Bandit

Based on a true story (wathc the end credits, you'll get to see the real master thief being interviewed!).

The story: A Canadian bankrobber (during the eighties) managed to rob dozens of banks in a row. How did he do it? And did he get away with it?

The good: this is a run of the mill heist movie. Nothing out of the ordinary, but what makes this movie still worth a watch are the good acting performances and the understated humor.

Mel Gibson only has got a small supporting role by the way, so dont expect to see him much more than 15 minutes tops, but in those 15 minutes he does act well, acting as a rough and cunning old crime boss.

I always like to see a bankrobber play it cool when he robs a bank and this character is not only cool, but also quite funny, in a understated way!

Any bad? An half an hour could have been easily cut out of it, without hurting the movie. It gets a bit repetitive and a bit tedious at moments in the middle. And the love story part is a bit superfluous.

In the end this is simply a run of the mill heist movie. Not laugh out loud funny, but quite witty nonetheless. But beware it isnt spectacular or thrilling in any way, it's more of a laidback and mellow heist movie. But nonetheless entertaining enough to award it with a decent 6 stars.

It's an interesting story that as a Canadian, I didn't even know about, but even Duhamel's charm wasn't enough to save the disjointed narrative. There are many small issues that failed this film to be great, instead of just good. One of the issues was the long and dragged out 126 min runtime; it had too much frustratingly bland filler and too little engaging substance to hold the viewer's attention. I was getting impatient in many scenes to "just get on with the story". I don't mind long running times, especially when time flies in the way the story is laid out and told, but in this case, time dragged on and I kept losing interest in between many scenes. I also felt the film suffered an identity crisis - not sure if it wanted to be taken seriously, or make me laugh along the way. Both happened, but not enough of either to keep me entertained in the 126 mins. The funny parts weren't funny enough, and the suspenseful parts were too far in between. I feel this needed to be cut down to a 90-100 min runtime to be more enjoyable. The middle parts of the film just didn't hold my attention very well. Even the narrating felt half completed and question if it needed more, or none at all to get the story going. It all just felt too bland and pedestrian to keep me entertained throughout. Although performances were decent and convincing especially Gibson and Duhamel, and the cinematography and score on point, this could've easily been more fun and suspenseful in the hands of more seasoned filmmakers.

A fun, light, movie that would be entertaining even if it wasn't based on true events. That fact that it is, just makes it better. Good acting, good jokes, not a dull moment. Highly recommend.

Josh Duhamel fits the role perfectly, so does Mel Gibson. Don't believe the reviews trashing the acting or the script because honestly, it is exactly what it is supposed to be. This is not a documentary nor was it written to be one, but if you look online for facts about the flying bandit, they managed to be much more accurate than most movies "based on true events". So, all and all, a great entertaining watch.

Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant used to play this type of role and Josh Duhamel does a fine job with it, ably supported by Elisha Cuthbert and Mel Gibson. The movie amuses with a well-paced account of the bank robbing career of one of the all-time greats, Gilbert Galvan Jr., all around cosplayer and makeup artist. It's hard to believe it was this easy, but it's hard to argue with 59 successful armed robberies and $2.3 million. Hopefully, this film will not inspire imitators, even though stealing is virtually legal now in some jurisdictions. This sensible, good-natured film is worth one viewing.

Bandit is based on true events, that's how it starts, and that always makes it more interesting, gives the story a little punch. It's hard to believe though, makes you almost want to rob banks yourself, that's how easy it looked. But that was then, this wouldn't be possible anymore in this time and age. The story is easy to watch, no boring moments, a pinch of humour, and a good cast. Josh Duhamel plays the main character and he made him believable, a charismatic con artist that looks like he could get away with anything. Mel Gibson has a smaller role but for once he wasn't bad, a thing you could not really say for the last past years. If you like the crime genre Bandit is certainly worth a watch.