Bandits

Billy Bob Thorton and Bruce Willis comedic chemistry is brilliant and unpredictable. Worth seeing and worth having in your collection.

A movie about bandits robbing banks? Well, in a way Bandits is that. It happens to be more about the couple of guys who are the bandits. That makes it more than a crime caper. This movie pulls you in but hardly due to criminal behavior as it quickly becomes a story of the relationship between two disparate prison escapees. In this way the movie rises to something different, and better.First there’s two interesting main characters who play the escapee bandits. The creation of these characters through intelligent and witty writing brings makes their union especially good. What really brings the two to life is the portrayals of these two by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. They raise excellent writing to a high level indeed through their individual talent and pure chemistry. Part of the synergy between the two is certainly their often opposite approaches to life. Willis’s smoothness is accentuated by Thornton’s nervous brainy take on their situation. It’s like mixing oil and vinegar and with some added spices a great union results making each better. The great enjoyment of this movie is seeing their diversity coming together in snappy dialog and brilliant answers in the form of their actions. The added spices are quite well realized with their mentally affected driver Harvey played gloriously off-center by Troy Garity and a great lost and lonely female love interest Kate played by the often scene stealing Kate Blanchett. With Willis and Thornton’s roles being played out so well it’s a high praise that Garity and Blanchett keep up so well. As a viewer the criminal thing is just a vehicle for some quite special characters to unfold around. As a viewer you relish their interplay much more than than the crimes everything revolves around. I won’t spoil the actual story other than to say it’s a very good palate in which all involved paint a modest masterpiece of characters you invest in and root for. The ever present thread of comedy is the string that ties it together for pure entertainment.Great colorful characters, a good story (sure there’s plenty of holes and not a one that matters), witty and smart dialogue, and nice music seal this deal, director Barry Levisnon wrapped up one fantastic ride!

Funny. Farcical. Fresh. Billy Bob's performance was surprising and new. Oregon towns were a great location choice. Kate's timing and facial expressions were perfect - I've watched it several times and want to see it again!

Great movie. I watched it probably 10 times over those 15-16 years. More often recently than before. Do not get me wrong, I like other movies. But only very few I watched several times. This one is special somehow to me. It has a mood, it has a rhythm, it has great music score. Finally, it has a great cast with the perfect chemistry between them. For a very long time, I could not understand what makes me watch this movie once in a while even though I remember almost all dialogs. Today I got it! It is a sense of freedom, a sense of being an outlaw. Unlike classic westerns that describe a life long time ago, this is about current (almost current) times. Bandits live it in a modern world full of strict rules in which we live. We - not bandits - abide by these rules. How to keep up a credit score high, what to eat to minimize payments on life insurance, what renovation to do to the house to maximize its value, etc, etc. Bandits are not like us. They do not care about all this. They somehow care about more mundane things such as how not to get caught. That leaves plenty of time for them to interact with each other. It turns out they are much better with this than most of us. Bandits really are friends. It is not a love story by all means. Even though they had sex but it is still not about love. These are friends who play together. Their playtime is a little bit dangerous and adventurous -- robbing a bank -- but it is a play none the less. During the movie, something tells you that you would love to be there, to play with them if not only the consequences of being caught... Right. Gosh! I have to pay my electricity bill, I totally forgot.

I don't want this to be a spoiler alert type of critique, but hey, what the hell...let's begin! No, it's a good movie based loosely on the hijinks of two actual criminals who put a twist on the art of robbing banks. Yes, there are parts in the movie that maybe should have been re-written a bit or just cut out entirely but there's no such thing as a perfect film and some of the criticisms of the other viewers are really nitpicking, to say the least! I would have really loved to see more character development between Bruce and Billy Bob, especially before their escape from prison, but as-is they have a really good relationship (despite their vast personality differences) and loyalty to each other, but it I'm sure it would have added some more insight into how they initially crossed paths. Troy Garity's character is hilariously dim witted and adds to the film's comedic appeal. Billy Bob's character seems to suit him quite well and Bruce Willis seems quite at ease with his and he pulls it off great. The only part I would have REALLY liked to have seen re-written was how cate's character and Bruce fall in love. It's really idiotic!! Cate leaves her husband for Willis over a cheesy '80s song by Bonny Tyler?? That was really stretching it, almost to the "gag me" point!!! And the parts that show Bruce and Billy Bob getting interviewed about the art of bank robbery by Bobby Slayton should have never been inserted into the film. In it's place I would've wanted more info into how the two met in the first place. But, despite these flaws, the film is absolutely great entertainment and the ending is sure to put a smile on your face!!

DVD arrived safely and on time.I bought the movie because it is one of my favorites on Netflix and I wanted to hear the commentary track and see the deleted scenes.The commentary starts very good but ends up being just actors giving compliments to each other. There are also lot of pauses where you almost forget you are listening to commentary track. I found the screenwriter's comments very interesting and he talks a lot about the decisions how to make the story work and how you can never tell how the director might shoot the scene. The movie doesn't have subtitles for the commentary track, which is shame, but understanable because this is from the era when DVDs started to hit off in the market.The deleted scenes don't add anything to the movie and were cut for a good reason. They would have made the movie even longer and loose a focus from the story. The "Whose baby is it" deleted scene is unnecessarily promoted in the DVD, it isn't special in any way or really change anything in the movie.The DVD includes also the trailer and advert for the movie's soundtrack.Overall, the movie is great and extras in DVD are okay.

I liked this 2001 crime comedy. It is not a masterpiece, but a very entertaining thing. I spend a nice, relaxing moment watching it. Below, more of my impressions, with some limited SPOILERS.Joe Blake (Bruce Willis) and Terry Collins (Billy Bob Thornton) are two convicts, serving time in Oregon State Penitentiary. Blake is a tough, strong, menacing heavy and a man of few words when Collins is a neurotic, talkative, extraverted hypochondriac, but they are still nevertheless best friends. We never learn why they went to prison in the first place, but it is certain that they serve a rather long stretch, even if they don't have blood on their hands. One day they escape and as they don't have any money they decide to rob a bank. It turns out that they are good at it... Then they meet Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett), a wealthy housewife, who hates her life and her husband - and then things will never be the same again... I will say nothing more about the story.This film is a comedy, which can be even watched in family, as there is no real violence, no sex and no strong language. It is the story of a gang of bank robbers who don't actually hurt people - which means it is pure fiction. There is a lot of humour, based mostly on dialogs. The film is never vulgar - jokes fly definitely higher than in most recent films. Actors are excellent, with Billy Rob Thornton giving an especially strong performance - his character of absolute hypochondriac was probably a prototype for Melman the giraffe from "Madagascar" (just shorter)... Cate Blanchett gives a great show, including a great kitchen dance and a singing moment which will live in infamy (Kate Wheeler is convinced she can sing - but she is wrong...). Bruce Willis is just being Bruce Willis and he is also doing a great job.The reason why I give this film only fours stars is that things get a little bit weaker in the last 15 minutes and the ending of the last big heist is really entirely artificial and forced. However, it is still a very entertaining thing, which I enjoyed a lot and I can guarantee that it will give you a lot of merry laughs. I think I will keep the DVD for another viewing in the future. ENJOY!

It's good for me thanks u for it & the film is bad for me thanks u for it

Loved this movie! Lots of fun and great acting. Really loved how the story moved along and that it was based in part on a true story. Crime never gets old! And having a little Bonnie Tyler playing in the background of the story helps too.Great work by all on the production!

very good film