the humor is gone, and all we’re left with is a string of sad, tragic stories.
The film can’t decide whether it wants to be an entertaining action comedy with a serious slant or a serious drama that’s all about wealth inequality, healthcare costs, and predatory banking. The first option might have worked, but the second would have sold far fewer tickets, and that’s its one fundamental flaw: it just can’t commit to either mode. John C. Reilly is the film’s only real saving grace. He forgoes his usual comedic character traits and plays his FBI agent straight-laced, with occasional moments of humor. If you’re after a good heist film, then I’d recommend Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” or Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”
In Theaters Friday, November 13th
