Bandit (2022) Movie Review

Bandit, a film based on a true story, takes us back to an era where it would have been a TV movie of the week. Even today, it retains a non-"theatrical" feel. While it might have a future as a streaming rental, it's mostly due to Mel Gibson's name still holding some weight, despite his waning star power. However, the movie is anchored by Josh Duhamel, who exudes an easygoing charisma, making him a compelling reason to watch Bandit. Although it's technically a thriller, the movie is more of a dramedy, focusing on the unlikely exploits of a bank robber. Surprisingly, there's no body count, and no one suffers a serious injury. The reason for the movie's existence is that it's based on the life and times of Gilbert Galvan Jr., one of Canada's most successful bank robbers, who pulled off 59 consecutive heists – a record that still stands.

Canadian filmmaker Allan Ungar (Gridlocked), working from Kraig Wenman’s adaptation of Robert Knuckle’s “The Flying Bandit,” presents a fictionalized version of Galvan's life. The movie begins in 1984 with Galvan (Josh Duhamel) escaping from a minimum-security prison in Michigan and fleeing across the border to Canada, where he assumes a new identity as Robert Whiteman. Galvan then proceeds to rob banks to support himself. He learns that bank security guards aren't armed, and the tellers are instructed to follow the robber's commands, even if they include not putting a dye pack in with the money and not hitting the silent alarm.

While staying at a shelter in Ottawa, Galvan meets Andrea Hudson (Elisha Cuthbert), and the two become involved with each other. When Andrea reveals that she's pregnant, Galvan decides to ask her to marry him. Meanwhile, as his bank robbing becomes more profitable, he seeks financial backing from local fencer and all-around bigwig, Tommy Kay (Mel Gibson). However, Galvan begins to attract attention, most notably from John Snydes (Nestor Carbonnell), a police officer whose unwavering persistence puts him on a collision course with Canada's most wanted bank robber.

The first 70 minutes of Bandit are breezy and go down easy, with occasional effervescent peaks. The chemistry between Josh Duhamel and Elisha Cuthbert is palpable, and Mel Gibson steps away from the heavies he has been playing lately to play a likable rogue. However, the final half-hour is predictable and brings the movie down. The problem with telling a true story like this is that the ending is already written, leaving little room for any twists or surprises. It's an anticlimax.

One of the major issues with Bandit is that most of Galvan's robberies are skipped over. In many caper-based films, audiences enjoy watching the intricate planning and execution of the heists. There's only a little of that here, and it's not the focus. Moreover, there's not much tension or suspense since very little effort is invested in staging the heists. The pacing is leisurely, and while Ungar is invested in telling Galvan's story and fleshing out the man behind the dubious legend, it feels like he's skipping a more intense rendition of the same basic story. Bandit offers more of a diversion than an experience.

Ultimately, Bandit offers more of a diversion than an experience. The movie's pacing is too leisurely, and the inevitability of the final half-hour brings it down. The problem with telling a true story like this is that the ending is written in stone, and the screenplay cannot do anything about it. As a result, the term "anticlimax" comes to mind.