Genius Bank Robber Steals $9M and Tries to Surrender, But the FBI Sets Him Up

I've robbed 12 banks in 7 states. I have a little over 9 million dollars in cash. And no one knows who I am. Hey there, welcome to Movie Recap Universe! Today, we're gonna recap the 2020 film, Honest Thief. Let's begin the story. Meet Tom Dolan. He is a genius thief, known as the "In-N-Out Bandit", pulling off yet another bank robbery. Over the past six years, he's successfully carried out eight heists across different states, always staying a step ahead of law enforcement. The authorities still haven't figured out his identity. Tom stores his stolen cash at a storage facility, where he meets Annie Wilkins, a psychology graduate student working as a receptionist. The two hit it off, and after getting to know each other, Tom starts to have feelings for her. A year into their relationship, Tom proposes buying a house and moving in together. Annie agrees, seeing this as a fresh start, especially after dealing with the struggles from her previous relationship. While she's thrilled, she remains unaware of Tom's criminal past. Deeply in love with her and wanting to live an honest life, Tom decides it's time to turn himself in. The next morning, he contacts the FBI, ready to confess his crimes and give up the stolen money. During a call with Special Agent Sam Baker, Tom discusses his career as the "In-N-Out Bandit", revealing that he stole over $9 million from 12 different banks across seven states. Tom offers Baker and his partner, Sean Myers, a deal. If he returns all the stolen money, he wants a lighter sentence, specifically requesting a minimum security prison near the city and full visitation rights for up to two years. His motivation? To prove to Annie that he's serious about living an honest life with her. Despite Tom's sincerity, Baker is skeptical, having heard numerous fake confessions about the In-N-Out Bandit over the years. He agrees to meet Tom at the Charleston Hotel the next day, but doesn't treat the confession with much urgency. Instead, Baker passes the case to Special Agents John Nivens and Ramone Hall, making them responsible for handling the investigation. After two days with no follow-up, Tom grows frustrated and calls the FBI again. This time, he speaks to Sean Myers, who informs him that the case has been assigned to two capable agents before hanging up. Moments later, there's a knock at Tom's door, and he opens it to find John Nivens and Ramone Hall standing there. To verify his confession, the agents ask Tom to share details that no one else could know. Tom obliges, explaining that he primarily targeted small-town banks with old funds, particularly those built before the 1950s. He reveals that there was always an empty building next to the banks he robbed, which was crucial for him due to the shared wall. He goes on to explain that all the robberies took place on Friday evenings, and he would use a hatch to enter the banks. Carefully, he drilled holes through the vault, using gelatin to loosen bolts and nuts, collected the cash, and patched up the wall to cover his tracks, leaving no evidence behind. After listening to his detailed confession, John and Ramone insist they won't agree to any deal until they physically see the stolen money. As they prepare to leave, Tom reluctantly agrees to reveal the location. He gives them the information for the storage unit, where the money is hidden, and even offers to accompany them to check it out. However, Ramone refuses, takes the key from Tom, and tells him to wait at the hotel. John and Ramone search for the stolen money. However, John's demeanor shifts after finding it, realizing that Tom has been truthful all along. Driven by greed and lacking morals, John decides to take advantage of the situation. Rather than using the money as evidence, he makes it clear that he intends to confiscate it for himself. He tries to persuade Ramone to join him, suggesting that the stolen money could pay off their mortgages and secure a better future for their children. But despite John's persistence, Ramone, being an ethical man, refuses to go along with the plan. Meanwhile, Tom waits patiently at the hotel, unaware of the situation. Under increasing pressure from John's relentless insistence, Ramone eventually caves and agrees to cooperate with him. Suddenly, Annie arrives unexpectedly, catching both agents off guard. Thinking on their feet, John and Ramone pretend to be Tom's old friends, keeping quiet about the stolen money. Since Tom is an ex-Marine, Annie assumes they are his military buddies. John and Ramone go along with the lie, confirming her assumption. Annie then asks if Tom still plans to move into the house they had looked at earlier. The agents confirm, and Annie, pleased with the response, leaves without suspecting anything. Myers informs