There is no getting around it: a title like How to Rob a Bank is not ideal. I say that as a Catholic who agrees wholeheartedly with Church teaching that says there is no such thing as committing a sin to achieve some greater good. Specifically, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), in paragraph 1761, states that “an evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention.” Put simply, the ends do not justify the means. As such, I had some moral hesitation over whether I should choose it this weekend or Ebenezer. Ultimately, I went with How to Rob a Bank despite my qualms because I am currently in the midst of my yearly Christmas movie marathon, and I welcome the breaks I get with new releases. Maybe Ebenezer might have been the better decision, but How to Rob a Bank offers this Catholic reviewer the opportunity to present some of the Church’s stances on the material contained therein.

The moral hesitation raised by the title of How to Rob a Bank is hardly dispelled by its opening, which introduces Ryan (Nicholas Hoult), the leader of a Pittsburgh robbery crew that has turned stealing into an online spectacle. Disguised behind a wolf mask, Ryan presents himself as the voice of a movement challenging a financial system he regards as corrupt. His gang films its bank robberies, edits the footage into videos, and posts the results to an audience that increasingly treats the criminals as folk heroes. The robberies target smaller financial institutions, and the crew argues that deposit insurance protects ordinary customers from losing their savings. They also direct some of their proceeds toward charitable causes, presenting their crimes as an assault on entrenched wealth rather than on the public. Ryan’s closest partner is Emi (Anna Sawai), his wife and the group’s getaway driver. They are grieving the death of their young son from cancer, and the cost of his medical treatment has helped turn their grief into fury at the economic system. Their accomplices include Vince (Pete Davidson), a veteran of military service in Afghanistan who has family responsibilities of his own, and Hugo (Rhenzy Feliz), the technology specialist who helps manage the operation and its growing online presence. Their videos make the group famous, but the publicity also makes it increasingly difficult to remain anonymous. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent John West (John C. Reilly) is assigned to stop the robberies and grows frustrated as the gang repeatedly escapes while humiliating law enforcement. Seeking an unconventional advantage, Agent West recruits Reagan Gardner (Zoë Kravitz), a gifted software engineer and hacker who is under house arrest after one of her creations was used to expose a federal judge’s private information. Reagan’s technical abilities offer a way to trace the gang through the digital world in which its members have become celebrities. Her irreverent manner contrasts with Agent West’s more traditional approach, but they begin working together to identify the robbers and their hideout using her software. With it, they are eventually able to use clues from the videos to ascertain where the robbers are stashing their equipment. As Ryan’s following grows, his online persona becomes almost as important to the operation as the money itself. He argues that an audience can exert more influence than a weapon, turning the gang’s public notoriety into a form of leverage. Meanwhile, Walton (Christian Slater), a powerful bank executive, represents the sort of wealthy institutional figure against whom Ryan directs his anger. The crew has previously avoided attacking his much larger bank, even as its ambitions and willingness to take risks increase. The robbers’ popularity also inspires imitation and intensifies the pressure on Agent West to bring them to justice, particularly as these internet criminals’ activities inspire copycats around the country. Ryan’s cause is presented as sympathetic in light of his family’s suffering, but the Catholic distinction between a worthy objective and morally permissible means remains unavoidable: a desire to correct injustice does not by itself justify theft. This includes the actions of those who follow suit. The original gang calls itself Who’s Hungry, and its online videos combine footage of its crimes with practical-sounding advice for imitators. Ryan, known online as the Wolf, even presents the audience with statistics about successful robberies and promotes merchandise connected with the gang’s disguises. As the videos spread, their reach grows into the tens of millions, with supporters treating the robbers as symbols of resistance to wealthy financial institutions. The group’s antics encourage public demonstrations, including signs proclaiming that the revolution will be streamed. Agent West, who is approaching retirement, fears that failing to catch them will define the end of his career. However, the breakthrough with Reagan’s program leads to the arrest of all members of Who’s Hungry. During the interrogation, it is revealed that Vince left behind his inhaler, the piece of evidence that positively links him to the scene. With that, the authorities convince him to wear a wire, but he throws it in a diner bathroom trash can, burning it before warning the others. In addition to this marking the end of his criminal career, he is shot while fleeing the police, but not before calling his young daughter to say goodbye. At this point, Emi wants to quit, but Ryan wants to complete their ultimate plan of stealing from Walton. With some help from Hugo, Ryan forces Walton to wire $500,000,000 to an account, with the money later distributed to a number of charities. Unfortunately for the Wolf, Agent West is on hand to arrest him despite Emi’s attempt to help him escape. Two years pass, and Reagan calls Agent West to alert the FBI that Ryan’s activities are not over, this time filming his escape from prison.

The final shot of How to Rob a Bank suggests there could be a sequel, this one, I guess, teaching people how to bust out of jail. There is a bit of guessing that must go along with watching the movie. As the film progresses, there is a lot of talk about building a movement, which seems to happen as others adopt the Who’s Hungry crew’s style. However, what I kept waiting for was a reason why Emi and Ryan started robbing banks. Ultimately, I believe their motivation is revenge, which is not original as cinema goes. Revenge plots are also disagreeable from a Catholic perspective. Here, the movie wants to make the audience as sympathetic to the gang as possible. In addition to Emi and Ryan, there is Vince. Vince is not only a loving father but is suffering from lung cancer. Even Hugo is shown to have a positive backstory, taking care of people in his neighborhood. There are also the rules they give their followers for their illicit activities. The idea is that their crimes are not indiscriminate. They are angry with people in positions of power, not with those lower down in the socioeconomic order. As such, they ask that no violence be perpetrated against bank employees, including the security guards meant to protect the banks they are hitting. As a Catholic, I am as much in support of the proverbial little guy as the most ardent community organizer. However, none of this made me too sympathetic to these characters until I learned about the death of Emi and Ryan’s child. At the same time, grief is not an excuse for crime.

That grief is not an excuse for crime is not the only Catholic lesson to be gleaned from How to Rob a Bank, but it does provide the most fodder. There is a moment in which the Catholic Church is directly mentioned, this time in connection with how priests guilty of sexual abuse had been moved around instead of being held accountable. It is a serious issue with a documented basis in some cases, although I will not spend much time on it here. The troubling part about its inclusion as a throwaway line is that people can come away believing that such wrongdoing represents Catholicism itself. Yet, it is a passing reference, so I will return to talking about how the ends do not justify the means. One of the justifications provided by Agent West for pursuing these Robin Hood-esque robbers is that the criminals are a threat to civilization. In the law enforcement official’s view, laws are there to protect society. While I agree with this sentiment, there is some Catholic thought that might suggest otherwise when laws themselves are unjust. Notably, there are the words associated with St. Thomas Aquinas, who echoed the principle that an unjust law is no law at all. If you listen to Ryan, society is predicated on nothing but unjust laws, and the system is designed to keep those with money and power in their privileged positions. That, too, does not seem to indicate a just society. However, where St. Thomas Aquinas would depart from Ryan’s solution to these problems is in the use of theft and violence as supposed remedies for injustice. Injustice rankles me, and I cannot pretend to imagine the pain of losing a child. Yet, some of the most impactful movements, including Christianity itself, began and grew through witness, sacrifice, and love rather than revenge. Emi says it before Ryan departs for the final heist, pointing out that what he is about to do will not bring back their dead child. In other words, their grief calls for a kind of healing that revenge cannot provide, one that ultimately requires God.

There is no easy solution to whether you should see How to Rob a Bank. I understand the pain with which each of these characters is dealing, but the answer is not crime. I do not think you need a film to understand these truths.