Bandits Reviews
By admin /
June 25, 2010 /
/
Escaped prisoners kidnap bank managers, spend the evening with their families and then go to the bank together for the money in the morning.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 3-JUN-2003
Media Type: DVDChemistry and quirkiness–and a stellar cast–help make Barry Levinson’s Bandits more than just another comedy about ill-matched outlaws. Levinson’s deft touch in Rain Man is evident in the film’s road-movie structure, which follows bank robbers Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) on a crime spree from Oregon to California. They’re eventually joined by an aspiring stuntman and getaway driver (Troy Garity, son of Jane Fonda) and a neglected housewife (Cate Blanchett) who falls in love with both Joe and Terry after escaping her boring marriage. As scripted by Twin Peaks alumnus Harley Peyton, Bandits shifts from character comedy to crime thriller with reckless abandon, and the humor (particularly Terry’s multiple neuroses) is occasionally forced and flat. Levinson compensates with offbeat moments of unexpected tenderness, allowing his cast to express depths of character not necessarily found in the script. A twist ending won’t surprise attentive viewers, but it gives Bandits the extra kick it needs. –Jeff Shannon
Rating:  (out of 149 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.98
Price: $ 4.78
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Review by for Bandits
Rating:
Barry Levinson has come through again with a great comedy that is really a very well made character story not unlike his previous work in Good Morning Vietnam or Wag the Dog. This is one of the few really good movies I’ve seen this year. This movie succeeds on the levels of comedy, characters, and technical achievement. Highly recommended.
Review by Robert Gately for Bandits
Rating:
I went to see this movie last night at one of the Seattle Sneak Preview venues. I have to say that this was the best film I had seen in a long time. Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) are convicts in the Oregon State Prison. On the spur of the moment Joe decides to hijack a cement truck and make good his escape. Terry, a certifiable hypochondriac, goes along for the ride. These two bank robbers become endearing figures to the audiance as they wreck havoc from Oregon, through Nevada into California. Kate (Cate Blanchett) joins up with them as a permanent hostage while she tries to escape her boring life and marriage.This movie is incredibly funny and quirky and I rate it a must see for Bruce Willis fans. (p.s. there is some similarity between the comedic style and main character [Bruce] in this film and the film classic “The Hudson Hawk”, also starring Bruce Willis!)I also must mention an cameo apperance by the ever lovely KTLA Sky Cam reporter, Jennifer York. She is only on screen for 10 seconds, but she does add a bit of grace to the film.
Review by Shashank Tripathi for Bandits
Rating:
Don’t listen to the other reviewers. You seldom go wrong with Bruce Willis, especially if Billy Bob and Cate Blanchett are factored into the equation. Actors aside, the multi-layed flashbacks of the script are thrilling and clever, with a doozy scenario of the suavest outlaws you’ve seen in a while. The romance (triangular, no less) is interesting and the dialogue sports several quotable quips. 75% into the movie, the romance dragged for a 5-6 minutes, but that is forgiveable. Oh, and the soundtrack is marvellous. Get this one as soon as you can.
Review by Johnsy for Bandits
Rating:
I stumbled across this movie on cable one night and was immediately captured by it, much like the bank managers chosen for one of their capers by Bruce and Billy Bob. This is an intriguing tale that draws the viewer in father with each scene, and both boys give excellent performances, but the real star of the show is Ms Blanchett, who characteristically inhabits her role from the bone marrow out, switching back and forth between her character’s own diverse personalities along the way. That the caper ends with all using their brains to get away cleanly makes it even better. Can’t say enough about this film.
Review by T. Bellows for Bandits
Rating:
In brief–one of the flat-out funniest movies ever. All the characters are off the wall, yet with a kind of dead-pan humor that gets you going. I don’t agree with the philosohy that it’s okay to steal from the wealthy, but still the movie comes across. Just so well brought off! The wonderful “turn” at the end will satisfy too. Great laughs. Neurotic, off-beat characters we like anyway!