How to watch How to Rob a Bank in New Zealand

Ture crime docos are a dime a dozen these days, but How to Rob a Bank is such an insane story it’ll tantalise even the most jaded felon fan. Heck, if you put this stuff in a feature film, you’d get dragged for how unbelievable it is.

How to watch How to Rob a Bank in New Zealand

How to Rob a Bank is now streaming in New Zealand exclusively on Netflix.

What is How to Rob a Bank about?

A charming young guy named Scott Scurlock. His dad was a pastor and Scott himself could have been a doctor—in fact, he was studying for just that when he learned to cook meth, which led him down a whole different career path. But when the drug trade proved too dicey, he pivoted to another area: armed robbery. In the early ’90s, Scurlock robbed 17 or 18 (sources vary) banks in Pacific Northwest, becoming one of the most prolific stick up men in US history.

But what’s cool is how he did it—inspired by the movies (and said to resemble Mel Gibson…honestly, we don’t see it) he largely eschewed violence and used movie-level make-up to conceal his identity, using the proceeds to live large, tip big, and generally behave like the protagonist in an Elmore Leonard book. He also lived in a giant treehouse because… well, why not? But of course, it couldn’t last…

The cast of How to Rob a Bank

A lot of cops, crooks, and accomplices, including Scurlock himself (archival material only—uh oh), and partners in crime Steve Meyers and Mark Biggins.

How to Rob a Bank trailer

Why we’re excited about How to Rob a Bank

This kind of thing is like catnip to us: everyone loves a Robin Hood figure, and even though the film takes pains to point out that a lot of folks are still bearing psychological scars from being held up at gunpoint, it’s hard not to be seduced by the charismatic rebel on the trigger.