A crime thriller releasing exclusively on VOD that sees Josh Duhamel and Mel Gibson taking pride of place in the marketing generates a certain set of expectations, and not a particularly encouraging one at that given their respective recent filmographies. However, Bandit surprised everyone when it landed late last year and won an impressive amount of praise.
Inspired by true events, Duhamel was singled out for delivering the best performance of his entire career as a notorious lifelong criminal who assumed a new identity in Canada before going on to rob no less than 59 banks and jewellery stores, all while managing to evade capture with the law always lingering at least one step behind.
Meanwhile, Gibson brought his signature grizzled gravitas to a supporting role, in what proved to be one of the best entries in his back catalogue over the last few years, which admittedly isn’t a high bar to clear when the fallen Academy Award winner has been signing on for virtually everything that comes his way.
A Rotten Tomatoes score of 74 percent coupled with an 81 percent audience approval rating hints that Bandit might just be worth your time, a sentiment that’s being shared this weekend by subscribers to a trio of rival streaming platforms. Per FlixPatrol, the breezy caper has become one of the biggest hits on Prime Video’s global charts, while also staking out a spot on the worldwide rankings of both iTunes and Google Play Movies, with a new wave of viewers being won over by its surprisingly impressive charms.
Published: Feb 26, 2023 02:49 am