Bandits (2001)

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

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Harley Peyton

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett

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

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Joe Blake
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Terry Collins
Cate Blanchett	...	Kate Wheeler
Troy Garity	...	Harvey Pollard
Brían F. O'Byrne	...	Darill Miller
Stacey Travis	...	Cloe Miller
Bobby Slayton	...	Darren Head
January Jones	...	Claire
Azura Skye	...	Cheri
Peggy Miley	...	Mildred Kronenberg
William Converse-Roberts	...	Charles Wheeler
Richard Riehle	...	Lawrence Fife
Micole Mercurio	...	Sarah Fife
Scott Burkholder	...	Wildwood Policeman
Anthony Burch	...	Phil

Storyline

Two convicts, one charismatic (Willis) and the other a hypochondriac (Thornton), break out of prison and immediately start a bank robbing spree, kidnapping bank managers, spending the night with their families, then going with the managers in the morning to rob the banks. Using a dim-witted stunt man as their getaway driver and lookout, the three successfully pull off several jobs (even gaining the attention of a television show about American criminals), and become known as "The Sleepover Bandits." Things are going great until the bank managers begin to realize that the robbers are non-violent and therefore no threat to them or their employees, changing the game for the Bandits. To add to the complications, a bored & unhappy housewife (Blanchett) ends up in the hands of the criminals, and begins to have romantic feelings for both Willis and Thornton, causing a sticky love triangle.

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Plot Keywords:

cousin cousin relationship | eastern philosophy | bank manager | television | prison | 

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Taglines:

Two's Company, Three's A Crime.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Outlaws

Filming Locations:

Salinas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,050,700, 14 October 2001

Gross USA:

$41,575,141

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$67,631,903

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Hyde Park Entertainment, Empire Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie that Cheri and Phil are watching is The Great Escape (1963), starring, among others, Steve McQueen. McQueen earlier had played a bank robber in The St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959), and later starred in the original The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) as the ring-leader of a gang of bank robbers, and The Getaway (1972), as a recently-paroled bank robber.

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Goofs

When Joe and Terry break out of prison, just before they smash through the front gate, a black container with glass in front (housing a camera) and silver cables can be seen on the ground behind the gate from one angle.

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Quotes

Joe: Got the gun?
[the back window of the car they are driving gets shot out]
Terry: No.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits on the left side of the screen, you see 2 events happening: 1) Harvey and Claire (the Pink Boots girl) getting married in Mexico & 2) Some more outtake footage from the bandits' interview with Darren Head.

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Alternate Versions

In an alternate ending, Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett) is holding Joe's (Bruce Willis) and Terry's (Billy Bob Thornton) hands while watching the wedding, and she is pregnant. Letting the viewer speculate which man is the father.

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Connections

Referenced in Scene 71 Filmmakers Workshop (2003)

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Soundtracks

Mustang Sally
(1966)
Written by Mack Rice

User Reviews

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

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.