Bandit (2022)

Bandit is the kind of true-crime thriller that wins you over with sheer charm and forward motion: it’s slick, snappy, and surprisingly light on its feet even as the stakes keep tightening. Josh Duhamel gives his best work here, making a career criminal feel disarmingly human without asking you to excuse him, while the film’s glossy Canadian road-show vibe turns each robbery into a tense little set piece that’s more about nerve than bloodshed. Mel Gibson adds a grizzled, unpredictable spark, and the whole thing moves with the pleasurable momentum of a caper you can’t stop watching, even when you know the walls are closing in. It’s not for viewers who want a sober, procedural deep-dive—there’s strong language, some nudity, and a punchy, crowd-pleasing tone—but if you’re on the fence, this one’s an easy yes for a fast, stylish night at the movies.

Bandit wants to be a slick, true-crime crowd-pleaser: a charming outlaw, a romance with stakes, and a cat-and-mouse chase across Canada. The problem is it often feels overstuffed and oddly disjointed, piling on heists and side threads until the middle starts to drag and the tone keeps wobbling between breezy caper and grim crime drama. If you need a tight thriller with a clear moral point of view and escalating tension, this may test your patience with repetition and bloat. Still, Josh Duhamel’s likability and Mel Gibson’s gruff energy give it some watchable moments, especially if you’re in the mood for a casually entertaining “based on a true story” crime yarn rather than a razor-sharp film.