HOW TO ROB A BANK (2026)

Genre: Drama/Action
Director: David Leitch
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Christian Slater, John C. Reilly, Tati Gabrielle, Pete Davidson, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz 
Runtime: 2 hr 2 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language & Some Drug Use)
Released By: Sony Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 November 2026

Synopsis: In 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. 

Movie Review:

Stunt coordinator turned director David Leitch has moved from adapting a graphic novel with Atomic Blonde (2017), to adapting a Japanese novel with Bullet Train (2022), to directing the franchise spin-off Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Clearly in demand, Leitch followed The Fall Guy (2024) with How to Rob a Bank, a heist film starring Nicholas Hoult.

Hoult plays Ryan, leader of a crew of bank robbers who use social media to show people how to pull off a heist. Their videos attract the attention of veteran FBI agent John West (John C. Reilly), who enlists Reagan (Zoë Kravitz), a computer engineering professor, to help track them down.

Unlike a conventional heist movie, How to Rob a Bank wants to make a serious point to younger audiences: people should revolt against a system that leaves them struggling. Ryan’s gang, the Wolfpack, which includes his wife Emi (Anna Sawai), ex-soldier Vince (Pete Davidson), and tech expert Hugo (Rhenzy Feliz) posts slick instructional videos because, in their view, robbing banks is easier than taking dead-end jobs to support their families.

The gang’s motives recall recent protests across Europe, where housing costs, the rising cost of living, and underfunded public services have fuelled public frustration. The underdogs want to be heard, and they want governments to invest more in their future. Screenwriter Mark Bianculli seems intent on making a thinking person’s film rather than a straightforward action spectacle. But as the movie reaches for political relevance, it sacrifices some of the fun and momentum that make a heist film work.

The story begins as a slick crime caper packed with gadgets and technology, then introduces tragic backstories for Ryan and Vince to explain why they’re determined to rob one final target: Walton (Christian Slater), a sleazy banker. Walton argues that banks exist to make money, regardless of people’s welfare: borrow, repay, or face the consequences.

You have to admire Leitch for choosing an unconventional script. He could have made a simple shootout-filled crime caper, but instead gives the film a message that often outweighs its action. Even so, How to Rob a Bank struggles to balance drama and thrills. As a politically charged action film, it’s less effective than The Purge: Anarchy, which handles a similar mix of ideas and spectacle more successfully.

The cast is a delight. Hoult makes for a charming lead, even when Ryan’s actions are hard to defend. Davidson is a surprise, playing a relatively sane and mature character, while Reilly and Kravitz make for an unlikely but interesting pair.

This is not a typical heist flick. It wants to be smart, but ends up a muddled, noisy affair, one that may leave its target audience reaching for TikTok or YouTube instead.

Movie Rating:

(Being slick and stylish and trying to be smart doesn’t make this crime flick any more interesting)

Review by Linus Tee