Bandits (2001) User Reviews

Funny, entertaining and original

[mattymatt4ever · 7/10 · 7 June 2002]

This could've been just another "Bonnie and Clyde"-style crime caper, but it's more than that. "Bandits" starts out as a slick action-comedy and evolves into a sweet romantic comedy. When I found out Barry Levinson was the director, I assumed the film would be at least halfway decent. Levinson has a keen eye for character development, and that's one of the things that interested me. Normally, a film like this would be consisted of cut-and-dry, stereotypical characters, but we gradually fall in love these three characters. After reading the rave reviews (Joel Siegel voted this as one of the best films of the year), despite poor box office numbers, I had high expectations for this film--higher than they were after watching the trailer. For some reason, this just doesn't look like a film that would receive 4-star reviews. Now that I have seen it, I can't regard it as a 4-star film, but it's good and entertaining and I wasn't disappointed.

Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton make a great team--they really have an impeccable chemistry. I hope to see them teamed up again in the future. They have the potential to be the next Martin and Lewis. Billy Bob especially steals the film, playing a neurotic Woody Allen-type. He is absolutely hilarious! Bruce flashes his trademark grin and speaks in his usual soft tone, but his role doesn't exactly require the talents of Pacino or DeNiro. Still, Bruce is entertaining and his constant banter with Billy Bob makes the experience even more entertaining. And last but not least, I will mention Cate Blanchett, who gives another incredible performance. I was lucky enough to rent 2 Cate Blanchett movies--this film and "The Gift"--by coincidence. I got to see her sweet, charming performance in "Bandits" as well as her powerful dramatic performance in "The Gift." Just watching those 2 films, gives me a great idea of her scope as an actress. It's sometimes hard to believe she's an Australian actress. How she pulls off such an impeccable American accent--I don't know. I think if I were to hear her speak in an Australian accent, I'd think she's feigning it. Well, Blanchett perfectly completes the trio of actors, and has a great chemistry with the 2 male leads. And it's great to see that Willis, Thornton and Blanchett all seem like they're having fun.

When first watching this movie, I found some of the bank robberies--though very slick and original--to be quite implausible. If the film wasn't as charming and likable, I'd probably have a difficult time suspending disbelief. But then I found out the story of the "Sleepover Bandits" was actually based on a real duo of bank robbers. Of course, this is nowhere close to a biopic and most of the story is obviously fiction, the concept of these two guys sleeping over the bank managers' houses and robbing their banks the next morning was based on truth. Why these managers didn't call the cops while the two guys weren't watching or why they didn't try to strangle the two guys in their sleep--I don't know. The truth really is stranger than fiction. But the bandits did have an interesting gimmick: they only robbed banks, since the money belonged to the government; they never snatched money from people's pockets. There's actually a scene in the movie in which they bust out of prison and rob a lady's car. Willis hands the lady her pocketbook and says, "Don't forget your pocketbook."

The film evolves into a romantic comedy during the second half. I guess that's why audiences were disappointed--they probably expected a sheer action-comedy/crime caper and not a romantic comedy. But I think the fact that the screenwriter and Levinson stretched this out into a romantic comedy made it all the more better. It added new dimensions, and helped us better fall in love with these amiable characters. It was fun watching the strong and macho Willis vie lanky pushover Thornton over the love of alluring Blanchett. It creates an interesting conflict, and spawns some very funny scenes.

The film concludes, picking up from where it left off in the beginning--which is the two bandits pulling off their last bank robbery. The twist ending is nifty and unpredictable, and left me satisfied. Though this is basically a feel-good comedy that kept me smiling, there's no cheap schmaltz or trashy sentiment. That's what happens when you're under the wing of a great director. This is not an excellent film, like some critics said--I don't think any movie that contains Blanchett's horrible rendition of "Walk on By" deserves to be regarded as "excellent" (Cate should DEFINITELY stick to acting!)--but it's good, solid entertainment. And I love the use of U2's "Beautiful Day"!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Fun, just to relax to.

