Bandit – Movie Review Featuring Interview With Director Allan Ungar

Bandit is based on the true life story of Gilbert Galvan Jr., aka The Flying Bandit 

Josh Duhamel, Mel Gibson, and Elisha Cuthbert star in the upcoming film, Bandit. Duhamel plays a charming career criminal who robs banks across Canada. This true story is by director Allan Ungar. He was behind the self-produced live-action Uncharted fan film. It starred Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake and Stephen Lang as Sully. Since then, Ungar went on to direct the action film Gridlocked for Netflix, starring Dominic Purcell. Ungar’s passion for making this film comes from wanting to tell a story incorporating some sense of home as a Canadian director.

Synopsis

Gilbert Galvan Jr is a charming career criminal who escapes from a US prison in Michigan and crosses the border into Canada. He assumes the identity of Robert Whiteman, and after falling in love, he turns to bank robbing and discovers that he’s exceptionally good at it. So, under the guise of a security analyst, Robert begins flying around the country, robbing multiple cities in a day. He beings to catch the attention of national news outlets that dub him The Flying Bandit. Addicted to the rush and money that provides his double life, Robert eventually turns to a loan shark and gangster Tommy Kay, for more significant opportunities. But with Robert’s notoriety growing in record time, he is put into the direct sights of a ruthless detective who will stop at nothing to bring him down.

Bandit is an entertaining 2-hour crime drama based on the true story of The Flying Bandit, portrayed by Josh Duhamel. As he plays Galvan, he embodies a smooth-talking con artist that you cannot take your eyes off. He successfully makes a horrible criminal likable and whom the audience is rooting for. This may be Duhamel’s best performance as a lead character. Mel Gibson stars alongside Duhamel but in a minor supportive role. Gibson’s character Tommy Kay doesn’t see much action even though he is supposed to be a gangster. Still, a big star, it would have been great to see Gibson in a more active role. Elisha Cuthbert, who plays the love interest of Duhamel’s Galvan, helps humanize his characters and allows a softer side of a criminal mastermind to be displayed. Although a Rated-R film about a criminal, Bandit still delivers plenty of light moments sprinkled with humor to balance the film.

Verdict

I give Bandit 3.5 out of 5 stars. With an all-star cast and intriguing story that many have not heard about before. Bandit will be In Theaters and On Demand starting September 23rd. Do you Vouch for it? Read more Reviews on Nerdtropolis and Subscribe to our YouTube.