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Bandits

Bandits

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sharing profits & love
Review: Given that the film had a rather eccentric bunch of characters (afterall, they were supposed to be outlaws) & the said characters had a rather eccentric relationship with each other, the movie had its own moments. Terry's imposed medical condition, Joe's irresistible charm & Kate's indecisiveness (...there is no perfect man or Mr. Right!!!)had its own allure to the viewers.

It's not a good idea to ponder though that robbery is justified in this film & that the criminals get away with it. Much worse, is, what they do after their big get away!

A good entertainment film....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Definitely, DEFINITELY a must-see film!
Review: In the vein of "Amelie" and "O Brother Where Art Thou?" -- this is a completely over-the-top, brilliantly funny film. Be prepared for non-stop amusement as you follow the antics of Bruce Willis, Billy Bob and Cate Blanchette. These three have previously demonstrated a remarkable range of acting talent and they all feed off each other throughout the production. They are equally entrancing and it is quite a remarkable thing to have your attention ricochet back and forth among these three. They are unfailingly deft in creating rather unique and well-fleshed characters.
My exact rating for the film is four-and-a-half stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Some good moments, but nothing special
Review: Bandits held my interest in the beginning, when we get to know the main characters--two "sleepover bandits" (Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis) and a frustrated, unhappy housewife (Cate Blanchett)--and at the end (when the gang commits their last bank robbery). I also liked some of the bank jobs, with bank managers and their families involved. However, the film becomes tedious as we are continually forced to hear about Cate's love for Billy Bob and Bruce, and also about Thornton's hypochondriacal complaints.

The acting is fine; it is the script and direction that could have been improved. Troy Garity does a good job as the stuntman/driver. The problem is with the pace of the film, which needs to be picked up, especially in the middle.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: a real stinker
Review: watched this Film over the Weekend&thought this Mess won't end soon enough.2 Hours of Cliche Parts&like a Sample of Films I've seen over the past Decade plus.Bruce Willis is just going through the Motions here.Billy Bob Thornton does anything ever change?? outside of the Wigs nothing here was Fresh.this is a Clunker I'd like to forget I even wasted my time seeing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not that bad ....... but not that good.
Review: Movie had a decent concept, a couple of bank robbers who kidnap the bank manager the night before they rob their banks. But I found it sort of dragging along in the middle for awhile. Billy Bob and Bruce Willis worked well together, but it was easily not one of Willis' better performances. Billy Bob carried the movie. Some decent sarcasm and action, but little else to rate anything more than 3 stars.
One final note: I haven't mentioned Cate Blanchett's performance because it wasn't worth mentioning.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: "Occasionally forced and flat"? The whole movie's that way
Review: This is a crime story that could only come from the minds of people who spend most of their time in Beverly Hills and Malibu, contemplating how the rest of the world manages to live without the most expensive privileges on earth. Instead of real characters, it gives us itemized lists of neuroses and life issues that never gel into real characters. The humor in the movie, such as at is, derives entirely from these unbelievable quirks.

Too bad. Barry Levinson was at one time one of the great creators of unique and memorable characters, such as in Diner, Tin Men, Avalon and Rain Man. The characters on Homicide, the TV show he executive-produced, were vivid and memorable. But this movie's characters are unplayable, and the actors involved cannot make this come to life. Even the usually amazing Cate Blanchett seems lost here. Bad bad movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fun shell, sloppy core
Review: "Bandits" opens with the promise of a terrific, "Butch Cassidy"-esque odd-couple adventure, and ends with a poor excuse for a conclusion. Sure, it's clever, and so is much of the film. But it seems that director Barry Levinson is so focused on wit that he forgets to check for loopholes and lulls in the story.

"Bandits" concerns escaped convicts Joe and Terry (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton, respectively). They wish to open a new nightclub in Mexico which they will call "paradise". Their plans are extravagant, and they propose to pay for it by robbing banks. They find a creative way to do it: stay over at the bank manager's house the night before, take care of business in the morning. In comes Kate (Cate Blanchett), a woman depressed with her boring life and looking for adventure. Eventually, she becomes part of the team.

Above I mentioned loopholes. Yes, unfortunately they are abound in "Bandits". The story just keeps trotting along, leaving the viewer in the dark. For example, Terry supposedly has several medical conditions. we're led to believe it's a brain tumor, and then we're told it's not. So what is it? "Bandits" neglects to tell us this, just using Terry's anonymous medical problems as ways to get itself out of a tight spot. There is another subplot concerning a sort of angel woman in pink boots. Whatever her metaphoric symbolism is supposed to be defeats me, but she is used whenever it is dramatically convenient (note to Barry Levinson: this is called manipulation...)

Although it wasn't stellar, I was pleased with the acting in "Bandits". Bruce Willis is one of those "genre" actors that burst out of their normal type of roles (he went from action movies like "Die Hard" to dramas like "The Sixth Sense"). He does a good job in this film, mixing ex-con toughness with a touch of charm. His chemistry with Billy Bob Thornton is entertaining, yet there is an uncomfortable distance between the two that creeps up on them during some scenes. Cate Blanchett is also interesting as the over-the top Kate; caught in the middle of a love triangle (which, by the way, never works).

Is "Bandits" too clever for it's own good? No, I don't think so. But too much attention is given to cleverness. The script is solid, but it seems like that was the only thing that any work was done on. During any "action" scenes, the camerawork seemed like it was done on a five year old camcorder. It also seems that the actors weren't given any tips by the director; each actor gives his/her own raw interpretation of their role without much direction. "Bandits" doesn't seem like a finished product; instead it seems like a dress rehearsal for something much bigger.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprises in store
Review: Prepare to be set up. I don't want to give anything away, but to explain somewhat what I mean by being set up - the way the movie unfolds, it will seem like you are being led along one lonely country road only to blink and find yourself whizzing along a busy freeway... this movie has some surprises in store for you! Parts of this movie seem to drag (yes, there are some funny parts, and Cate (Kate), Bruce (Joe), and Billy Bob (Terry) seem to work very well together, but there's a lot of repetition and not a lot of action until the second half of the movie) and I was bored, but I felt rewarded for sticking with it when the movie was over.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Glamorous, refined but blah black comedy
Review: Glamorous, refined but blah black comedy about two bank robbers who get involved with a gorgeous redhead. The performances are top-notch, especially Cate Blanchett, with her usual charisma and charm. Plenty of clever and amusing bits, and the final twist is effective and unexpected. But whoever said that this was a modernized rehash on Bonnie & Clyde was waaaaay wrong. U2's 'Beautiful Day' playing over and over again is an asset.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not a comedy... A love story, and a pathetic one at that...
Review: Thought this was going to be a comedy by seeing the previews... You may see a glimmer of what seems to be an attempt at comedy at times, but that is all you will see. The movies turns into a love story and competetion between the two bandits for a girl. I am not a fan of love stories, but I can tell a decent one from a bad one still, and this would be classified along the bad side. The movie failed in both comedy and moosh, two genres at once. I just wanted the movie to end...


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