[pdmarsay · 7/10 · 29 May 2005]

Bandits is a fun film high on average laughs and low on most other things, although I thought Cate Blanchett's performance was pretty good, and actually Billy Bob Thornton was hilarious. Bruce Willis does his usual cool act. The story isn't too deep, so don't watch this if you want something thats going to make you think, but it is definitely an amusing premise, and the odd clever moments serve well enough to raise extra smiles. The direction from Barry Levinson is interesting, but really it's just average stuff, no bounderies are pushed, nothing too daring is attempted. Overall there isn't really much to this, but who cares? It's just for fun. Kick back after a hard days work and just enjoy this entertaining flick.

Three class performances, an original plot and a humorous script make for one entertaining film

[falcon135 · 6/10 · 29 January 2005]

Bandits is an interesting original film about two outlaws, Joe Blake and Terry Collins (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) whom, after escaping from prison decide to continue their bank robbing spree but with a different tactic. They kidnap the bank manager,take him to work the following morning and get him to open the vault without the complications of tellers and customers. This works successfully until they run into Kate (played to perfection by Cate Blanchett in an overlooked role).Kate is an overworked stressed out housewife who decides she needs some action in her dull life. She forms a romantic relationship with Joe and starts to rob banks with them, a little extreme for a mid- life crisis don't you think?. Later in the film she falls for Terry. Cate becomes torn between the two and a rift is formed between the thieves. This is the interesting dilemma explored in this film as the two cannot afford to be torn apart as all they have in life is each other.

This film is funnier than you would expect, it plays more as a comedy than a crime film. Willis nicely escapes his cop persona in the role of Smooth likable Joe Blake. Thornton is superbly funny as Collins, the neurotic paranoid partner. As aforementioned, Blanchett is perfect as the love interest.

The ending is enjoyable if not a little expected. The one big flaw in this film is that Thornton's character, though entertaining is clearly not the criminal type. Though the relationship between the two main characters is touching.

Bandits is a funny, enjoyable, original comedy that I recommend to everyone. Go out and see this film. There will hardly be a moment in it that you will not adore.

One Last Big Score

[roaddreamin · 18 April 2006]

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.

Very entertaining and quite original

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 27 August 2004]

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

Entertaining Comedy

[Boyo-2 · 6/10 · 17 April 2003]

Fun but no great shakes. Not the best of Barry Levinson's movies but certainly not the worse either.

Billy Bob Thornton is hysterical as Bruce Willis' partner in crime. Their method of bank robbery is rather considerate, all things considered, and kind of touching. They visit the bank president the night before and get in with his cooperation. Why this happens without incident is anyone's guess, but I don't think its supposed to be deep or insightful or anything, and I don't mean that it insults the audience either.

Cate Blanchett is along for the ride, eventually. She doesn't belong with them, or anyone else, but she adds a lot of fun.

I'd rate Billy Bob's hypochondriac in this alongside Woody Allen's in "Hannah And Her Sisters". 7/10.

A pleasant comedy.

[zutterjp48 · 7/10 · 24 July 2020]

Sometimes it's very good to see a bandits story with quite funny characters; Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton are quite excentric robbers.And to complete this robbery story , a kidnapped woman (Cate Blanchett) who feels well as hostage !! A very pleasant comedy with a touch of suspense and humour.

When you think of a typical heist picture, aren't the bad guys normally the bandits?

[chrisbrown6453 · 7/10 · 20 June 2002]

Writer Harley Peyton puts a spin on the script of Bandits, making his trio of bank robbers compassionate, harmless and down right funny. You end up rooting for them as the movie progresses. Director Barry Levinson is brilliant as he makes his robbers become the heroes while the police are deemed the bad guys.

Joe Blake (Bruce Willis) and Terry Collins (Billy Bob Thornton) are inmates who partner up in an escape from prison by stealing a cement truck. Once out, they decide to rob a bank by using a yellow highlighter as their sole weapon. In order to fulfill their much longed for dream of opening a nightclub in Mexico, they expertly plot a series of bank robberies. To secure them from ever being captured, the plan is to enter the home of the bank manager the night before the robbery, sleep over and escort that person to work the next morning. All is well until an unstable woman named Kate (Cate Blanchett) enters the game by hitting Terry with her car. After much quarreling, the duo decides to keep the woman on board, allowing her to join in the fiasco. Their title quickly becomes "The Sleepover Bandits" as a TV tabloid show, "Criminals at Large," follows their every move.

