‘How to Rob a Bank’ Co-Director Stephen Robert Morse on Constraints of True Crime, What He Learned From Hollywood Bandit Scott Scurlock
variety.comK.J. Yossman Despite its title, “How to Rob a Bank” is not an instructional video on how to commit crime. Instead, as its co-director Stephen Robert Morse tells Variety, it’s a documentary about “the consequences of crime.” The doc, which dropped on Netflix last week, focuses on a prolific ‘90s Seattle bank robber called Scott Scurlock, whom the FBI soon nicknamed Hollywood due to his penchant for elaborate disguises.
Porges (“Class Action Park”) and Morse (a producer on “Amanda Knox”) began working on the film back in 2020 and quickly tracked down many of those involved in the notorious case.
As the documentary works its way into the streamer’s global top 10, Morse sat down with Variety to discuss the genesis of the project and what he learned from getting up close and personal with a notorious bank robber. How did you get involved with this project? My collaborator, Seth Porges reached out to me in the darkest days of the pandemic.
He sent a one-sheet that described this story and immediately it was a yes. I mean, maybe I would have said yes to anything at that point. “Tiger King” was on TV.
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