MOVIE OF THE WEEK (11/13/2026): HOW TO ROB A BANK

"I am a wolf, sure, but I am NOT on Wall Street. I hate Wall Street!" Ryan (Nicholas Hoult) greets he and his heist crew's massive social media followers in a scene from David Leitch's HOW TO ROB A BANK. Credit: Megan Schoenbachler © 2026 Amazon Content Services. All Rights Reserved.

CAST: Nicholas Hoult | John C. Reilly | Zoë Kravitz | Pete Davidson | Anna Sawai | Rhenzy Feliz 

WRITER: Mark Bianculli

DIRECTOR: David Leitch

TRAILER:

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THE STORY: A film that feels like it could be ripped from today's headlines, HOW TO ROB A BANK stars Nicholas Hoult as Ryan, a man who specializes in robbing banks. He, is not alone in this skill, however. For along with his crew – Vince (Pete Davidson), Hugo (Rhenzy Feliz) and his wife Emi (Anna Sawai) – the crew has been playing Robin Hood all over Pittsburgh, donating money to charities and teaching their millions of followers online how to do exactly what the film's title says. But while the public may love their antics, FBI Special Agent West (John C. Reilly) does not since it's his job to stop them. A little limited in his technical knowledge, he enlists the services of house-arrested tech developer Reagan (Zoë Kravitz) to help him in tracking down Ryan and his gang. 

But as things begin to play out, it becomes clear that Ryan's motivations aren't all about the money – and much more personal than Vitality Trust CEO David Walton (Christian Slater) cares to know.

THE REVIEW: Do not be mislead by the film's trailers, its enhanced – and efficient – use of social media or the presence of those more known so for comedy (John C. Reilly and Pete Davidson) than crime and/or drama, HOW TO ROB A BANK is more of a Shakespearian tragedy than it is an action comedy.

There are laughs in HOW TO ROB A BANK. There are some cool although far from groundbreaking moments of action in HOW TO ROB A BANK. What makes the film an impactful watch, however, is the unflinching way in which it dives into some of its characters' motivations and back stories while continually bombarding the audience with intelligently crafted morality questions that have far from black-and-white answers. 

Seeing people taking revenge against "the system" is not a new concept in life, let alone cinema. However, Hoult's and Davidson's respective performances make their plights feel as personal as their motivations, giving this latest iteration of the little guy fighting the corporate Goliath fresh. Likewise, as opposed to being a goofy gumshoe or acting like a hard-nosed, "I am the law" Dredd or Dirty Harry archetype, Reilly gives his character about as well-rounded an outlook as you'll find for someone in his position. 

This, coupled with the well-crafted script of writer Mark Bianculli and keen eye of director David Leitch, makes the film one that sticks with you and makes you ponder exactly what Hoult's character – and so many before him – proposes: If the corporations and government aren't willing to change the system, how can you not expect the people whose lives are sacrificed for profit to fight back? It's what has fueled class wars for centuries, what created the 99%, what in part fueled America's recent midterms and what will likely continue to do as such through the end of time. While it's highly unlikely the actions in the film will inspire (or successfully inspire, rather) anyone to take on the actions depicted in the film, it will more than likely prompt many to think about it.

If nothing else, it will likely a movie Luigi Mangione would love ... If he could watch it.

RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):