Bandit (film)

Last updated
Bandit
Bandit (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Allan Ungar
Written byKraig Wenman
Based onThe Flying Bandit
by Robert Knuckle
Produced byEric Gozlan
Jordan Yale Levine
Jordan Beckerman
Starring Josh Duhamel
Mel Gibson
Elisha Cuthbert
Nestor Carbonell
CinematographyAlex Chinnici
Edited byMichael Lane
Allan Ungar
Music by
Production
companies
Goldrush Entertainment
Yale Productions
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 23, 2022 (2022-09-23)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Bandit is a 2022 Canadian biographical crime film directed by Allan Ungar and starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell and Mel Gibson. [1] The film is based on the true life story of Gilbert Galvan Jr (also known as The Flying Bandit), who still holds a record for the most consecutive robberies in Canadian history. The screenplay by Kraig Wenman is largely based on interviews and accounts featured in the 1996 true crime book The Flying Bandit by Robert Knuckle and Ed Arnold. [2]

Contents

Redbox Entertainment and Quiver Distribution acquired North American distribution rights to the film and released it in theatres and on demand on September 23, 2022. [3] [4] The film received mostly positive reviews, with critics calling it a career-best performance by Duhamel.

Premise

Gilbert Galvan Jr, a charming career criminal, escapes from a Michigan prison and crosses the border into Ontario, Canada where he assumes a new identity as Robert Whiteman. After falling in love with a woman he cannot provide for, he turns to robbing banks and discovers that he is exceptionally good at it. Under the guise of a security analyst, Robert begins flying around the country robbing multiple cities in a day, eventually catching the attention of national news outlets that dub him "The Flying Bandit". With his notoriety growing in record time, he is put into the direct sight of a ruthless detective who will stop at nothing to bring him down.

Cast

Production

Casting

On October 30, 2020, it was announced that Josh Duhamel would star as Gilbert Galvan Jr in an adaptation of Robert Knuckle's book The Flying Bandit, which details the life of Galvan. [1] [9] On May 19, 2021, Mel Gibson and Elisha Cuthbert joined the cast. On June 15, 2021, it was reported that Nestor Carbonell had joined the cast as a detective hunting Duhamel's character. [10]

Filming

Filming was originally planned to take place in Vancouver and Ottawa, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the production was relocated to the state of Georgia. [11] Film crews were spotted in and around the Valdosta area in May and June 2021. [12] Additional filming took place in Ottawa in September 2021.

During interviews with Collider and Screen Rant , director Allan Ungar revealed that even though the shooting schedule was cut from 32 days down to 21, the production still managed to shoot 200 scenes in 95 sets and locations. This often required Ungar to be directing three units at once, sometimes with cast member Nestor Carbonell's help. [13] Carbonell tore his achilles tendon while filming the chase scene for The Big Vancouver. Although he was advised to go in for surgery immediately, he decided to stay on until the completion of principal photography with the assistance of a walking boot. Despite this, only a few of the scenes involving his character Snydes had to be rewritten. [14]

Release

The film was theatrically released in the United States and Canada on September 23, 2022, and was also made available on digital platforms. [15] In its first two weeks of release, Bandit was the #1 movie on iTunes across multiple categories and was the 5th most watched film on the platform. [16] [17] Upon its debut on Paramount Plus Canada, it was the #1 film in its first week. [18] It was released in the UK and several countries across Europe as an Amazon Original on Prime Video on February 22, 2023 where it spent its first two weeks at #1 and #2, and remained in the top 10 of all films for its first month. The film also reached #1 on Apple TV in Canada, Australia, Spain and Russia. [19]

On October 28, 2022, a month after its release, Redbox announced that the film was the most-watched original title of 2022 and their second-best performing release ever. [20]

Reception

Critical response

Critical reception for the film has been mostly positive, with many critics and journalists praising Josh Duhamel for delivering a career-best performance as well as Ungar's direction. [21] [22] On Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 34 critics gave the film a positive review, with the critic consensus declaring "It struggles to consistently capture its fact-based story's stranger-than-fiction charm, but Bandit mostly works -- and Josh Duhamel has never been better." [23]

