In theaters on November 13th is ‘How to Rob a Bank,’ which stars Nicholas Hoult (‘Superman’) as the leader of a group of bank robbers with an axe to grind and a huge social media following.
Directed by David Leitch (‘Atomic Blonde’), the cast for the movie also includes Zoë Kravitz (‘The Batman’), John C. Reilly (‘Boogie Nights’), Pete Davidson (‘The Suicide Squad’), Anna Sawai (‘F9: The Fast Saga’) and Rhenzy Feliz (‘Encanto’).
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Initial Thoughts
What do you get when you mix a wild social media-influenced story of vengeful bank robberies with some socially conscious hand-wringing about capitalism and inhumane corporate behavior? The result, apparently, looks like ‘How to Rob a Bank’ and while it certainly manages to keep you on the antiheroes’ side, it doesn’t always pull off its own emotional heist effectively.
Script and Direction
Writer Mark Bianculli (‘Hunters’) has worked extensively in television, and it shows through characters that are developed even over the relatively short running time of a movie. Yet while it does lead to some memorable moments, the ‘Bank’ script is also weighed down with cliches.
Director David Leitch, meanwhile, has proved he can wrangle action and comedy effectively together, and so he does once again, even if he can’t overcome all of the movie’s issues.
Cast and Performances
There are three really standout performances here: Nicholas Hoult is great as Ryan, the grieving parent who has a grudge against banks and has gathered a group of social media-savvy bandits to pull off heists; John C. Reilly is eminently watchable as Agent West, the officer tasked with taking them down, while Zoe Kravitz gives good snark as Reagan Gardner, a disgraced software engineer whose app might just be the key to finding the robbers.
Around them, there are some fine turns in supporting roles such as Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz and Christian Slater (excellent as a slimy bank CEO) while even Pete Davidson manages to be less annoying than usual.
Final Thoughts
Leitch’s film works on both the action and the comedy levels, yet it’s the moral messaging where it starts to fall apart slightly and slip into predictable schmaltz.
‘How to Rob a Bank’ receives 68 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘How to Rob a Bank’?
A crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcasts their daring heists, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their beliefs –– and their most ambitious heist yet.
Who is in the cast of ‘How to Rob a Bank’?
- Nicholas Hoult as Ryan
- Zoë Kravitz as Reagan Gardner
- Anna Sawai as Emi
- Rhenzy Feliz as Hugo
- Pete Davidson as Vince
- John C. Reilly as Agent West
- Christian Slater as Walton
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