Evil Genius Review: A Bizarre True Story That Doesn’t Need Another Retelling [TIFF]

Evil Genius retells Netflix’s bizarre true-crime story, but Patricia Arquette’s familiar performance struggles to make the movie stand out. Published Sep 14, 2026, 6:32 AM EDT Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X. A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times. In 2018, Netflix released the true-crime documentary series Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist, which quickly made its way to the top of the charts. The series went viral for its bizarre true story, and the fact that Netflix (in typical fashion for the streamer) released all four episodes at once certainly helped the popularity of the show overall. The success of that documentary led to the production of a movie based on the same story. With a shortened title, director Courteney Cox’s (yes, that Courteney Cox) Evil Genius premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and follows the same real life people as they commit the strangest (and most absurd) of crimes. Evil Genius showcases the story of Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong (Patricia Arquette) and Bill Rothstein (David Harbour), two lovers with a complicated relationship. The duo were a couple when they were younger, but Marjorie cut things off abruptly; despite that, they both remained close for decades. Eventually, Marjorie comes up with an elaborate scheme to rob a bank in order to pay off a man who promises to kill her husband (for a $250,000 payment). She recruits Bill to come up with the plan, and it’s he who builds the bomb that becomes the centerpiece of the infamous pizza bomber case, as it was strapped to a pizza delivery driver. Evil Genius Is A Repetitive Retelling Of Netflix’s Documentary The trouble with making a dramatized version of a true-crime documentary like this is that, all things considered, the source material came out not that long ago – and that’s not even taking into account those who discovered the original series in the eight years since. As a result, the film may feel all too familiar for some viewers, and it may work best for those completely unfamiliar with the original story. Arquette is serviceable in the role, providing a somewhat convincing performance that, much like the broader movie around her, is just about okay. That doesn’t make the Evil Genius movie bad, necessarily, but it certainly dampens its impact. Even so, Cox's movie still largely works, at least from an entertainment perspective. The true story is proof that life is often stranger than fiction – a murderous woman manipulating those around her, all the way to her acquaintances (in this case, pizza man Brian Wells), is a premise bound to catch the attention of the viewer. It's only natural that Evil Genius is able to hold the audience's attention for the majority of its runtime. Patricia Arquette Gives An All Too Familiar Performance In the starring role is Patricia Arquette (working with Cox, her ex-sister-in-law), who, along with David Harbour, carries the film and appears in almost every scene. Arquette is serviceable in the role, providing a somewhat convincing performance that, much like the broader movie around her, is just about okay. Hindering Arquette’s turn in Evil Genius is the fact that she’s played so many similar roles in her career, especially in recent years. One’s mind immediately wanders to titles like Escape to Dannemora, where she plays a disturbed (likely mentally ill) woman. Admittedly, she does play this kind of character extremely well, and she deserves credit for her performance in Evil Genius. Yet, much like the actual story of the film itself, her work ultimately feels too familiar for it to succeed as much as the filmmakers would hope. Evil Genius premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.