Bandit (2022)

Score: 6 / 10
Category: Movie
Platform: Streaming

One-line verdict

Entertaining true-crime caper with charm and charisma but weighed down by plot gaps and questionable logic.

Why I watched this

I stumbled onto this while scrolling and decided to try it mainly because of two familiar names: Elisha Cuthbert and Mel Gibson.

Elisha Cuthbert was a teen crush back in the early 2000s, so seeing her again definitely brought back memories. And Mel Gibson is simply one of those actors whose presence instantly elevates a movie. He has that kind of aura.

Another thing that caught my attention early on was how the lead character casually breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. I actually like that approach. It feels like the movie is talking directly to me rather than just telling a story.

Story & Structure

The premise follows Robert, a man struggling in life who discovers that robbing banks might be the easiest way to survive.

And according to the movie… it’s almost too easy.

Banks appear to have little resistance, sometimes even feeling like the staff are unintentionally assisting the robbery. I understand the story is based on real events, but the way it’s depicted occasionally feels closer to parody than reality.

Throughout the movie I kept thinking the lead actor looked familiar. Eventually it clicked — he looked like Josh from Transformers. Turns out it actually was Josh Duhamel.

While I was happy to see Mel Gibson appear as Tommy Kay, the character’s role in the story feels oddly placed. Robert spends most of the movie robbing banks, while Tommy functions as a fence. But that role only truly becomes relevant after a single jewelry robbery later in the story.

Until that point, his presence feels unnecessary.

The police investigation also feels surprisingly ineffective. Maybe that reflects the time period — the story takes place in Canada during the 1980s — but the film doesn’t do much to explain how Robert repeatedly gets away with things.

What worked

• Josh Duhamel carries the film with a confident, charismatic performance.
• Mel Gibson still commands attention whenever he appears.
• The fourth-wall narration adds personality to the story.
• The pacing keeps the film entertaining even when logic slips.

What didn’t

• Bank robberies feel unrealistically easy.
• Several plot gaps are left unexplained.
• Tommy Kay’s role feels underdeveloped for much of the story.
• Police incompetence stretches believability.

Considering this is based on a real criminal — Gilbert Galvan Jr. — the movie could have done more to show how he actually managed his elaborate distractions and escapes.

It’s also hard to imagine the real man looking anything like Josh Duhamel.

What others think

Audience reception for Bandit has generally been positive, especially praising Josh Duhamel’s performance and the film’s entertaining tone. Critics tend to point out the same issues I noticed — weak logic and narrative gaps.

So, my reaction isn’t far from the consensus.

Final thoughts

Bandit is fun in a casual way. The performances and pacing keep it engaging.

But once you start questioning the logic behind the robberies and the investigation, the cracks become obvious.

Because of that, it lands at 6 / 10.

Enjoyable enough.
Just don’t think too hard about it.