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diversions
'Bandits': A movie
worth stealing
By Greg Smith
On-line Forty-Niner
Heist movies in
general have become tedious and increasingly dumb. They rely
more on big name stars carrying weak plots and have lost the
fun aspect that we desire from a good heist film.
A good example would be "The Score" from earlier
this year. "The Score's" only redeeming factor was
that it brought together three amazing actors from three generations:
Ed Norton, Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando. But even those
three great actors couldn't carry the film's weak script and
direction.
A light has shined on the heist film genre with Barry Levinson's
new film "Bandits." "Bandits" brings a
fresh take on the heist film with mostly superb acting, quality
characters and a script that harkens back to the heist films
of old.
Based on a true story, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton
star as Joe and Terry, two inmates who make a daring, spur
of the moment escape from prison and embark on a bank robbery
spree down the West Coast. On the way they happen upon and
befriend a bored housewife Kate, played by Cate Blanchett.
Joe and Terry have an interesting method for robbing banks,
which gives the film a fresh feel. They go to the homes of
bank managers and hold them and their families hostage for
the night. Then they go to the banks in the morning when there
are a minimal amount of people present. After each robbery
Joe, Terry and their getaway driver Harvey split up and meet
in another town two weeks later for the next robbery.
What makes the film good, up until the finale, is the plausibility
of the robberies and characters. The believability sucks you
in and increases the viewers' enjoyment.
Billy Bob Thornton is at the top of his game in "Bandits,"
playing a hypochondriac that begins feeling symptoms of disorders
after the mere mention of them. Thornton has become almost
typecast as an idiot, but he is clearly the brains of this
operation. Thornton plays Terry with a slight confidence that
is easily shattered and makes remarkable use of nervous ticks
and gestures to convey his sweeping emotions. Thronton also
uses impeccable comic timing with Terry's disorder that adds
excellent humor to the film and gives his character a subdued
fear and insecurity that is incredibly realistic.
Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis. The character of Joe is incredibly
flat and Willis plays him as such. Joe's only goal is to create
a new life for himself in Mexico and to have fun at other
people's expense along the way. Joe is supposed to be raging
on the inside and lacking any real loving emotion, but Willis
subdues the rage so much that it becomes nonexistent and that
character becomes another sullen, emotionless Bruce Willis
character.
Cate Blanchett definitely plays the most complex character
in the movie. Kate is a bored housewife whose husband hardly
knows she or her feelings exist. She laments to Joe how she
should have known not to marry him when she dislocated her
jaw during their first kiss. Even when taping a message to
the supposedly kidnapped Kate, her husband explains how much
he and the house miss her, but that he is going to Spain so
if the hijackers want to contact him they should get in touch
with his people.
Blanchett plays Kate with the exuberance of a teen in her
first week at college. Kate has no fear of running with bank
robbers and views it as a new life for herself. She eventually
falls in love with both Joe and Terry, each having what the
other lacks and she loves the two together as one.
Harley Peyton's script is smart and well written and pays
homage to many classic films including "Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid" and a wonderful reworking of the
Walls of Jericho scene from "It Happened One Night."
In the vein of all new films, Bandits has a wonderful surprise
ending that works well for both the story and the character.
Make sure you stick around in the credits for a bonus surprise.
"Bandits" is a fun reworking of the classic heist
film with plenty of humor and three-dimensional characters
that you easily feel for. It is a wild ride that packs a punch
that is sure to please.
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