Willis and Thornton make a marvelous team. Opposite in every way possible, Joe is the sexy, strong criminal while Terry harbors the neurotic brain behind the operation. Thornton's choices of his character's facial ticks, his compulsive manner and nervousness are brilliant in its exploration. Willis is pretty much the same aggressive man going for the girl (Kate) and yes, he succeeds. Although, it's nice to see that macho Joe doesn't get to keep pretty Kate. He must share her after she falls for his other half, Terry. The movie takes a turn after Kate professes her love to both men. Now, the movie focuses less on the robberies and more on who gets to keep Kate. She says that she cannot decide between the two and that together, they make the perfect man.

Cate Blanchett is an extraordinary actress but is a bit too crazed in this movie, going overboard with her character as a dissatisfied housewife. At times, you feel compassion towards her character and at others, you just want her to shut up. Maybe this is what she intended but it doesn't make her character too lovable. Blanchett shows her vulnerable, free-spirited side while singing a hilariously disastrous rendition of "Walk On By." This scene follows along the lines of Cameron Diaz's impromptu version of "I Just Don't Know" from My Best Friend's Wedding.

Worth mentioning is the lesser-known actor, Troy Garity, as Joe's cousin Harvey, whom Joe talks into joining the gang. Harvey is an aspiring LA stuntman who ends up driving the getaway car for each heist. While perfectly fitting in between Thornton and Willis, Garity brings very amusing nimrod qualities to Harvey as we watch him fall off buildings and set himself ablaze.

While the movie is cute and seemingly funny, in its entirety, it is too long. Cuts to the tabloid show "Criminals at Large" are not necessary to further any plot. Neither are flashbacks from the ending scene as a narration for the entire movie. It's nice to use that technique of having the characters narrate the movie from the end but it doesn't help any here. Plus we've already seen it done many times and if removed, wouldn't affect the movie at all. It would just tighten it. Otherwise, this movie is a great escape for the country right now, a nice dose of comedy mixed in with a pinch of action and voilá, you have America smiling.

Energetic, romantic fun. Works wonderfully. ***1/2 (out of four)

[Movie-12 · 8/10 · 12 April 2002]

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.

The Good & Bad Of 'Bandits'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 13 April 2007]

GOOD - Hilarious in spots and overall, a lot of laughs. Billy Bob Thornton and his hypochondriac character produce a number of those chuckles. Cate Blanchett also is a hoot in here. She has the American accent down pat and I never realized what a good comedienne should is, although I certainly am aware of her dramatic talents. Although a bit long, I didn't find that many lulls. Bruce Willis always is good in low-key roles, his "macho" Die Hard days behind him.

BAD - Another poor moral message in which we are supposed to root for the criminals (thieves, in this case). The story is ludicrous, but that's part of the comedy. There is too much profanity and usage of the Lord's name in vain here, too, for a comedy. Thorton's whining is acceptable on the first viewing, but on multiple looks it gets annoying. I rated this a '9' after the fist viewing, but it goes downhill in subsequent looks.

OVERALL - If you can take the language and overall ridiculous story, this is a very entertaining movie.

Simply not funny

[abrooke1 · 1/10 · 30 May 2002]

What a waste of 2+ hours! This rambling, tedious, horribly edited and directed piece of junk is a complete washout. The simple problem - it's not funny. The scenes that are supposed to be funny are just painful to watch. This film just drags and drags - the action sequences are few and far between. Pacing is awful. The twist ending is no surprise because we see a sneak preview of it earlier.

Pure torture! 1/10.

If you like your comedy explained and in-your-face, this one is not for you.

[Herbalicious_690 · 9/10 · 14 November 2004]

If you like your comedy fully explained and in-your-face, this one is not for you. If you appreciate deeper levels of subtlety and are prepared to suspend hard-nosed reality for the duration, you will love this one. Reminds me of Cohen Bros movies. If you are prepared to relax into it and let the movie take you where IT goes, you are in for a good ride. For those that want to predict a movie and try and show some perceived level of intellectual superiority by telling the person next to them what is about to happen just before it happens (yes - we know they exist), I would hazard a guess that you will not enjoy this movie.

