Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu about infamous criminal has violence, language, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
How to Rob a Bank
What's the Story?
For five years in the 1990s, a mysterious and theatrical armed robber suavely robbed a series of banks in the Seattle area until the FBI and local law enforcement caught up with him. His swashbuckling demeanor and the behind-the-scenes planning are revealed through interviews with police, FBI agents, and co-conspirators in HOW TO ROB A BANK. Scott Scurlock was a renegade meth-maker who decided that his line of business was getting too dangerous. Fearing arrest, he switched to robbing banks and did so successfully for five years, amassing more than $2 million from 1992 to 1996. He and his co-conspirators paid a high price.
Is It Any Good?
This is an interesting true-crime tale for older teens and adults. How to Rob a Bank is a straightforward, workmanlike documentary that effectively tells the story of man who lived in a large treehouse, cooked meth in his own lab, then switched careers for bank robbing, and died a violent death. That Scurlock was an interesting and inventive person makes it seem all the sadder that his life was spent pursuing the freedoms he sought by way of illegal means.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether or not Scurlock was an admirable person. What traits of his are appealing? Which ones are not?
Why are we fascinated by people who appear not to play by the "rules" of society?
Do you think Scurlock's living in a grown-up's treehouse adds to his likability and appeal? Why or why not?
What's the appeal of true-crime tales?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 5, 2024
- Directors : Stephen Robert Morse , Seth Porges
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 10, 2024
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