The Fishing Hat Bandit

Directed by Mark R. Brown

He was known as “the Fishing Hat Bandit” when he robbed 23 banks in Minnesota over 18 months in the early 2000s. Finally caught, imprisoned, and now free, John Whitrock’s story unfolds in utterly surprising ways in director Mark Brown’s riveting documentary. John Whitrock kept everyone in law enforcement on their toes during his year-and-a-half long crime spree—while donning his signature bucket hat. By the time he hit a dozen banks, he was making headlines across the state and beyond. Finally captured by a SWAT team that found him hiding in a trunk, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and soon forgotten. Director Mark Brown hunts down Whitrock, now an old man, and finds a former felon struggling to adjust to life outside of a federal prison, and trying to find some sort of grace and redemption.