How to Rob a Bank (2007 film)
How to Rob a Bank | |
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Directed by | Andrews Jenkins |
Written by | Andrews Jenkins |
Produced by | Rick Lashbrook, Darby Parker, Arthur Sarkissian, Tim O'Hair |
Starring | Nick Stahl Erika Christensen Gavin Rossdale Terry Crews Adriano Aragon David Carradine |
Distributed by | IFC First Take |
Release dates |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English] |
Box office | $1,006 (United States)[1] |
How to Rob a Bank is an American independent film, with as its subtitle: And 10 Tips To Actually Get Away With It. It finished filming in March 2006 and premiered May 20, 2007 at the Cannes Film Market. It was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 25, 2007. It opened in limited release in the United States on February 6, 2008.[2] The film is about a man who gets caught in the middle of a bank robbery, ending up in the vault with one of the robbers he then treats as a hostage. After grossing $1,006 in the domestic market, the film was released on DVD on September 2, 2008.[3]
Plot
As he tries to access an ATM to retrieve his last twenty bucks, Jason “JINX” Taylor runs into a snag – the transaction fee will overdraw him, and he cannot get his money out of the bank. Jinx fumes about this and other hidden charges which complicate his life…as we realize that he is locked in a bank vault…with the beautiful but tied-up Jessica, her apparently a hostage. But, as Jinx rails against corporations and how they stack the deck, we realize that the situation is very different from what it appears: in fact, it is Jessica, not Jinx, who is robbing the bank. She is aligned with Simon, who leads an armed team inside the branch. However, Jinx’s entry into the scenario upsets the heist, leading him and Jessica to be inadvertently locked inside the vault. In addition, Jinx has called the cops, who, led by Officer De Gepse, have surrounded the bank. Jinx makes contact with Simon by cell phone, and the situation becomes clearer, as he realizes Jessica has access to a special inside-the-vault computer and its codes…she and only she can open the vault door. Simon becomes increasingly upset when he is unable to strong-talk Jinx into getting the vault open (so the robbers can clear out the safe deposit boxes). And De Gepse is equally frustrated by the standoff, particularly when it is Jinx, not he, who seems to gain control over the situation.
As things progress, Jinx realizes that he and Jessica actually think very much alike – they both feel used – and this new kinship leads them to plot an escape. A call comes in from Nick, the true mastermind of the robbery, and Jinx and Jessica realize that Nick needs them to issue a PIN for him to access funds which have been skimmed (from fees, of course) over the course of years. With Simon increasingly unstable, Jinx is able to manipulate both him and De Gepse while also making a deal with Nick to provide a PIN (controlled by Jinx and Jessica) to go with Nick’s account information. Jinx manages to talk both cops and robbers into letting Jessica and him out, as freed hostages, and in the ensuing chaos, they slip away, to meet Nick and escape with their cut of the cash…
The 10 tips to actually get away with it
- Decide to rob a bank
- Have a plan
- Have a back-up plan
- Establish clear communications
- Choose your partners carefully
- Expect the unexpected
- Shit happens
- Don't get greedy
- Remember, shit happens.
- Hang up and know when to walk away.
Cast
- Nick Stahl as Jason Taylor, or Jinx, The Innocent Civilian.
- Erika Christensen as Jessica, The Hostage.
- Gavin Rossdale as Simon, The Leader of the Bank Robbers and the main antagonist of the film.
- Terry Crews as Officer Degepse, in charge of the negotiations.
- Leo Fitzpatrick as Gunman, a henchman.
- Adriano Aragon as Officer Linstrom, Degepse's partner.
- David Carradine as Nick, the mastermind and main villain of the film.