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‘How to Rob a Bank’ Review: Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz Take Their Paychecks in an Annoyingly Flashy, Emotionally Turgid Influencer-Age Heist Movie
David Leitch’s “How to Rob a Bank” follows a crew of masked robbers who film their heists as online tutorials and present their crimes as a revolt against inequality. The review argues that the film’s flashy, social-media-inspired style and overt political messaging undermine its action and emotional impact.
Nicholas Hoult plays Ryan, who leads a team that includes Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson and Rhenzy Feliz; Zoë Kravitz plays a technology expert recruited by FBI agent John West, played by John C. Reilly, to track them down. The robbers’ videos use rapid edits and on-screen graphics, while their crew amasses hundreds of millions of dollars. The review criticises the film’s clunky humour, thin characterisation and heavy-handed presentation of its themes.
In short
- A masked crew turns bank robberies into online tutorials.
- The film frames the crimes as an anti-capitalist revolt.
- The review says style and messaging overwhelm the story.
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The case for
The film’s heightened editing, graphics and online-tutorial conceit can be seen as a fitting way to portray criminals turning robbery into public performance. Its inequality theme may also give the heist premise contemporary relevance, using spectacle and humour to invite audiences to consider why the crew’s message attracts attention.
The case against
The same stylistic choices and political framing can feel overemphatic, drawing attention away from suspense and character rather than deepening them. If the humour, performances and emotional stakes are thin, the film’s social commentary may seem more asserted than earned, leaving the heists flashy but dramatically inert.