Having said that, I found the movie beautiful in the detail. This is not about grandiose plot, high speed chases and super cool cunning people. This is accidental and bumbling happenstance where random events are delightfully used. Truck, garage door etc. I carried with me the finer and more easily lost details of each character and I found they surprised me and delighted me with often times whimsical twists and subtle growth/support. I didn't find any huge character surprises or character twists, just good solid development, the kind where you can leave your opinions open to the end. Times like the late night rendezvous at the juke box joint and what happens when Bob tries to dance. Perfect. I walked out with a smile on my face, well amused and very much liking the attention to detail in character, shots, lighting, soundtrack etc. Not edge of the seat, sit back and relax.

Nice one.

Three Makes the Crowd

[brotherSpooky · 6/10 · 20 June 2020]

'Bandits' is kind of movie that is nothing special, but it works because of the likeable and charismatic lead actors. The story is not very original and it feels like the movie could have been good 20 minutes shorter. The direction and editing seems amateurish, but I guess that was the intention of the director just to add some quirkiness to the movie. Most of the humor is is quite sharp or nicely subtle and it never falls flat. But it is the chemistry between the three main players that keep the movie together. It almost feels like these were too good performances for such a simple genre movie.

The 2nd Movie I've ever turned off before it was over.

[LVWolfman · 2/10 · 22 April 2002]

I must not be reading reviews of the same movie I just tried to watch yesterday... I saw "Bandits" with Bruce Willis (one of our favorite actors) and Billy Bob Thorton.

The wife and I watched more than two hours of this movie (at least it felt like it), chuckling on occasion but mostly trying to NOT fall asleep. Finally we compared notes and turned it off.

The only other movie that we've ever done that with was "Baby Geniuses" with Kathleen Turner, another of our favorite movie stars. That one lasted maybe ten minutes.

With a solid cast, this movie should be been at least entertaining if not good. Personally, I think "Bandits" suffers an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it's an action movie, comedy, drama or romance movie. What it achieves is being boring. It moved slower than our son when asked to take out the trash.

I'm not sure what all these other folks saw that they loved so much that we didn't see. Maybe we didn't take enough drugs or something.

I'll give this movie a 2 out of 10 only because it wasn't as bad as Baby Geniuses which I gave a 1 out of 10.

Simply Excellent

[movieratings03 · 9 April 2006]

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.

Entertainment with a hint of creativity

[Maarten1985 · 7/10 · 8 September 2006]

I saw this flick a long time ago, and a second time a few days ago. I was surprised how much I had forgotten. Even though I did remember several key moments, I found this film to be entertaining enough to continue watching until the end. But only this time I payed more attention to the story, the acting and as much details as possible and I found this movie to be not only entertaining, but also quite creative and funny.

The actors chosen for this movie are probaby perfect, because I cannot come up with different actors that would fit well in this movie. The chemistry between Willis, the tough guy, and Thorton, the clever yet a bit crazy guy, is genuine and very entertaining. Adding Blanchett, the mentally unstable woman, only creates more possibilities for events.

Although the storyline isn't anything unique or even special there are several moments in this movie that really are the result of creative thinking on the writers behalf. Some of these moments do require some thinking, but the majority of the runtime is pure entertainment.

BANDITS is a plain, yet very entertaining action, comedy and a bit of drama movie. If you watch it, you'll probably like it.

My brief review of the film

[sol- · 6/10 · 23 June 2005]

At times exciting and entertaining, this is nevertheless a rather run-of-the-mill crime comedy overall, despite an interesting twist of the bandits being very well mannered persons. The style is frantic as well as clichéd, with an overly loud booming soundtrack not helping it out, plus there is a silly romantic triangle, and the whole thing goes on for way too long, considering how thin the content is. Still, the film does have its amusing moments, and it is all quite watchable, particularly because Billy Bob Thornton is great to have on the screen. Little else is great about this piece of cinema, but it is okay stuff overall.