Chris Bumbray from Joblo called Duhamel's performance "terrific" in a "solid crime caper" and Julian Roman from Movieweb said "Josh Duhamel gives his career-best performance as a wily and infectiously charming bank robber." [24] Chris Knight from The National Post rated the film four out of five stars and said "Toronto director Allan Ungar keeps the pace fast and light; despite a two-hour running time, the film never lags." [25]

Brian Costello from Common Sense Media also rated the film four out of five stars and said "Bandit is over two hours long, but the balance between the action and the story is so solid, it's easy to get lost in what's happening." [26]

Vincent Mancini from Uproxx was more mixed in his review, but expressed that "Duhamel has never been better.". [27] Screen Rant's Brittany Witherspoon was also mixed in her review, giving the film a 2.5/4 but said "the chemistry between Josh Duhamel and Elisha Cuthbert is exceptional." [28]

Elizabeth Weitzman from The Wrap said "Josh Duhamel steals the show" and that "it may occur to you while watching that the star would have made a great, old-school Bond." [21] Film critic Richard Crouse gave the film three out of four stars, calling it a "Slick, although not very deep, crime story buoyed by enjoyable performances." [29]

Digital Journal called Duhamel's performance "superb" and the film "riveting." Markos Papadatos noted that "Duhamel delivers a raw, unflinching, and commanding performance as Gilbert, and he steals every scene he is in. His delivery is controlled and subtle, and he captures the conscience of the clever bank robber." [30]

Accolades

The film won the award for Best Soundtrack at the 2023 Canadian Sync Awards as part of Canadian Music Week. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Duhamel</span> American actor

Joshua David Duhamel is an American actor. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children and later starred as Danny McCoy on NBC's Las Vegas.

Redbox Automated Retail, LLC is an American video on-demand streaming and video rental company specializing in DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD rentals and purchases and formerly video games via automated retail kiosks and TVOD, AVOD, and FAST services via its website, Android and iOS apps, and many consumer electronic devices. Redbox kiosks feature the company's signature red color and are located at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, mass retailers, and pharmacies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keli Price</span> American film producer and actor

Keli Price is an American film producer and actor known for executive producing the biographical crime film Bandit (2022), and for his roles as Bobby Love in Nickelodeon's The Naked Brothers Band "Battle of The Bands" (2007) TV movie episode, and Chris Abeley in the Warner Bros. film The Clique (2008), based on the best-selling young adult book series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisha Cuthbert</span> Canadian actress (born 1982)

Elisha Ann Cuthbert is a Canadian actress. As a child actress, she made her first televised appearance as an extra in the horror-themed series for children Are You Afraid of the Dark? and co-hosted Popular Mechanics for Kids. She made her feature-film debut in the 1997 Canadian family drama Dancing on the Moon. Her first major lead role came in the 1998 drama film Airspeed alongside Joe Mantegna. In 2001, she starred in the movie Lucky Girl, for which she received her first award, the Gemini Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Gibson filmography</span>

Mel Gibson is an American actor, director, and producer, who made his acting debut on the Australian television drama series The Sullivans (1976–1983). While a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, he was given an uncredited role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and subsequently appeared as a leading actor in the micro budget surf drama Summer City. Gibson rose to prominence during the Australian New Wave cinema movement in the early 1980s, having appeared in his breakthrough role in George Miller's dystopian action film Mad Max (1979), portraying the eponymous hero. He reprised the role in its sequels, Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). He appeared in Peter Weir's war drama Gallipoli (1981) and the romantic drama The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). Five years later he played Martin Riggs in the buddy cop action comedy Lethal Weapon alongside Danny Glover—a role he later reprised in its sequels Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrese Gibson</span> American singer and actor

Tyrese Darnell Gibson, also known mononymously as Tyrese, is an American actor and R&B singer. His self-titled debut album, released in 1998, featured the single "Sweet Lady". The record peaked at number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His second and third albums, 2000 Watts and I Wanna Go There, were released in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The latter contained the lead single "How You Gonna Act Like That", which became Gibson's highest-charting single, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. His fourth album, Alter Ego, explored hip hop, while he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for his fifth album, Open Invitation (2011). Gibson's sixth album, Black Rose (2015), debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming his highest-charting album. He has sold over 4 million records in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Ungar</span> Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter

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.

