'How to Rob a Bank' Review: David Leitch’s Action-Comedy Heist Fails to Crack the Code
By Seb Jenkins - November 11, 2026
Nicholas Hoult leads a band of radical bank robbers in a revolt against late-stage capitalism, but How to Rob a Bank lacks a jewel in its crown.
David Leitch is one of the leading names in modern stylistic action, of that there is no doubt. Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, and The Fall Guy – all directed by Leitch in the past decade – each bring their own blend of unique storytelling, wacky characters, and imaginative action sequences. Unfortunately, while How to Rob a Bank thrives in the third column, it ranks closer to Hobbs & Shaw in the first two. The action-comedy heist is at its most entertaining, pulsating best when it says nothing at all, but falls flat in the moments between the car chases and explosions. Unfortunately, weak dialogue and a predictable plot leave us with the distinct feeling that we should have had a lot more fun than we actually did.
When a crew of bank robbers embarks on a revolutionary movement against a morally bankrupt system, they take a leaf out of the Book of Gen Z and turn to social media for help. By documenting each of their robberies on YouTube – which somehow doesn’t violate the terms of service – The Wolf (Nicholas Hoult) and his gang hope to inspire an entire generation to rise up against the machine. Agent West of the FBI (John C. Reilly) is charged with quashing the rebel crusade and bringing the masked criminals to justice. But how do you catch a wolf, a bunny, and a teddy bear when they leave no trace of their crimes? You call in Reagan Gardner (Zoe Kravitz), a tech expert desperate to earn her way out of house arrest.
How To Rob a Bank sets the tone within the first few minutes. Sharp cuts, pieces to camera, wacky YouTube editing, and people robbing banks dressed as animals. Picture The Italian Job mixed with Robin Hood, and a splash of The Office. The Wolf and co talk us – and the rest of the world – through every step of their robberies via a rapidly-growing YouTube channel. It’s clear this gang has a point to prove beyond their heisty online tutorials. So, we’re getting a madcap, over-the-top heist caper full of eccentric characters and big, comedic swings, right? Alas, perhaps the biggest robbery of all is the tone shift in the second act.
While Leitch takes the time to flesh out the backstories of all four robbers, explaining how and why they came to be knee-deep in fifty-dollar bills, we don’t get to spend much time with them as people in the present. The tonal shift from wacky comedy to serious late-stage capitalism commentary feels too contrasting to digest. You can’t help but think they would have been better off leaning sharply into one or the other. Even the faux YouTube videos at times feel more like a caricature of what a boomer might think social media looks like, with loud klaxons, neon colours, and crazy PowerPoint transitions. In a full-blown comedy heist, it would work – in a film about marginalised victims fighting back against the rich and powerful, it doesn’t always work.
Alongside our criminal quartet, we are also treated to the budding buddy cop duo of C. Reilly and Kravitz (which sounds more like a law firm now that I say it aloud). Unfortunately, despite their chemistry being addictively entertaining, we don’t get nearly enough of them as a pair. Once again, the first act sets us up on a wild goose chase between cops and robbers, before largely benching the best character in Kravitz’s Reagan.
Bullet Train worked so well because it embraced the zany and painted a colourful world of oddball heroes and villains, all merged into one pile of blood, guts, and gore. Atomic Blonde, on the other hand, thrives in the dark, dirt, and grit. How to Rob a Bank falls halfway between the two, making it neither hilarious enough to be memorable nor cutting-edge enough to feel fresh.
Hoult particularly feels underused in How to Rob a Bank as one of the most underrated stars of his generation, while Anna Sawai and Rhenzy Feliz never quite dip below the surface of their own characters. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Pete Davidson by far delivers the most rounded performance of the four, at least allowing us to connect with Vince on a deep, emotional level.
Will you have a fun time with How to Rob a Bank? Probably. Will you watch it again and again until it earns cult classic status? Probably not. Enjoy it for what it is – a wonderfully shot film with great action sequences – but How to Rob a Bank doesn’t feel like an instant David Leitch classic.
'How to Rob a Bank' releases in cinemas on November 13, 2026.
Want more film reviews? Dive into more reviews, rankings, and film conversations, explore Film Focus Online now!
Seb Jenkins
Writer
A freelance writer, day-to-day Seb covers stories about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, while coming up with wacky ideas for thriller novels.
Want your film or TV show reviewed by Seb? Contact us.
