The Whiskey Bandit, the film based on the real-life story of a Romanian-born hockey player turned bank robber, will arrive in local cinemas this Friday, January 26.

Attila Ambrus was one of the most famous bank robbers in Hungary. He was born in Miercurea Ciuc, eastern Transylvania, but left the country in 1980s. He managed to get Hungarian citizenship and joined a professional ice hockey team. However, at the same time he also began with the robberies that made him famous, with the first one in 1993. After this success, Ambrus continued a string of 27 robberies of banks, post offices, and travel agents that ended with his arrest in 1999.

He became known as The Whiskey Robber because he used to drink whiskey prior to the robbery. Other stories were built around him, such as the one according to which he was sending the police bottles of wine.

He was sentenced to 17 years in a maximum-security prison but was released early on parole for good behavior. He now has a new hobby: pottery.

Attila Ambrus’ life was also the subject of book Ballad of the Whiskey Robber (2004) by Julian Rubinstein. The movie The Whiskey Bandit, directed by Hungarian-American Nimród Antal, will arrive in local cinemas this Friday, January 26.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iRMhHyF5Ng

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: IMDB)