IMDb RATING
6.6/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
In this true-crime documentary, a charismatic rebel in 1990s Seattle pulls off an unprecedented string of bank robberies straight out of the movies.In this true-crime documentary, a charismatic rebel in 1990s Seattle pulls off an unprecedented string of bank robberies straight out of the movies.In this true-crime documentary, a charismatic rebel in 1990s Seattle pulls off an unprecedented string of bank robberies straight out of the movies.
Scott Scurlock
- Self - Bank Robber
- (archive footage)
- (as William Scott Scurlock)
Alban Pfisterer
- Self - Scott's Friend
- (as Alban 'Snoopy' Pfisterer)
William Scurlock
- Self - Scott's Father
- (archive footage)
Featured reviews
Just finished watching this doc and have been really struck by the way that these filmmakers have seamlessly interwoven archival footage, dramatic recreation, and truly wonderful animation to make us feel like we really had a complete insight into how these unlikely events could have transpired. Some excellent food for thought about the true nature of some people who claim to be Robin Hood or "sticking it to the man." Contrary to some other reviews that claim glorification, I found I was left with a sense of feeling like his crimes weren't worth the cost he and his family paid. Really enjoyed it and would love to watch again.
I really enjoyed this documentary. It's not often a documentary directly recruits the perpetrators to explain their side of the story, and it's even rarer where you end up routing for the bad guys. What's unique about this doc is that it really explains how these group of bank robbers were not hardened criminals but rather an eclectic group of educated misfits, and used their smarts to, well, outsmart the banks and the cops and eventually FBI for so long.
What's also nice is that this doc is very honest. The cops made mistakes. They aren't perfect and they aren't exactly Americas brightest (only need a high school degree and a few weeks of training to be a cop). They also got very trigger happy in the end. These robbers were yes, robbers. But they never hurt anyone. They never shot anyone. Never hit them, never took hostages etc. However the police and by extension the feds really wanted to scare the banks/public into thinking Hollywood was this violent unhinged monster just waiting to snap in the hopes they would get tips coming in as to who these guys were, when all evidence contradicted this notion. They end up having a shoot out against guys with jammed guns, lying that they shot first. You can't fire an unloaded or jammed weapon... so how could they "shoot first". Then the story changed to, "we saw them carrying a rifle in the van's rear window" despite them clearly stating numerous times the windows we blacked out and you could not look through any of the windows except the front windshield...
Then when one of the robbers offs themselves, the police then fire 76 freaking rounds into the corpse. Absolutely disgusting. What isn't stated in this documentary (but stated in other videos, look it up) is that a by standard got hit from the police reckless, excessive rounds.
Great documentary. Definitely very cool to learn how these guys planned their heists and strategized to evade the police for long.
What's also nice is that this doc is very honest. The cops made mistakes. They aren't perfect and they aren't exactly Americas brightest (only need a high school degree and a few weeks of training to be a cop). They also got very trigger happy in the end. These robbers were yes, robbers. But they never hurt anyone. They never shot anyone. Never hit them, never took hostages etc. However the police and by extension the feds really wanted to scare the banks/public into thinking Hollywood was this violent unhinged monster just waiting to snap in the hopes they would get tips coming in as to who these guys were, when all evidence contradicted this notion. They end up having a shoot out against guys with jammed guns, lying that they shot first. You can't fire an unloaded or jammed weapon... so how could they "shoot first". Then the story changed to, "we saw them carrying a rifle in the van's rear window" despite them clearly stating numerous times the windows we blacked out and you could not look through any of the windows except the front windshield...
Then when one of the robbers offs themselves, the police then fire 76 freaking rounds into the corpse. Absolutely disgusting. What isn't stated in this documentary (but stated in other videos, look it up) is that a by standard got hit from the police reckless, excessive rounds.
Great documentary. Definitely very cool to learn how these guys planned their heists and strategized to evade the police for long.
Really compelling crime doc with a thoughtful and sensitive character study at its center. What a strange and enigmatic man Scott was... the home video footage is so beautiful and used to great effect here. Engaging, thought provoking, and morally complex stuff! I could rob a bank no problem though.
I see there are some reviewers on here wringing their hands about the ethics of the film and 'true crime' in general. While I think this is a valuable conversation to have, I don't believe this film is part of the problem. I think How to Rob a Bank does a very good job of holding Scott and his accomplices accountable; bank robbery is not a victimless crime and this is told to us directly through interviews with the victims themselves. Additionally, Scott's accomplices express deep regret at the path their lives took, the crimes they committed, and the people they hurt. The film and filmmakers seem well aware of the complicated subject matter. This is a true crime film but it is far from exploitative.
I see there are some reviewers on here wringing their hands about the ethics of the film and 'true crime' in general. While I think this is a valuable conversation to have, I don't believe this film is part of the problem. I think How to Rob a Bank does a very good job of holding Scott and his accomplices accountable; bank robbery is not a victimless crime and this is told to us directly through interviews with the victims themselves. Additionally, Scott's accomplices express deep regret at the path their lives took, the crimes they committed, and the people they hurt. The film and filmmakers seem well aware of the complicated subject matter. This is a true crime film but it is far from exploitative.
It was interesting to see how ordinary people can get sucked into things. But didn't do it because they needed to or were being blackmailed. But chose to do it..it is very respectful of Scott, pretty celebratory, too celebratory I personally think. It makes all the agency about him, not his accomplices. It feels uncomfortable the way it seems to celebrate what they all did because they are white, from 'good families ', attractive. It was still bank robberies. People were traumatised and in danger. That gets mentioned briefly towards the end but most of it ignores that. It is very interesting how a narrative can tell a story and influence your views of someone. In this he is almost a hero, being free, living his life. But also Robbing people of their's with the trauma. I'm not perfect, I don't know what I'd do in any situation..I know what is hope I'd do. And I work with people who have done things seen as worse or not as bad. I work with ex prisoners, current prisoners and vulnerable people and it's interesting that with a lot of those people I get the privilege and joy of seeing them as a human being, their strengths and hopes, resilience and circumstances. And the role of trauma and circumstances in the situations we find ourselves in. We are given that here. But we are not given the view of the victims who I also should remember in my work. And in this documentary. We are however given the view of his family. Who were respectfully represented here. But I wonder how this could have been presented had Scott been a black male, maybe an asylum seeker. The drug dealing is almost skipped over, his mental health is presented in a very different way to how it would be if it was someone else. The nudity. The weapons. This would have been very different had he been poor, ethnic minority, a refugee. And quite probably in what would be considered more dire circumstances.
It was an interesting and well done documentary, but the major flaw was that it tended to make a hero out of the villain.
ABOUT MY REVIEWS:
I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.
My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.
ABOUT MY REVIEWS:
I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.
My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.
Did you know
- Quotes
Self - Scott's Friend & Accomplice: There's no school for bank robbery.
- ConnectionsFeatures FX : Effet de choc (1986)
- SoundtracksYou Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)
Written by Dan Peters, Mark Arm, Matt Lukin and Steve Turner
Performed by Mudhoney
Courtesy of Sub Pop Records
[5m]
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 28m(88 min)
- Color
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