Baker about Tom's confession, which makes Baker realise that no one has properly followed up on the matter. Meanwhile, John and Ramone hide the stolen money in an unknown location before heading back to the hotel. At the same time, Annie leaves the storage facility to meet Tom at the hotel. When John and Ramone return to Tom, they confirm that they've found the money. However, John has other plans. He intends to kill Tom to eliminate any witnesses. To stall him, Tom reveals that the money they found is only $3 million, with an additional $6 million still hidden. Just as John presses Tom for the location of the remaining funds, there's a knock at the door. It's Baker. John, determined to keep their plan a secret, forces Ramone to let Baker in, lowering his revolver to avoid suspicion. Baker enters the room and is taken aback when he notices John holding a gun. Tom tries to signal Baker, but before anything can be done, John shoots Baker. In the chaos, Tom charges at John to defend himself, and in the scuffle, both men tumble out of the window. As they fall, Tom sees Annie standing nearby in shock. He shouts for her to run, realising that their only option is to flee. Despite Ramone and John's gunfire, Tom and Annie manage to escape. While pursuing Tom and Annie, John and Ramone discover that Tom has stolen Ramone's gun. They search desperately, but can't find Tom and Annie, who have disappeared. Annie, shocked and confused, demands answers from Tom. He assures her that he will explain everything once they are safe. As John and Ramone continue their search, they find Tom's abandoned car in an alley, but have no clue where Tom and Annie have gone. When they are finally alone, Tom tells Annie the truth about his life. She is stunned to learn that he has been robbing banks, and that everything she knew was a lie. Tom explains that he has never killed anyone, and has never spent any of the stolen money. Annie, who has known him for a year, is overwhelmed by this revelation, and asks why he did it. Tom shares his story. His father was fired from his job as a welder after 35 years, when the company's CEO embezzled the worker's pension fund. Tom's father didn't pursue legal action, and, unable to cope with the loss of his pension and the death of Tom's mother, took his own life. This tragedy drove Tom to rob the bank where the CEO kept the stolen funds. Tom admits that he continued robbing banks out of thrill and excitement, but he never used the money. Meeting Annie changed his perspective, making him realize that his love for her was more important than the thrill of robbery. He tells her that she was the reason he hadn't committed any more robberies in the past year. Back at the hotel, Myers grieves the loss of his colleague and vows to find out who killed him. Meanwhile, Tom warns Annie that she might be charged in connection with Baker's death. He urges her to leave town to avoid any suspicion of her involvement. John tells Myers that they lost Baker before they could reach Tom, and accuses Tom of being Baker's killer. He also mentions that they didn't find anything in the storage unit, just as Tom had predicted. Tom helps Annie get on a bus, promising her that they will see each other again. Annie asks him to clear his name regarding Baker's death, and they share a heartfelt hug before parting ways. The next morning, Myers, John, and Ramon review Tom's file to learn more about him. After security footage identifies Annie outside the hotel, they discuss her recent divorce. Myers instructs them to track down Tom, hoping it will lead them to his current whereabouts. Moments later, Annie calls Tom at the warehouse to tell him that there is CCTV footage of John and Ramon taking boxes from his storage unit. She says she came back because she couldn't risk losing the evidence, as the recorder overwrites itself every two days. Tom tells her to leave immediately, and calls 911 to send the police. However, he spots a van and decides to go to the storage facility himself. Just before Annie leaves her office, John arrives and demands to know where Tom hid the remaining $6 million. When Annie tries to escape, John attacks her and searches for the memory card of the CCTV footage. Despite Annie's efforts to fight back with scissors, John overpowers her and knocks her unconscious by hitting her head against the table. Ramon arrives just in time to stop John from killing her, urging him to leave before Annie is discovered. Tom arrives shortly after they leave and takes Annie to the hospital. Seeing the police, he quickly leaves and calls the FBI, asking Myers to get in touch with John. As Myers listens to the call, John pretends not to know about Annie. Tom informs him of the threat he plans to make. Curious about Annie's situation, Myers decides to go to the hospital to check on her. Soon after, a