David Leitch's “How to Rob a Bank” hits theaters on Friday, and the review embargo has finally lifted. The $80M film was already tracking poorly, with an opening in the $9M range, and these reviews certainly won't help.
“How to Rob a Bank” currently sits at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes and 53 on Metacritic, making it easily the worst-reviewed film of Leitch's career. This one is about to bomb hard, and Amazon/MGM will have to swallow up the losses.
The film follows a group of bank robbers who call themselves the Wolf Pack, led by Nicholas Hoult's alpha-male character. They use social media to document their heists while playing a game of cat and mouse with an FBI agent played by John C. Reilly, who is assisted by a tech-savvy criminal played by Zoë Kravitz.
Pete Davidson, Anna Sawai and Rhenzy Feliz round out the cast. The screenplay comes from “Hunters” writer Mark Bianculli.
The film has a timely premise, and many critics are singling out Hoult, but Leitch's stunts fall flat and lack his usual energy. What seems to bother critics most is the feed-scrolling style, an anti-bank message that rings false, and a story that isn't as deep as it thinks it is. It's a slick genre exercise rather than the takedown it wants to be. It certainly feels off that the studio bankrolling this anti-capitalist film is owned by Jeff Bezos.
Leitch, a stunt coordinator turned filmmaker, is an interesting case study. He specializes in action and has mostly enjoyed a successful career directing high-octane films such as “John Wick,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2,” “Hobbs & Shaw” and “Bullet Train.”
He most recently directed 2024's “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling, which earned strong reviews but disappointed at the box office. Before joining “How to Rob a Bank,” he had been set to direct “Jurassic World Rebirth.” He abruptly left that project over “creative differences,” which left Universal scrambling for a replacement. That replacement turned out to be Gareth Edwards.
Leitch recently wrapped the meta action comedy “Jason Statham Stole My Bike,” starring (who else?) Jason Statham. Black Bear is backing the film, which is set for release in August 2027.
“How to Rob a Bank” hits theaters on Friday, and the review embargo has finally lifted. The $80M film was already tracking poorly, with an opening in the $9M range, and these reviews certainly won't help.