Good Entertainment from Levinson

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 11 November 2001]

Barry Levinson's Bandits is a consitently yet unperfect comedy/caper with Willis and Thornton as very different people who are the best of friends, and bank robbers, who plan to open a club in Acapulco from bank robbing money (they're formula to robbing the banks is pretty clever). But a monkey wrench is thrown in the works, in the form of Cate Blanchett as the sexy and eccentric red-head hosewife who tags along.

Alot of good old laughs mixed with some adrenaline moments make this a decent Levinson project, though it could've pushed the envelope a little farther than it aimed to do. Still an enjoyable night to be sure. B+

Fun and unexpected

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 25 June 2019]

Aren't bank-robbing movies fun? I belong to the audience group that usually watches these movies, because so often Hollywood makes the heroes so likable. Even though we know they're doing something wrong, we hope they get away with it. In Bandits, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton are a bank-robbing duo who are extremely polite and well-liked by their victims. The night before a heist, they visit the house of the bank manager, have dinner, spend the night, and accompanying him to work the next morning. It's very funny even though it would never work in real life, but for a Hollywood comedy, it's a perfect setup.

While the dynamic duo work well together and balance out each other's characters, Cate Blanchett joins in the fun and threatens to wreck their friendship. When both men fall for her, that's a difficult enough situation, but when she falls for both men, it's even more complicated! The lesson of this movie is to expect the unexpected, so keep that in mind when you settle down for this fun romantic comedy.

I watched this so many times as a kid

[numenorsniper-66396 · 9/10 · 25 September 2022]

I loved this movie growing up, I think I might have even seen it in the cinema when it first came out, but can't remember now.

I'm re-watching it again now for the first time in many years, and it makes my heart ache for that time of the early 2000s when life was so different, and I dare say better. The movie itself is very 90s/2000s, with a style that is now extinct in Hollywood.

The directorial style by Barry Levinson is so smooth and inviting, and the acting flows very nicely with the script. The core cast in particular is the perfect combo.

It's a funny adventurous bank-heist movie, with shades of Heat, Oceans Eleven, O Brother Where Art Thou, and other similar films.

I wish we could get movies like this in Hollywood again.

A Medley of Flavors...Peculiar Flavors

[iquine · 6/10 · 21 January 2021]

(Flash Review)

Much like eating mac & cheese, the powder cheese kind, it fills the tummy while being satisfying yet is far from a tablecloth restaurant. This is not a quality movie yet is slightly enjoyable and at least isn't afraid to own its peculiar mix of genres. Is this a bank robbery AND a chic flic with a comedic undertone? That's a unusual combo. The plot revolves around a couple of bank robbers dubbed "the sleep over robbers" because their approach is to hold bank managers hostage at home and sleep over at the house so they can go into the bank with the manager before it opens to rob it while avoiding the alarms. Then an unhappy married woman enters the scene and enjoys the ride the guys are on as she is finally able to feel alive. Cue 'light' love triangle humor and drama. Will the dual love interest compromise the bank heists? Which one will land the lady? This is mildly entertaining, mildly humorous, mildly clever and mildly memorable.

Worst Comedy Since GONE FISHIN'

[GHCool · 1/10 · 3 August 2003]

To say that BANDITS one of the most crudely put together movies I have ever seen is an understatement. There were times where I didn't know where the characters were, what their motivations are, what their relationships are to one another, etc. It also does this thing where the whole movie is a flashback and its so poorly directed and edited that I didn't know when we were in the flashback or when it was the present.

This movie steps into every bad comedy trap there is, and I mean EVERY SINGLE trap. There are at least five of those loud arguments where nobody says anything important and its supposed to be funny. I counted two times where two guys are in a fist fight over a woman and she gets in the middle and yells at them to stop. There's the character that's a hypochondriac (ha ha). I counted 3 faints (nobody laughed at those since the Marx Brothers). At least three or four senseless car chases, etc. The movie's like a road map of what can go wrong at the screen writing stage. It might even make a good educational tool for aspiring screenwriters.

