Bandits

Rating:
Summary: A ripe cast can't save the boring, overly long "Bandits."
Review: There's very little to laugh about in Barry Levinson's "Bandits," which wants to be comedy, caper, and romance all at the same time. Employing the talents of a superb cast and gaining the anticipation of audiences with a humorous theatrical trailer, the film is a striking disappointment, wasting the talent of those involved, while the trailer spoils the film's miniscule funny moments.

Beginning, appropriately enough, with a bank robbery, the film then segues into the past, where a TV news reporter is being held hostage and forced to do an interview with Joe Blake and Terry Collins (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton), known as the Sleepover Bandits. From there, the remembrance of events goes even further, to the day that Joe and Terry escaped prison in a cement truck and began a robbing spree devoid of violence... who needs violence when you have comedy, right?

Wrong. The film possesses a small amount of comedic charm, which only begins to pick up once they are joined by repressed housewife Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett), whose husband seems more intent on having her as a dutiful wife than as a lover. She immediately takes a liking to Joe, but complications soon cross their path. Dissention soon sets in, and the movie seems intent to draw out moments that should have some emotional meaning, but are surprisingly flat.

The cast for "Bandits" is first rate, no doubt, but that may be one of the things wrong with it. Both Willis and Thornton give credible performances, even though Thornton's character is constantly irritating and becomes a pest, and Willis's subtle humor goes by without so much as a chuckle. Blanchett, as always, shines beyond measure, playing the housewife-gone-bandit to perfection. It is my belief that the film relies heavily on their talents, so much in fact that it loses focus from other key elements of the film.

That's not to say that "Bandits" doesn't possess a good story; the plot behind the cast borderlines on entertaining us, but never seems to take off as it should, as it trips over its own style of recollection storytelling. Perhaps this premise may have had more effect on me had there been any reason to develop an interest in it, but with the absence of humor on any level, and increasing twists that serve to add to an already lengthy running time, there's nothing of interest throughout much of the film.

A surprise ending, predictable yet enjoyable, cannot save "Bandits" from suffering under its own weight. Those of you who have seen the trailer would do better to enter the movie five minutes before it ends; for those of you who haven't, take this as fair warning. One almost wishes that the performances of Willis, Thornton and Blanchett could be extracted and grafted into another, more pleasing experience. But so it goes.

Rating:
Summary: a wild ride
Review: This was a really good movie. The comedy between Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton for at least the first hour and a half really kept the movie going. Subtle little jokes like when Billy Bob's character looking like Neil Young from an earlier 70's album was really funny to me, although it may have been lost on a younger audience. What I thought the movie could have been lacking, which would have made it better, would have been more movie time about the victims who the robbers left behind. The two kids at the beginning should have had a bigger part in maybe trying to cash in on their own fame, which was nothing more than having accidently asscociated with the "sleep over bandits." But, how the hell did they keep going to all of those hotel when their faces were all over the news? Oh well, it was a really funny movie, and it was a new twist on the same old bank robber theme, I would highly recommend this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre at Best
Review: After reading all the glowing customer reviews for bandits (they must work for the movie studio) I felt compelled add my opinion. I would rate this movie as fair. Bandits wasn't horrible, but it wasn't very good either. It has maybe five good laughs for which you're subjected to a great deal of implausible and boring filler. Wait for it to come to HBO. I bought into the hype and saw it early, big mistake.

Rating:
Summary: Bandits
Review: I don't know why this movie did not get a better rating than it did... I found it to be very enjoyable and funny as heck... Billy Bob Thorton was a riot... He had some very funny lines and I liked the friendship between him and Travolta... Travolta puts up with his awfull mistakes and never gives up on him even as a love triangle develops...

Rating:
Summary: Billy Bob & Bruce Surprisingly Funny Duo
Review: I would have never thought of combining Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis as a comic duo but it really works. They are absolutely hilarious together. Their clothing selections alone will have you on the floor doubled over in laughs. They are bandits on the lam working their way down the west coast of the USA to get to Mexico while continuing to rob banks en route. Everything is going well until they run into the hyper neurotic Cate Blanchett who becomes their mututal love interest. The movie loses a little bit of its steam with this subplot as Thornton and Willis were riffing off one another beautifully without tossing in another major character. I was reminded of the also unlikely comic duo of Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal in "Analyze This." In that hilarious movie the romance element was kept as a very minor aspect of the story and did not interfere with the magic going on between Crystal and DeNiro. I think Barry Levinson would have had another 5 star movie on his hands if he'd done the same. As it is, he's made a very enjoyable night's viewing 4 star movie.

