How to Rob a Bank
by George Wolf
Don’t make it weird, but I dig it when people wear animal masks.
And How to Rob a Bank has plenty of that, along with a load of Luigi-approved anti-capitalist rage fueling its social media zeitgeist that feels especially in-the-moment.
Wait, isn’t this an Amazon movie? The irony is also special.
Nicholas Hoult is easy to root for as Ryan aka “The Wolf,” leader of a band of outlaw influencers behind the “Who’s Hungry?’ YouTube channel. They brazenly rob bank after bank in animal masks and high style and stream the result, taking the time to carefully explain how you can do it, too. And you should rob a bank, because it’s now become the only way to win a game that’s rigged against you.
Director David Leitch and writer Mark Bianculli use the group’s social videos to hit the fourth wall without breaking it, speaking directly to us and laying out the stats and figures to define how deep the rot goes.
The followers grow quickly, and though the Wolf’s declaration that “the algorithm rewards authenticity” lands with a curious thud, the belief that “audience is power” does not. And the Who’s Hungry crew (which includes another nice supporting turn from Pete Davidson) is getting plenty of both, along with a ton of money. FBI Agent John West (John C. Reilly) vows to unmask them, but he’ll need the help of an ankle-monitored coder (Zoë Kravitz) to decipher the tech he doesn’t get – like how to use AirPlay.
The Reilly/Kravitz pairing is good fun, and Bianculli gives us sympathetic moments for both the robbers and the cops while Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train, co-founder of the John Wick franchise) frames the action with winning pizazz while the lessons get more and more spoon fed. The entire narrative sports a Fight Club for doomscrollers vibe that gives way to Third Act heist and one final “how to” surprise.
The film isn’t deeply layered, and the two-hour running time begins to feel a bit bloated, but it’s never less than timely, relatable and entertaining. You don’t need headlines or election results to know there is anger out there, and How to Rob a Bank feeds into that for an escapist good time. It may be a standard bearer of social satire, but there’s still a place for tapping a vein that feels crowd pleasing and cathartic.