local police officer spots Tom on the street and gives chase. John and Ramon, having tracked Tom's location, head towards him. Tom hides behind some bushes, and, noticing John and Ramon, deliberately backs up his van and crashes into their vehicle from behind. Trapped and unable to escape, John starts shooting at Tom, who returns fire. As the chaos unfolds, Myers catches sight of Tom and starts pursuing him. Tom sets up an ambush and they begin to fight. During the struggle, Tom reveals that John is responsible for both the robbery and the attack on Annie. He disarms Myers, who pleads with Tom to do the right thing, promising that justice will be served. Despite this, Tom, feeling his previous attempts at justice have failed, decides to handle things his way. He throws Ramon's gun at Myers to prove his point and then makes his escape. That night, after checking into a hotel, Tom calls the hospital to check on Annie. He learns that while she can't speak right now, she is expected to recover soon. Meanwhile, John heads to the hospital with the intention of ensuring Annie doesn't survive. However, he holds off when he realizes that Myers is already in her room. The next morning, Myers confronts John about Tom's story and the missing funds. Despite John's efforts to downplay the situation, Myers remains skeptical, believing Tom might be fabricating the story to escape his lies. Myers hands over Ramon's gun and instructs both agents to return to their duties. John, still fixated on his deceitful plans, insists on pursuing the wrong path, while Ramon fears that Myers will uncover their deception. That night, Tom decides to follow Ramon home from work. Once at his house, Ramon's wife notices his anxiety and urges him to do the right thing. Ramon doesn't reveal much, but reassures her that his actions are for the sake of their family and asks her to remember this if anything happens to him. Suddenly, the sound of the garage door draws Ramon's attention. Tom appears, disarms him, and demands that he help clear his name. Reluctant to continue aiding John, Ramon confides in Tom that he secretly took the warehouse security footage from Annie, a fact John is unaware of. Ramon warns Tom that John plans to kill Annie and advises him to rescue her from the hospital. Tom rushes to the hospital, ensures Annie is safe, and sneaks her back to his hotel room. The next morning, while buying equipment at a hardware store, Tom calls Myers. He tells Myers that Annie is with him, and assures him that she's not involved in his plans. Myers is concerned but cannot dissuade Tom from his course of action. Back at the hotel, Tom assembles an explosive device. The next day, having recently recovered, Annie insists on accompanying Tom. Near John's residence, Tom calls him, demanding that John confess his crimes. John responds with threats, prompting Tom to intimidate him with a countdown from 10. As John's house begins to catch fire, he escapes. Tom gives Annie the CC TV memory card he retrieved from Ramon, and asks her to deliver it to Myers. Meanwhile, John arrives at his hideout, contacts Ramon, and asks him to join him. Myers receives the memory card from Annie at the warehouse. She vouches for Tom's character, and, as a gesture of goodwill, unlocks another storage room to reveal the remaining $6 million. John arms himself with two guns and opens the door for Ramon, unaware that Tom is pretending to take Ramon hostage. Tom demands that John drop his weapon, and reveals that he took the security memory card from Ramon. Furious about his partner's betrayal, John attacks Ramon, killing him, and then turns on Tom. A fierce exchange of gunfire ensues between Tom and John. After the gunfight, John escapes with the money while Tom is injured. Soon after, Tom calls John to inform him that he has planted a pressure-sensitive bomb under the seat of his vehicle. Unable to escape the car, John must wait for the police bomb disposal squad. Tom retrieves the tape recording of John's confession from Ramon's body, and mourns his death. As John's vehicle is surrounded by Myers and the police, the bomb disposal expert reveals that the device is a hoax. There is no bomb. Enraged, John finds himself arrested by Myers for attempting to steal the money. When Myers returns to his office, he discovers an envelope on his desk. The voice recording inside reveals that John was guilty of the theft and the murder of Ramon. That night, Myers meets with Annie and expresses his gratitude to Tom for exposing John. Tom calls Myers, expressing his readiness to accept responsibility for his actions, and his hope for a better future. He turns himself in, and Myers promises to do his best to reduce Tom's sentence, recognising his desire to lead an honest life. Well, that's the end of this recap. Consider subscribing for more interesting stories.