Rating:
Summary: At last a creative movie
Review: I write this having read no one else's review here. I am always delighted to see which major ideas they have arrived at that I'd missed and, sometimes, vice-versa.

I liked this movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly. And I wondered why, in the beginning, we are told "how it ends." See the movie and see the skill in writing and plotting a story, and in the structure of sequences.

It's a delight, a diversion. No more, no less, and "what's so bad about that?" The delights include the story ideas and some delicious witty dialogue. As well as sensitivity to the human condition, especially in a love triangle, provided by ????? Peyton's script. In fact, the writer tricks--well, no spoilers here.

I am sure the key actors -- Willis, Thornton, Blanchett -- had fun making the movie, as did the usually dead-serious director, Barry Levinson.

Willis gives us his best humor since his TV work on "Moonlighting." Thornton surely has an Oscar-nominated performance.

These two actors are no better than Robert Redford and Jim Gandolfini who were in THE LAST CASTLE, and whose understated performances I felt were reduced by rotten direction. Here three fine actors and one terrific director show us the difference a good director, or a more-aptly chosen director, can make.

Finally, about 3/4 of the way through, those of you interested in fine still photography or cinematography or just in looking at beautful women, watch for the utterly stunning shot of Ms. Blanchett, back-lit against a dark ground, her red-orange hair with yellow interior blowing against the light, glowing like astronomers' photos of the sun's eruptions. Beauty on every personal and esthetic level.

Have fun. Enjoy. I did. And it's about time.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies of the year!
Review: A powerful cast, great script, unique storyline, etc. etc. etc.

Wow. Hilarious from the start to the end. What this movie does better than most movies of this summer is that it gives you a nice ending ;)

The only con: it's too long. This movie drags on for 2 hours; after about 3/4 into the movie you begin to wonder how much longer it is.

However, once you reach the end, you will be left with quite a satisfying ending.

Rating:
Summary: hilarious surprise
Review: I saw this movie on a flip of the coin (heads: K-Pax, tails-Bandits), finding nothing else I was particularly interested in paying to see that day. In truth, I was was a little disappointed that heads didn't turn up, but the coin was truely a gold one, and this film ended up a gem! Bruce willis was on top of his game, Cate Blanchette was a surprise as a comic actress, and Billy Bob Thornton was amazing in his role as the hypochondriac brains of the operation. The movie was paced just fast enough, punctuated with romantic breaks and incredible seconds of silent hilarity.

This was the highlight of my fall film search...very appropriate for young teens, with a minimum of vulgarity and sex, but probably not to appreciated by older teens whose appetites usually call for predictable teen romance and hollywood endings.

i'll probably go to see it again with my twoo teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: Blanchett, Billy Bob and Bruce Deliver
Review: They don't want to hurt anybody, they just want the money; and so it goes as a pair of non-lethal outlaws cut a swath down the West Coast and provide escapism at it's best for the audience in "Bandits," a funny and entertaining film directed by Barry Levinson, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett. After a spontaneous escape from the Oregon State Penitentiary, Joe and Terry (Willis and Thornton) need cash, so they make like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde-- make that "Clyde" and Clyde-- and proceed to do what they do best: rob banks. They have a long-range goal in mind, but not much in the way of day-to-day planning, so they just kind of wing it as they go. And though they want the money, they really don't want to inflict any serious bodily harm on anyone, so they come up with a way to circumvent any untoward opposition; to wit, they simply go to the bank manager's house, spend the night with him and get on with the robbing first thing in the morning. Soon dubbed the "Sleep Over Bandits," they are well on their way to effecting their goal when they run into the proverbial unforeseeable element, and her name is Kate (Blanchett), a woman in a state of flux who becomes their hostage-- or is it the other way around? It's the question that Joe and Terry are going to have to answer if they want to get on with things; but as always happens-- especially in the movies-- when a woman becomes involved, it's just not that easy to figure out. In fact, as Joe and Terry discover, it's down right complicated. And it's just the hook the audience needs to really get involved, and for everyone concerned it becomes a wild and hectic ride into that cinematic sunset.

