Film Review: Bandits (2001)

8 months ago

(source: tmdb.org)

One of the examples for Hollywood's much-criticised tendency to romanticise and glamourise something that would be questionable in real life could be found in Bandits, 2001 action comedy directed by Barry Levinson.

The film was inspired by the real-life story of the bank robbing duo of Terry Lee Conner and Joseph Dougherty. Their fictional counterparts – Joe Blake (played by Bruce Willis) and Terry Collins (played by Billy Bob Thornton) – are two convicts and best friends who break out of Oregon State Penitentiary in a concrete mixing truck and start a bank robbing spree, hoping to fund their escape to Mexico. Their modus operandi includes kidnapping managers of targetted banks and making them give the money. One of the hostages they took during one of their robberies is Kate Wheeler (played by Cate Blanchett), frustrated housewife who decides to join them in their spree, being romantically attracted to both men.

Barry Levinson had many successes and failures in his career, and Bandits falls somewhere in the middle. The film's main problem is that it tries to be too many things at once, including a classic crime comedy, a road film, a screwball romantic comedy about an unconventional love triangle, and a satire on modern US media and their obsession with true crime. Levinson strikes at too many targets, making some misses and making the film overlong. Some viewers might also find it problematic that the script unapologetically portrays the duo of bank robbers as heroes and forces the audience to root for them. The real-life counterparts of the film's protagonists were far from being loveable rogues and instead were hardened violent criminals who would spend decades behind bars and probably end their days there for a good reason.

Despite these issues, the film is rescued by serviceable direction by Levinson and excellent cinematography by Dante Spinotti, which puts Pacific Northwest locations to good use. The excellent casting, with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton obviously enjoying their roles and having great "buddy buddy" chemistry, is also a highlight. Their work is enhanced by the brilliant performance of Cate Blanchett, whose character of a frustrated housewife is so different from the roles that made her famous. She has excellent chemistry with both actors.

Bandits turned into a minor box office hit but soon became obscure. Although not particularly memorable, it can still provide some entertainment to the audience, even those who aren't big fans of their stars.

RATING: 5/10 (++)