<i>Crown Heights</i> (film) 2017 American film

Crown Heights is a 2017 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Matt Ruskin. Adapted from a This American Life podcast, the film tells the true story of Colin Warner who was wrongfully convicted of murder, and how his best friend Carl King devoted his life to proving Colin's innocence. The film stars Lakeith Stanfield as Colin Warner and Nnamdi Asomugha as Carl King.

<i>Lost in the Sun</i> 2015 American film

Lost in the Sun is a 2015 drama thriller film written and directed by Trey Nelson, and starring Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins, Lynn Collins, and Emma Fuhrmann.

<i>Dragged Across Concrete</i> 2018 American crime thriller film directed by S. Craig Zahler

Dragged Across Concrete is a 2018 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Fred Melamed, Udo Kier, Thomas Kretschmann, and Don Johnson. The story follows two childhood friends and two police detectives who are suspended for police brutality who in a desperate need for money, are embroiled in a robbery done by a professional thief.

<i>Honest Thief</i> 2020 film directed by Mark Williams

Honest Thief is a 2020 American action thriller film directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay by Williams and Steve Allrich. The film stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick, and follows a brooding former bank robber who decides to turn himself in to the FBI, only to be set up by corrupt agents.

<i>Last Looks</i> 2022 American-British mystery film

Last Looks is a 2022 American-British mystery film, directed by Tim Kirkby, from a screenplay by Howard Michael Gould based on his novel of the same name. It stars Charlie Hunnam, Mel Gibson, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Rupert Friend, Dominic Monaghan, Jacob Scipio and Clancy Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Preschutti</span> American Producer and inventor

Stanley Preschutti is an American film producer and technology executive. Preschutti presented new 3D entertainment technology at the 3D Summit in Hollywood, California in September 2012. In 2021, Lionsgate announced the distribution of Preschutti's film, The Virtuoso, starring Anthony Hopkins. Preschutti is best known as the executive producer on the film, Paradise City, starring Bruce Willis and John Travolta, which is their fourth film together, after Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too, and Pulp Fiction.

<i>Blackout</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Blackout is a 2022 American action crime thriller film directed by Sam Macaroni and starring Josh Duhamel, Abbie Cornish, Nick Nolte and Omar Chaparro.

<i>Panama</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Panama is a 2022 action thriller film directed by Mark Neveldine and starring Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson. It was released in the United States on March 18, 2022 by Saban Films.

<i>Dangerous</i> (2021 film) 2021 film

Dangerous is a 2021 action thriller film directed by David Hackl and starring Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand, and Mel Gibson. The film was released on November 5, 2021. It was David Hackl's fifth film as director. Dangerous was produced by Kevin DeWalt, Ben DeWalt and Doug Falconer under the banners of Mind's Eye Entertainment and Falconer Pictures; and marks the last film of Falconer as a producer - he suddenly died in July 2021 before the release of the film. The film was distributed in the United States and the United Kingdom by Lionsgate. It received negative reviews from critics for its plot and action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quiver Distribution</span> American-Canadian film company

Quiver Distribution is an American-Canadian film production and film distribution company founded in 2019 by Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman. The company, sometimes referred to as an indie film company, is best known for releasing films The Fanatic, Running with the Devil, and Becky. In addition to its headquarters in Los Angeles, the company has a facility in Toronto. The firm's customers have included Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Sony and Paramount.

