Allan Ungar Explained

Allan Ungar
Birth Place:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality:Canadian
Occupation:film director, producer, screenwriter
Years Active:2012present
Notable Works:Uncharted, Bandit

Allan Ungar is a Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for the true crime drama Bandit, Sympathy for the Devil, and the Uncharted Live Action Fan Film.

Career

When Ungar was 23 years old, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film Tapped Out, an MMA drama starring Michael Biehn, Anderson Silva, Krzysztof Soszynski and Martin Kove.[1] Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on May 27, 2014.[2] Ungar followed up his debut with the throwback action thriller, Gridlocked, starring Dominic Purcell, Danny Glover, Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, and Saul Rubinek.[3] [4] [5] The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest where it was sold to Netflix after being well received by audiences. Variety praised it as "brutally and divertingly efficient" while other critics called it an authentic tribute to buddy cop films of the 80s and 90s. The film was released by Netflix on June 14, 2016.

On July 16, 2018, Ungar and Nathan Fillion released a live action short film based on the Naughty Dog franchise Uncharted. The short immediately went viral and received critical acclaim for its witty humor, action, and ability to stay true to the source material. Fans and critics began campaigning for Netflix or YouTube to turn it into a series while referring to it as one of the best adaptations of a video game.[6]

Ungar directed and produced the crime drama Bandit, a biopic based on the true story of The Flying Bandit starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nestor Carbonell, and Mel Gibson.[7] It was released theatrically by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment on September 23, 2022 to positive reviews. Critics declared it Josh Duhamel's career-best performance and gave praise to Ungar's stylish direction.[8] [9] One month after the film was released, Redbox announced that it was the most watched original title of 2022 and their 2nd-best release ever. The film debuted at #1 on Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV Canada, topping streaming charts around the world.[10]

On December 16, 2022 it was announced that Ungar would be serving as an Executive Producer on the film adaptation of Death Stranding alongside Hideo Kojima and Barbarian producer Alex Lebovici.[11]

Filmography

YearFilmNotes
2014Tapped Out Director/Writer
2015GridlockedDirector/Co-Writer
2015The SoundProducer
2018Uncharted Live Action Fan Film Director/Co-Writer/Producer
2022BanditDirector/Producer
2023Sympathy for the DevilProducer
TBADeath StrandingProducer
TBALondon CallingDirector/Producer

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Allan Ungar Interview. theactionelite.com. July 13, 2015. May 27, 2014. July 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150713131303/http://theactionelite.com/2014/05/allan-ungar-interview/. dead.
  2. News: Vlessing. Etan. AFM: Lionsgate, Grindstone Take U.S. Rights to Allan Ungar's 'Tapped' (Exclusive). July 13, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com. November 4, 2013.
  3. News: Vlessing. Etan. Dominic Purcell Replacing Cuba Gooding Jr. in Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked'. July 12, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com. June 20, 2014.
  4. News: Vlessing. Etan. 'Dark Angel's' Richard Gunn Joins Canadian Indie 'Gridlocked' (Exclusive). July 12, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com. July 2, 2014.
  5. News: Vlessing. Etan. Former TV Wrestling Diva Trish Stratus Joins 'Gridlocked'. July 12, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com. July 21, 2014.
  6. News: Stephen. Bijan. Nathan Fillion stars as Nathan Drake in what might be film's only good video game adaptation. July 16, 2018. theverge.com. July 16, 2018.
  7. News: Lang. Brent. Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert Join Josh Duhamel in 'Bandit' (EXCLUSIVE) . May 19, 2021. variety.com. May 19, 2021.
  8. Web site: Bandit Review: Josh Duhamel Steals The Show As A Legendary Canadian Bank Robber . The Wrap . 21 September 2022 . en.
  9. Web site: Josh Duhamel is superb in riveting new film Bandit. Markos Papadatos . 23 September 2022 . en.
  10. Web site: In Brief: NBA stars, Wu-Tang rapper board Handle with Care . Playback Online . 28 October 2022 . en.
  11. Web site: 'Death Stranding' Film Adaptation in the Works From Kojima Productions . Variety . 16 December 2022 . en.