Product Description

Strap yourself in for one hilarious "action-comedy with great chemistry great one-liners [and] expert direction" (New York Post)! Bruce Willis "makes all the right moves" (San Francisco Examiner) as the man with the perfect bank-robbing plan - and two imperfect partners - in this "terrific [film that's] as much fun as you'll have at the movies all year" (FOX-TV)!Busting out of prison Joe (Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) are on the run and out of money. That changes when they devise a scheme to place bank managers under house arrest the night before they rob their banks. But success as the infamous "sleepover bandits" isn't the only change in store for them. As they cross state lines and federal laws they meet Kate (Cate Blanchett) a sexy eccentric housewife whose indecision as to which of the two bandits she wants could spoil their partnership for good!System Requirements:Starring: Cate Blanchett Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis. Directed By: Barry Levinson. Running Time: 123 Min. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 2002 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 027616873859 Manufacturer No: 1003235

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7993 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2002-04-02
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.com
Chemistry and quirkiness--and a stellar cast--help make Barry Levinson's Bandits more than just another comedy about ill-matched outlaws. Levinson's deft touch in Rain Man is evident in the film's road-movie structure, which follows bank robbers Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) on a crime spree from Oregon to California. They're eventually joined by an aspiring stuntman and getaway driver (Troy Garity, son of Jane Fonda) and a neglected housewife (Cate Blanchett) who falls in love with both Joe and Terry after escaping her boring marriage. As scripted by Twin Peaks alumnus Harley Peyton, Bandits shifts from character comedy to crime thriller with reckless abandon, and the humor (particularly Terry's multiple neuroses) is occasionally forced and flat. Levinson compensates with offbeat moments of unexpected tenderness, allowing his cast to express depths of character not necessarily found in the script. A twist ending won't surprise attentive viewers, but it gives Bandits the extra kick it needs. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
Bruce Willis as a macho daredevil with thinning long hair and an impassively cool manner; Billy Bob Thornton as a fussbudget hypochondriac who squints and starts and hears bells ringing in his head. They work together as polite, nonviolent bank robbers. But why? God knows we're willing to be amused, but the picture needs a bit more reality in order for us to accept it as a fiction. Some of Billy Bob's tremors are funny, but we never understand what holds these two together. The director, Barry Levinson, wants to cross "Bonnie and Clyde" with "It Happened One Night," but the combination doesn't work. He also makes frequent intercuts to a droning TV news show about the bank robbers, a device that kills the movie's momentum every time. With Cate Blanchett as the madcap married woman who throws in her lot with the two men. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Great flick
Barry Levinson has come through again with a great comedy that is really a very well made character story not unlike his previous work in Good Morning Vietnam or Wag the Dog. This is one of the few really good movies I've seen this year. This movie succeeds on the levels of comedy, characters, and technical achievement. Highly recommended.

Seattle Sneak Preview Experience
I went to see this movie last night at one of the Seattle Sneak Preview venues. I have to say that this was the best film I had seen in a long time.

Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) are convicts in the Oregon State Prison. On the spur of the moment Joe decides to hijack a cement truck and make good his escape. Terry, a certifiable hypochondriac, goes along for the ride. These two bank robbers become endearing figures to the audiance as they wreck havoc from Oregon, through Nevada into California. Kate (Cate Blanchett) joins up with them as a permanent hostage while she tries to escape her boring life and marriage.

This movie is incredibly funny and quirky and I rate it a must see for Bruce Willis fans. (p.s. there is some similarity between the comedic style and main character [Bruce] in this film and the film classic "The Hudson Hawk", also starring Bruce Willis!)

I also must mention an cameo apperance by the ever lovely KTLA Sky Cam reporter, Jennifer York. She is only on screen for 10 seconds, but she does add a bit of grace to the film.

ORIGINAL, CLEVER, QUIRKY COMEDY
Don't listen to the other reviewers. You seldom go wrong with Bruce Willis, especially if Billy Bob and Cate Blanchett are factored into the equation. Actors aside, the multi-layed flashbacks of the script are thrilling and clever, with a doozy scenario of the suavest outlaws you've seen in a while.

The romance (triangular, no less) is interesting and the dialogue sports several quotable quips. 75% into the movie, the romance dragged for a 5-6 minutes, but that is forgiveable.

Oh, and the soundtrack is marvellous. Get this one as soon as you can.