Allan Ungar

Last updated
Allan Ungar
AUBandit20222.jpg
Born
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupations film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active2012–present
Notable work Uncharted , Bandit

Allan Ungar is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for the true crime drama Bandit , Sympathy for the Devil , and the Uncharted Live Action Fan Film .

Contents

Career

When Ungar was 23 years old, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film Tapped Out , an MMA drama starring Michael Biehn, Anderson Silva, Krzysztof Soszynski and Martin Kove. [1] Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on May 27, 2014. [2] Ungar followed up his debut with the throwback action thriller, Gridlocked , starring Dominic Purcell, Danny Glover, Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, and Saul Rubinek. [3] [4] [5] The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest where it was sold to Netflix after being well received by audiences. Variety praised it as "brutally and divertingly efficient" while other critics called it an authentic tribute to buddy cop films of the 80s and 90s. The film was released by Netflix on June 14, 2016.

On July 16, 2018, Ungar and Nathan Fillion released a live action short film based on the Naughty Dog franchise Uncharted . The short immediately went viral and received critical acclaim for its witty humor, action, and ability to stay true to the source material. Fans and critics began campaigning for Netflix or YouTube to turn it into a series while referring to it as one of the best adaptations of a video game. [6]

Ungar directed and produced the crime drama Bandit , a biopic based on the true story of The Flying Bandit starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell, and Mel Gibson. [7] It was released theatrically by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment on September 23, 2022 to positive reviews. Critics declared it Josh Duhamel's career-best performance and gave praise to Ungar's stylish direction. [8] [9] One month after the film was released, Redbox announced that it was the most watched original title of 2022 and their 2nd-best release ever. The film debuted at #1 on Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV Canada, topping streaming charts around the world. [10]

On December 16, 2022 it was announced that Ungar would be serving as an Executive Producer on the film adaptation of Death Stranding alongside Hideo Kojima and Barbarian producer Alex Lebovici. [11] As a producer, Ungar has also been linked to numerous video game adaptations including Driver from Ubisoft, System Shock , and Colleen Hoover's best selling novel Ugly Love. [12]

After producing the 2023 psychological thriller film Sympathy for the Devil , starring Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman, Ungar reunited with Josh Duhamel on the action comedy film London Calling , which also starred Rick Hoffman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Aiden Gillen. [13] It was screened in the Industry Selects program at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival before being released theatrically by Quiver Distribution on September 19, 2025. [14] [15] The film was a streaming success, climbing the charts to be the #2 movie on Hulu, #3 on Paramount Plus Canada, and becoming the #1 film in Asia on HBO MAX. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Filmography

YearFilmNotes
2014 Tapped Out Director/Writer
2015 Gridlocked Director/Co-Writer
2015 The Sound Producer
2018 Uncharted Live Action Fan Film Director/Co-Writer/Producer
2022 Bandit Director/Producer
2023 Sympathy for the Devil Producer
2025 London Calling Director/Producer/Writer
TBA Death Stranding Producer

References

  1. ↑ "Allan Ungar Interview". theactionelite.com. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (November 4, 2013). "AFM: Lionsgate, Grindstone Take U.S. Rights to Allan Ungar's 'Tapped' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (June 20, 2014). "Dominic Purcell Replacing Cuba Gooding Jr. in Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (July 2, 2014). "'Dark Angel's' Richard Gunn Joins Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (July 21, 2014). "Former TV Wrestling Diva Trish Stratus Joins 'Gridlocked'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Stephen, Bijan (July 16, 2018). "Nathan Fillion stars as Nathan Drake in what might be film's only good video game adaptation". theverge.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  7. ↑ Lang, Brent (May 19, 2021). "Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert Join Josh Duhamel in 'Bandit' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Steals The Show As A Legendary Canadian Bank Robber". The Wrap. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Josh Duhamel is superb in riveting new film Bandit". Markos Papadatos. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "In Brief: NBA stars, Wu-Tang rapper board Handle with Care". Playback Online. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "'Death Stranding' Film Adaptation in the Works From Kojima Productions". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Pinto, Jordan (June 17, 2016). "How Gridlocked got North Hollywood Films moving". playbackonline.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  13. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (December 13, 2023). "Josh Duhamel, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Rick Hoffman and Aidan Gillen Join Action Comedy 'London Calling' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Kim Izzo, "Two Canadian features chosen for TIFF Industry Selects progamme" Playback , August 15, 2024.
  15. ↑ Seigh, Steve (2025-06-16). "Josh Duhamel & Jeremy Ray Taylor are mismatched hitmen in the explosive trailer for the buddy action comedy London Calling". JoBlo . Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  16. ↑ FlixPatrol, FlixPatrol (2025-11-30). "TOP 10 on HBO Max". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  17. ↑ FlixPatrol, FlixPatrol (2025-12-21). "TOP 10 on HBO Max". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  18. ↑ "Underrated Josh Duhamel Action Comedy Has Been Sneakily Climbing Streaming Charts 3 Months After Quiet Theatrical Release". Screen Rant. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  19. ↑ FlixPatrol, FlixPatrol (2026-01-02). "TOP 10 on Hulu". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
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