The thing that's really shocking though are the people involved. Barry Levinson's one of my favorite directer (or at least he was before I saw BANDITS) and the guy who edited BANDITS has done all his films. They did YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, WAG THE DOG, and RAIN MAN. Billy Bob Thorton's has done great movies before (has anyone seen A SIMPLE PLAN?) and Cate Blanchett should have won the Oscar for her work in ELIZABETH. So why was this movie made and why did all of these talented people make it incompetently. This movie looks like it could have been written by some of the losers at the International Student Media Festival!

A must see !

[TheBlanchettFan · 9/10 · 29 November 2005]

I Think this is the first movie I saw starring Cate Blanchett, since Bandits I watched every single movie with this wonderful actress . She is just brilliant, hilarious, beautiful, charismatic : she IS the perfect actress! When you put Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton beside her, and Barry Levinson who directs her ... It's a magical reaction on the screen !!!

If you're searching for a good comedy, a breathless thriller, a well done action film, Bandits is for you, because it mixes all those movies in a single one, and it's impossible to resist when there's such a great cast in front of you.

It deserves its Golden Globe Nominations !

The film doesn't carry itself forward

[lingmeister · 6/10 · 7 December 2002]

A good idea, and Levinson's idea of moving forward and backward in time is interesting, but the whole movie is a whole bunch of nothing.

Most of the scenes doesn't carry itself forward or have any relevance to the story. They could have probably edited the movie down to 80 minutes without loosing anything.

The attraction scenes seems forced and predictable, one would have seen it coming from a mile away. Bruce Willis' acting doesn't do anything for me. Where is the part of him that needed anger management? The only good acting was from Billy Bob Thorton, who plays a neurotic hypochondriac in constant search for a new disease that he might have got. As far as roles, the dimwit cousin who constantly wanders off for some girl, I mean, they are in the middle of a heist, anyone that dimwitted would have been killed long ago in a traffic accident or something.

The ending was the only thing that was any good, and even that was a far stretch, considering how the dimwit cousin could pull off such a series of stunts, their casually sliding the money away and everybody believing the body just burned into dust.

Increasingly irritating buddy-caper movie

[noir guy · 2/10 · 12 October 2001]

Overlong, and increasingly irritating (and supposedly comic) buddy-caper movie starring Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton in what director Barry Levinson clearly intends to be a contemporary BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, but which mistakes a bunch of contrived tics, quirks and traits for sharp characterisations as the two laid-back escaped cons, complete with requisite flaky female to complete the triangle (Cate Blanchett in a role which suggests her career could swiftly subside into a slew of shrewish neurotics - she's rich and underappreciated, so we're supposed to warm her) take down a series of federally insured banks ('I never steal from anyone that's earned it' says Bruce in a throwaway remark that makes you wonder whether he's ever heard of 'bank charges' and their effect on beleagured customers who indirectly wind up paying for his jovial criminality). Watching B & BB don dopey disguises once is good for a grin but, when you realise that this running gag is essentially the movie's comic highpoint and that we're meant to find the idea of them repeatedly kidnapping bank managers and sleeping over with their family the night before pulling the heists hilarious (don't worry, they don't rape their wives or douse their kids in petrol - Billy Bob's culinary tips to one man's wife is about as hostile as they get), you get a measure of the level of invention in a work which outstays its welcome well before the overstretched two hour running time is up. Opening with a bank hostage setup which is surprisingly similar to the superior SWORDFISH (yep, this rates so low that Travolta's lightweight high-tech caper movie shines in comparison), boasting a lame AOR soundtrack (complete with supposedly ironic deconstruction of Bonnie Tyler lyrics - give me Patrick Bateman's take on Phil Collins any day), and drawing attention to the fact that it's plot makes no sense even on its own tarnished terms (a bank hostage remarks that she knows they'll be safe as B & BB are known for preserving the lives of their victims, which begs the inevitable question 'Why don't the hostages merely overpower their armed captors?'), this is the type of film which evaporates in the mind before it's reached a lame 'twist' ending. You'd be far better off renting Redford and Newman's wittier and snappier buddy-caper Western which, at least, imbued its cast of characters with more than a smattering of irritating mannerisms to pass for personality, had entertainment value to burn and played fair with the fade-out.