Bandits (2001)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer (WGA):

Harley Peyton (written by)

Release Date:

12 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Two's Company, Three's A Crime.

Plot:

Two bank robbers fall in love with the girl they've kidnapped.

Plot Keywords:

Bank Manager | Prison | Bored Housewife | Hypochondriac | Inmate

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Bruce Willis	...	Joseph 'Joe' Blake
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Terry Lee Collins
Cate Blanchett	...	Kate Wheeler
Troy Garity	...	Harvey 'Dog' Pollard
Brian F. O'Byrne	...	Darill Miller
Stacey Travis	...	Cloe Miller
Bobby Slayton	...	Darren Head
January Jones	...	Claire / Pink Boots
Azura Skye	...	Cheri
Peggy Miley	...	Mildred Kronenberg
William Converse-Roberts	...	Charles Wheeler
Richard Riehle	...	Larry Fife
Micole Mercurio	...	Sarah Fife
Scott Burkholder	...	Wildwood Policeman
Anthony Burch	...	Phil

Also Known As:

Outlaws (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and violence.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15PG (original rating) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37636)

Filming Locations:

Bodega Bay, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film was originally meant to be an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel "Bandits", to which Bruce Willis owns the film rights, but the producers felt it was too weak and brought in writer Harley Peyton to write a new script from scratch.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Joe and Kate appear to switch sides in bed - but one of the shots is as seen in the mirror and there is no continuity error.

Quotes:

Joe: Put that gun down.
Terry: Make me!
Joe: Make me?
Terry: Yes, MAKE ME!
Joe: What the hell is this, the third grade?
Terry: Well, I'm out of well-turned phrases at this point, Joe!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crimen ferpecto (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Chase

Very entertaining and quite original

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