As he's proved in numerous films before, Levinson certainly knows how to tell a story, and he has a great cast of actors with which to do it in this one. Most importantly, he knows what works, how to present the material most effectively and how to get the best out of his stars. And he keeps it all moving without a hitch; the two hours you spend with this bunch veritably flies by and leaves you wanting more, which in itself says a lot about the entertainment value of this film. Make no mistake, this is definitely a romanticized take on some "bad" guys, but suspend disbelief at the door and go with the flow; these are characters you're going to like-- even care about-- and they're going to give you an exciting time out from the rest of your life. Not a bad deal, especially when it's done this well.

In Joe, Willis creates a character that can only be described as a "good" bad guy, more like Robin Hood than Dillinger. He brings a tough, determined edge to the role, giving Joe a kind of focus and discipline that defines him, and he comes across as menacing without the menace. Willis conveys the fact that Joe may not know everything, but he knows what he wants and is going to do all he can to get it. It makes for a convincing portrayal of an average guy who has fallen into extraordinary circumstances, to which he reacts in a very real and credible manner. Joe is believable, which makes the film easy to embrace and enhances the fun. A good job by Willis, and though Joe is essentially a variation of Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski, the character Willis played in "The Whole Nine Yards," this guy is all Joe, and that's what counts here.

As Terry, Billy Bob Thornton continues to demonstrate his versatility as an actor; can this possibly be the same guy who played the disturbed Karl in "Sling Blade," or the nerdy and wanting Jacob in "A Simple Plan?" The answer, of course, is yes, and it underscores what a talented character actor Thornton truly is. As the phobia-prone, hypochondriac Terry, he infuses a dry, subtle humor into the film that works incredibly well opposite Willis, and it makes the characters different sides of the same coin. It's a complex character that Thornton delivers with facility and care, and he succeeds in making Terry likable and memorable.

The real highlight of the film, however, is-- hands down-- Cate Blanchett, who plays the repressed, lonely and frustrated housewife, Kate, with a vitality that brings her brilliantly to life. Blanchett lets her hair down and immerses herself in the role, and her very presence on the screen is absolutely vivacious. The first time she appears on screen is a shot looking out at her from inside a refrigerator she is opening; a pale, blue light falls across the close-up of her face, and though is passes quickly it's one of those "moments" that instantly become indelibly etched in your mind's eye forever. Because in that split second you realize that something special has just transpired-- that the movie has just been catapulted to the top rung of the ladder. And because of Blanchett, Kate just as quickly becomes the central character in the film, and it's simply a terrific performance by one of the most gifted actors in the business.

The supporting cast includes Troy Garity, January Jones, Rocky LaRochelle, Jaye K. Danford, Anthony Burch and Bobby Slayton. An engaging and thoroughly enjoyable film, "Bandits" is like a "best of all genres" movie, because it's a mixture of action, drama, comedy and suspense all rolled into one-- and it's done perfectly. Levinson presents it in such a way that it draws you in from the beginning, and the performances are all as good as it gets-- the stars simply shine in this one. It's the kind of movie you can watch time and again and never tire of seeing. It has it all, including a great ending. And that's the magic of the movies.

Rating:
Summary: Bandits Steal Millions from Unsuspecting Moviegoers
Review: Barry Levinson's 2001 film starts out strong enough. We see what is practically the end of the story: Two armed bank robbers are surrounded in a popular downtown bank. The mood is tense and serious, bringing to mind DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Then, before we see the actual ending, we are transported back to the beginning, a rowdy prison. Both Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE, A SIMPLE PLAN) and Bruce Wilis (SIXTH SENSE, DIE HARD) start off very strong and their characters are defined quickly. They escape from prison and become the "Sleepover Bandits." They would go to a bank managers home and spend the night with their family using a gun as leverage. This is based on real incidents and promises a great storyline. It especially brings great character exchanges as their reluctant hosts try to live a whole normal evening with uninvited guests. Then, we meet beautiful Cate Blanchett (ELIZABETH) and their robberies are thrown into disarray. Unfortuantely, so is the film as the heists now become backdrop for the far, far less interesting love triangle that strangles the performers to cardboard cut-outs. The twist ending is loudly telegraphed early on, but still may surprise some. Scattered throughout the film are some very funny moments but the 'icky' love triangle cancel them out. The film also conatins what seemed to me to be the worst continuity error ever on film as we see 2 people sharing a bed and between shots, they actually switch sides. It took me out of the story for a good 5 minutes as I considered how that could happen. In closing, it is good escapist entertainment, but we should have gotten more from Barry Levinson (DINER, TIN MEN) and the A-list cast. Check out BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID instead.