Bandits Review
by Aleksandar Zambelli (zambelli AT posluh DOT hr)October 25th, 2001
Movie Review:
"Bandits"
Copyright (c) 2001 Aleksandar Zambelli
Originally published in The Crimson, a Florida Tech student publication.
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett Director: Barry Levinson
Genre: comedy / thriller
Joe (Bruce Willis - "Die Hard", "Sixth Sense") and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton - "Armageddon", "Primary Colors") are escaped inmates who want to run away to Mexico. But before they do, they need to make some money first, so they decide to rob a few banks along the way. However, they decide to do it in a highly unconventional way: by kidnapping the bank managers (and sometimes their entire families) on the night before the robbery and then proceeding with the robbery next morning without the nuisance of angry customers, security guards, police, etc. Their plan works out great and soon they become national celebrities, until they meet Kate (Cate Blanchett) who they both fall in love with - and she falls in love with both of them. The strange love triangle causes many problems for Joe and Terry who try run away from the cops, get the girl and get to Mexico. Quite demanding, undeniably.
Stories about unconventional criminals as anti-heroes have become common in recent decades, with directors like Quentin Tarantino and Woody Allen exploiting the theme quite thoroughly. Barry Levinson, the director of "Bandits" and hits such as "Wag the Dog" and "Rain Man", takes a shot at it too - and nearly succeeds. Yeah, there's always that "nearly" or "but" in my reviews. Here's why…
The movie starts off really well. The dynamic story and energetic acting by Billy Bob Thornton keep the movie going at first. The humor is rather subtle and dry, the dialogs are very well written and everything seems to be in balance. However, as soon as Cate Blanchett enters, the movie loses its consistency and momentum and slows down almost to a dead halt. The strange love triangle that develops between Joe, Terry and Kate doesn't work as effectively as the scriptwriter had possibly intended. It just doesn't move the film in any particular direction and for a good hour the audience is left to wonder whether the movie is ever going to get back on track. Eventually it does, sort of, but the incredible "mid-movie" slump causes way too much damage and even the twist at the end is not enough to propel this movie over the line of mediocrity.
"Bandits" won't change your life or make you become a Film major, but it will entertain you in this bleak season when "jewels" such as "Zoolander," "Corky Romano" and "Hardball" top the box offices.
Score: 6/10
Pros: witty dialog, Billy Bob Thornton
Cons: poorly structured plot, slow
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