Banditen!

The story of two unlikely bank robbers, a sexy accomplice, and a would-be movie stunt man who come together for one last big score. The story is complex enough to keep your attention right up until the surprise ending. Beyond that, though, this is an ensemble character study with four wonderful actors and it is a pleasure to watch them work. Bruce Willis is a tough guy with a believable sensitive side. Billy Bob Thornton is a hypochondriac with a penchant for making trivial observations at extremely critical times. Billy Bob enjoys doing different characters and this is a memorable one. Cate Blanchett is a beautiful woman running from a failed marriage who falls in love with both men. Troy Garity is a cowboy stunt man whose lapses in judgment are made forgivable by his love for his work. This is, for Garity, a very different character from role in "Barbershop". The movie is beautifully filmed in interesting places and there are even a few classy automobiles around. If you enjoy a good story, some action, and good actors working well together, I recommend that you rent this one.

I must admit, when I sat down to watch this film, I didn't expect much; I had seen a few trailers, maybe a TV-spot or two, but that's it. The only thing I knew about it was that it was a crime-comedy, and that Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton portrayed the leads. I didn't think it would be so funny and thoroughly entertaining. The idea is somewhat original, though slightly derivative of movies like Bonnie and Clyde. The plot is very good; it details the various bank-robberies of two very different partners in crime. The pace is very good too, though I found parts of the last half hour of film somewhat dragging. The acting is great; Bruce Willis is great as the aggressive and determined robber, Billy Bob Thornton does a great job as the hypochondriac and very nervous robber, and Cate Blanchett gives a great performance as the slightly neurotic hostage who eventually falls in love with both robbers. The characters are well-written and credible. The comedy, crime and drama was well-integrated, and well-done. I didn't care too much for the romance angle, though, but, for what it's worth, it's not a bad one, and definitely not the worst I've seen. The actors have great on-screen chemistry, and they are well-casted. I liked the way the story was told; it left you thinking that you were merely following the events leading up to the end, but then, during the last few minutes, there is an excellent twist, which took me entirely by surprise, and made a great ending for a great film. Considering that the film is a PG-13 rated, two-hour long comedy which deals with crime, and has some drama integrated in it, it's really good. It's very funny, entertaining, and original. The humor is well-done, rarely falls flat, and mostly works great in the film. I liked that they mostly dodged stereotypes and cliches, instead of wallowing in them, like many other comedies nowadays do. I recommend it to fans of comedies, crime related films and dramas. To a lesser extent, it's also recommendable to fans of romance. Most general movie fans should also enjoy this, at least to some extent. 7/10

I enjoyed it epically the first time I saw and, I still haven't gotten tired of all its charms. Bandits is almost adorable. It takes us on a breezy ride of crime and comedy, up and down the US west coast with killer one liners, witty dialogue, in addition to soundtrack which features more great hits than any five movies combined, including some Bob Dylan, some Bonnie Tyler, some Robert Plant, some U2 and many others. But seriously, don't get the soundtrack, get the movie.

When the curtain rises, The 'Sleepover Bandits' Joe Blake and Terry Collins, have screwed up a major bank robbery and are now trapped inside surrounded by the LAPD, the Swat and hundred of press. We then flash back several months to when the two break out of prison in Oregon. Once on the loose they form a plan to escape into Mexico and run a hotel. But first, they have to rob a lot of banks. Thinks are going well at first until a big bump in the road appears. Kate Wheeler is running away from her miserable life, she runs into the Bandits, who make her a hostage, but both fall in love with her, and while she is having the time of her life on the run with these guys, she may also be the straw that breaks the camels back and ends Joe and Terry's friendship.

From the first scene it is established that Kate was the one who tipped of the cops, and is the reason why the two are trapped in the bank. The Journey towards this particular moment however, is wild. The romantic element is funny, the crime element is funny, and the comedic element is especially funny. These Bandits turn out to be likable guys, We end up rooting for them, even though they may occasionally get childish and immature. Bruce Willis is not a funny guy, but here he plays almost a satire of himself. We are used to seeing him as a ruffian. Billy Bob Thornton is very funny, and because of his character's hypochodria, he gets to deliver some of the best lines in the movie. Bandits also offers what may Cate Blanchett's most adorable role. This must've been a fun movie to act in.

There is a lot more worth saying about Bandits, but I don't wanna over sell it. You really have to see it for yourselves.

BANDITS / (2001) ***1/2 (out of four)

Barry Levinson's clever romantic comedy Bandits makes stealing money look fun and simple. I can see it now: young, influential criminals holding up entire banks with magic markers. Certain things in this movie make such perfect sense, we wonder why nobody's thought of them before.

Even the casting makes perfect sense. Who better to play a handsome, spontaneous ladies man than Bruce Willis? And who could portray an intelligent, hypochondriac better than Billy Bob Thornton? Together, these two characters make the perfect man. Of course, it's only a matter of time before a woman becomes involved and finds herself split between the two.

But Bandits is anything but your average run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Willis and Thornton play Joe Blake and Terry Collins, two criminals in a high security prison. As the movie opens, they escape from prison in such a way that probably makes the other prisoners hit themselves on the head and ask "Why didn't I think of that?"

Just as soon as they switch getaway cars, Joe and Terry rob a bank to finance their upcoming adventures. After hooking up with an old friend of Joe's, a wannabe stuntman played by Troy Garity, the criminals devise a foolproof plan to rob banks: they take the bank manager hostage the night before a heist, sleep over at his house, then go into the bank with him the next morning before business hours. No unexpected holdups. No complications. Just take the money and leave before the first customer arrives.

The Joe and Terry dream of escaping to a tropical location and opening a margarita bar. Their success as bank robbers eventually puts them at the top of the FBI's most wanted list. Things become even more complicated when Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett) runs into one of the crooks and wants to become a part of their lifestyle. When she falls in love with both men, the situation really starts to heat up.

Oscar-winner Barry Levinsion gives Bandits a humble sense of reality. He doesn't place Joe and Terry on a pedestal and treat them like superheroes; he actually opens the film revealing their presumed demise. Although in interviews he explains that he was initially unsure how to handle the material, his uncertainty does not show in the final production. He has found the perfect blend of romance, action, and comedy to satisfy all tastes and styles.

Bandits opens with a bookend revealing parts of the film's finale. This doesn't really work. Normally, this technique is used when a movie is more about a journey than what actually happens at the end. Although Bandits is indeed more about a journey, the movie's structure does not support such an opening. It doesn't provide us with enough information to work effectively, and, after a final twist at the very end, this technique seems pointless since it doesn't reveal the actual ending, anyway.

Nonetheless, Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett deliver fine performances, forming a charismatic, unlikely love triangle. Troy Garity, gleeful and eccentric, steals all of his scenes in memorable supporting role. Despite the various structural flaws, the cast alone is enough to redeem Bandits as an above average comic adventure. It's one of the year's most fun surprises.

BANDITS (2001) ***** Barry Levinson's 'Bandits' is an outlandish story of two prisoners who break out of restrictive quarters and take to the road for a change of pace. They rob banks to get their income, intertwine with a run-away housewife, and are, of course, chased by the law. From the very beginning the movie takes off with such exciting momentum one may wonder if it will keep its pace until the closing scene; yet it does. Terrific turns by Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, and Troy Garrity make this the best film of its kind--where we root for the bad guys--since early cinema. Simply excellent.