Film Review: HOW TO ROB A BANK (2026): David Leitch’s Action Film is Generic, Forgettable Fun With an Edge

How to Rob a Bank Review

How to Rob a Bank (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by David Leitch, written by Mark Bianculli and starring Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, Zoë Kravitz, John C. Reilly, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz, Christian Slater, Paul Sparks, Young Mazino, Alessandra Frugoli, Gloria Laino, Andrew Schulz, Scott Galloway, Tyler O’Malley and Davis Aguila.

David Leitch’s action-packed new heist movie, How to Rob a Bank, is actually quite a few heists jam-packed into one big movie full of offbeat humor and wild craziness. Unfortunately, the movie gets bogged down in scenes with John C. Reilly’s dull Agent West, who teams up with Zoë Kravitz’s former criminal character, Reagan, in sequences that feel like they come from another movie altogether at times. Nicholas Hoult is solid as the head of the bank robbers who dress up in wolf masks, and Hoult has some good scenes, but the movie is a mixed bag with too much, and too little, going on, simultaneously.

Reilly’s aging authoritative character is a big surprise for the actor’s fans, who may remember his great acting in Magnolia or his wild antics in Step Brothers. This time out, West is super ordinary so Reilly doesn’t get to do anything unique in the picture, but run around after the bad guys and make playful small talk with Kravitz, who does more of the heavy lifting here than Reilly.

Structured around Hoult’s Ryan and his girlfriend, Emi, How to Rob a Bank also throws Pete Davidson in the mix as a dad, Vince, who is robbing banks for the greater good, but loves his daughter ever so much. This movie is so caught up with being smart about the criminals it portrays that the heroes (whoever they may be, for you) get lost in the shuffle. In scenes reminiscent of Project Mayhem in Fight Club, Ryan and his band of misfits, including Vince, talk intelligently about the problems with the country and the horrors of working for minimum wage, etc. This movie is no Fight Club, though, despite the fact that Leitch directed Fight Club star, Brad Pitt, in the superb Bullet Train.

Tossed into the equation is the charismatic Christian Slater as bank manager, David Walton, who runs the biggest, tightest ship (bank) in the vicinity of the bank robbers. Slater has a great time as the hotshot manager who the audience knows will see his bank have a robbery attempt made towards it by the bandits in the film by the time the movie reaches its exciting climax. Slater is one of the best things about the movie, and it’s great to see the actor working again.

Let’s talk about Kravitz, who plays Reagan, the one Reilly’s character enlists to help him catch the bank robbers, who thrive on social media with their creative heists. Reagan’s favorite movie is 1991’s Point Break (sure hope it’s not the remake) in which the characters robbed banks and wore Ronald “Reagan” masks while doing it. Go figure. Kravitz is smart in the role, but isn’t given enough to do here, especially given her talents that have been evident in some of her previous on-screen roles. Lately, Kravitz has been taking on parts far beneath her in films such as this one. That’s actually pretty sad because she’s a fine actress.

How to Rob a Bank does repeat a lot of its crucial points. It’s clear that people in America aren’t doing great unless they’re rich, but the movie makes it seem like robbing banks is the answer. In this film, the bank robbers give money to charity, but that’s not so believable when considering the peculiar cast members this movie assembles together. These characters seem likely to put their money under a mattress, and not so likely to pack thousands in boxes sent to charity organizations as what happens in the picture.

Leitch can direct a tight action picture, but this one needed to be trimmed down a bit. It goes on too long at two hours in length, and the songs feel a bit shallow in correlation with the weight of the main themes the movie showcases.

Hoult is a good actor, and he creates believable chemistry with Sawai’s character, Emi. Had the film focused more on these two and eliminated the character played by Davidson, the movie may have felt more substantial. This movie trivializes its subject matter, and only really works during the action scenes. These are not great sequences, but they’re entertaining enough, and could please less demanding audiences.

This film ends with a proposal for a sequel idea. However, a follow-up to How to Rob a Bank is not necessary. Enough plot is jammed into this movie, but the film ultimately comes up a bit short in the plausibility department. This movie needed more edge and more stellar casting choices, particularly in the Reilly role.

That being said, How to Rob a Bank has a twisty plot, and fans of Leitch’s previous work may find some very interesting scenes sprinkled into the mix. It’s a close call, but it’s a hard movie to recommend, given all the great heist movies which have preceded it, namely Heat. See the new film if you decide to, but it’s just on the border of being an OK film, whereas it could have said so much more about haves and have nots than it actually says.

Rating: 6/10

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