“This generation’s Fast & Furious”: How to Rob a Bank first reactions are wild — and Pete Davidson steals the show

If you have even a passing interest in modern action cinema, you will have heard the name David Leitch. This bloke went from doing stunts for a living to co-directing John Wick and later calling the shots on Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Bullet Train. Now he is giving the heist genre a spin with his new film, How to Rob a Bank. There is already plenty of noise about whether Leitch can bring the same chaos and sharp banter to a bank job flick, and the early word suggests he just might.

The Plot and That Leitch Touch

So, what is the pitch? How to Rob a Bank tracks a crew of bank robbers who take the extra step of livestreaming their heists to an audience online—think TikTok meets Point Break. Naturally, this digital showboating brings the FBI down on them, and from the look of the teaser clips, you are in for reckless getaways, over-the-top action, and chase scenes lifted straight from a next-gen Grand Theft Auto game. Early screenings have drawn comparisons to a lot of action favourites, and the word 'adrenaline' gets thrown around more times than you can count.

How to Rob a Bank lands in UK cinemas on Friday, 13 November 2026, with a few early showings set for the day before.

Cast and Performances

This one has a slightly ridiculous ensemble cast. Nicholas Hoult leads the gang, backed up by Zoë Kravitz, John C. Reilly, and Pete Davidson—who, if social media is to be believed, steals every scene as Vince, the crew's weapons nut. Critics are also keen on the dynamic between Reilly and Kravitz, which apparently has just the right buddy cop energy for this sort of malarkey.

What the Critics Are Actually Saying

• Phil Roberts reckons the film is 'this generation's Fast & The Furious only with social media', and singles out its 'vivid visuals', 'punchy soundtrack', and 'razor sharp screenplay' as reasons it's a 'slick, sexy and gloriously rebellious' surprise.
• Doug Jones calls it 'Point Break meets The Big Short', while Junior Felix goes with 'Point Break on steroids'—everyone seems to agree the pace never lets up and the car chases are the real deal.
• Paul Klein is very much in Pete Davidson's corner, saying Davidson nicks the whole show.
• Jonathan Sim flags up the performances from Nicholas Hoult and the Reilly/Kravitz double act, calling the film 'super entertaining' and jammed with practical stunt work.
• Jeremy Kazieva lists Davidson, Hoult, and Kravitz as this film's standout trio, each reportedly given a moment in the sun.
• Christopher Rates It really leans into the GTA angle, saying How to Rob a Bank is ideal if you want to get hyped for GTA VI, with 'kinetic, high-octane police chases, shootouts, and robberies', also labelling it as a sort of modern Bonnie and Clyde. But to balance things out, he also reckons this is Leitch's weakest effort of the decade.

Murmurings of Recycled Ideas

Not everyone is dazzled, mind you. A few reviewers have clocked that all this energy sometimes covers up fairly familiar ground. Gavin Spoors points out that even though the film nods at fighting the system, the story doesn't stray far from clichés. Meanwhile, TheClubOrtiz says the attempted rebellion feels thin, with fast pacing and a muddled plot making the film a bit lifeless.

For anyone itching for something explosive, How to Rob a Bank throws open its doors to the public this Friday, 13 November 2026. If you are impatient (or just smug), early previews kick off the evening before. Whether Leitch's latest ends up the new action gold standard or just another flashy caper, there will be no shortage of opinions by the end of opening weekend.