Gilbert William Galvan Jr. is an American bank robber. Having spent many of his adult years in prison, Galvan fled to Canada where he assumed the name Robert Lee Whiteman and began a three-year spree robbing banks and jewelry stores in the 1980s. The media dubbed him the Flying Bandit and the Phantom Bandit. Galvan's exploits were the subject of a 1996 true crime book, The Flying Bandit, written by Robert Knuckle and Ed Arnold, which was adapted into the 2022 film Bandit.

Confidential Informant is a 2023 American thriller film written by Michael Oblowitz, Michael Kaycheck and Brooke Nasser, directed by Oblowitz and starring Dominic Purcell, Kate Bosworth and Mel Gibson.

Clawfoot is a 2023 American thriller film written by April Wolfe, directed by Michael Day and starring Francesca Eastwood, Milo Gibson and Olivia Culpo. It is Day's feature directorial debut.

References

  1. 1 2 Kit, Borys (October 30, 2020). "Josh Duhamel to star in Heist Thriller Bandit (EXCLUSIVE)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Redbox and Quiver Expand Original Film Slate Acquire True-Crime Thriller "BANDIT" Based on the Best-Selling Novel The Flying Bandit Starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell, and Mel Gibson". Business Wire. July 27, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. ↑ Gruenwedel, Erik (July 26, 2021). "Redbox Expands Original Film Slate Acquiring True-Crime Thriller 'Bandit'". Media Play News. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  4. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (August 15, 2022). "'Bandit' Trailer Shows Josh Duhamel as an Unstoppable Canadian Bank Robber [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ Christinck, Debbi (June 30, 2021). "Mel Gibson in upcoming movie based on Ottawa Valley bandit". Toronto Star . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ Horst, Carole (July 10, 2021). "First Look: Josh Duhamel in Crime Thriller 'Bandit'". Variety . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  7. ↑ Ho, Rodney (May 29, 2021). "Mel Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert shooting 'Bandit' film in Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (June 29, 2021). "Cannes: Josh Duhamel on Playing a Career Criminal in 'Bandit,' 'Jupiter's Legacy' Cancellation". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ Mcnary, Dave (October 26, 2020). "Josh Duhamel Boarding Bank Heist Thriller 'Bandit". variety.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 15, 2021). "Nestor Carbonell Joins Josh Duhamel in Action Thriller 'Bandit". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lang, Brent (May 19, 2021). "Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert Join Josh Duhamel in 'Bandit' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  12. ↑ Morejon, Jennifer (June 9, 2021). "'Bandit' movie shoot takes over Downtown Valdosta". wctv.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ Hermanns, Grant (September 28, 2022). "Allan Ungar & Nestor Carbonell Interview: Bandit". Screen Rant . Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ Weintraub, Steve (September 27, 2022). "Néstor Carbonell and 'Bandit' Director Allan Ungar Talk Wild True Story About Canada's Infamous Flying Bandit". Collider . Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill. "'Railway Children,' Anvil, Abigail Disney & 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' – Specialty Preview". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "iTunes Top Independent Movies". Pop Vortex. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  17. ↑ "What Killed 'Blonde' at Netflix? The Gerard Butler Did It". Indiewire . Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Top 10 on Paramount+ In Canada". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  19. ↑ "Flix Patrol Bandit". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "In Brief: NBA stars, Wu-Tang rapper board Handle with Care". Playback Online. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Steals The Show As A Legendary Canadian Bank Robber". The Wrap. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Bandit Review". Joblo. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  23. ↑ "Bandit". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Charms as Clever Bank Robber". Movieweb. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "Bandit is the tale of a well-travelled bank robber". National Post. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "Bandit Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "Bandit Review: A Decently Entertaining Bank Robber Movie". National Post. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  28. ↑ "Bandit Review: Ungar's Crime Drama Organically Thrills Despite Mixed Signals". Screen Rant. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  29. ↑ "Bandit: 3 Stars". Richard Crouse. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  30. ↑ "Josh Duhamel is superb in riveting new film Bandit". Markos Papadatos. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  31. ↑ King, Ashley (2023-06-09). "Here are the Winners of the 2023 Canadian Sync Awards". Digital Music News. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.