Ever wonder about the meaning of life? Me too. Especially at 3 AM, staring at the ceiling, contemplating the comedic value of my pending non-existence. But enough about my existential dread—let’s talk about a fantastic way to misspend our fleeting time on Earth: bank heists.
So, Netflix's docu-farce "How to Rob a Bank" revisits the daring antics of one sensational Scott Scurlock, also lovingly called the Hollywood Bandit—when they bothered to remember the bandit part. This fine gentleman didn't just rob banks; no, he turned bank robbery into a spiritually enlightening career. I mean, if you're going to embrace existentialism, why not throw some felony into the mix?
Scott wasn’t your garden-variety criminal. He was a visionary, a veritable Robin Hood, if Robin accidentally kept all the money for himself. Operating out of a magnificent treehouse—because where else would a grown man with Peter Pan syndrome live?—Scott was quite the character. When not busy jotting down his deepest fears about death in his diary, he was crafting the next elaborate heist. Or dabbling in meth. Because hobbies are important, folks.
Now, let's address the massive elephant in the room: why did this documentary, with all its re-enactments and dramatic interviews, feel like something that could've been squeezed into a podcast? This cinematic venture, while a valiant effort by directors Seth Porges and Stephen Robert Morse, brings forth a pressing question—can you really capture the essence of absurdity and desperation in 90 minutes? Clearly not.
Ultimately, this romp into the criminal underworld delves just deep enough to mildly amuse and invariably depress. Amidst the laughter, our hero's journey was one of searching for purpose in a life absurdly spent. Maybe, like Scott, I'm just in need of a good heist to clear the cobwebs. Or perhaps, I'm one bad day away from discovering that dying alone is just the universe's way of saying, “better luck next life.”
Hey, speaking of dying alone, did you know that if you die in a treehouse, technically, it still counts as dying at home? Cheers to that.
Based on the original article "‘How to Rob a Bank’ and the Limits of a True-Crime Documentary".
