BANDITS
US, 2001, 123 minutes, Colour.
Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Troy Garity, January Jones.
Directed by Barry Levinson.
Bandits is an entertainment – a focus on rather carefree bank robbers, not in the Bonnie and Clyde vein, but more in the Robin Hood tradition with tongue in cheek.
Bruce Willis is at home in this kind of nonchalant role. Billy Bob Thornton does a very good variation on a Woody Allen-type criminal, hypochondriac and concerned about minutiae. It is marked contrast to many of his other performances, especially his Oscar-nominated Sling Blade. Cate Blanchett enjoys herself, especially in her entry scene with a wild song and dance, as a disgruntled housewife who joins in the robberies. Troy Garity (Jane Fonda’s son) is a stuntman.
The film was directed by Barry Levinson, a writer who had great success in moving towards direction in the 1980s with such films as The Natural. He won an Oscar for best director for Rain Man, 1988.
1.A popular entertainment? Heists, comedy, serious issues? The humane touch?
2.Familiar material, with variations?
3.The title, bandits, legends, the way this story was told, to a TV announcer, his commentary about their activities, the end and their getting away with things?
4.The American settings, the towns, the banks, homes, on the road, the familiar stories? Action sequences, non-violent action, stunts and special effects? Musical score?
5.The picture of Joe and Terry Lee? Seeing them in action, their talk about Kate, setting up the audience, the flashbacks, the comments to the talk show host, the flashbacks within this conversation? The announcing of their deaths?
6.Joe and Terry in prison, the diverse characters, prison life, Joe and his Bruce Willis smirk, Billy Bob Thornton and his variation on Woody Allen? Prison life, the sudden escape, Terry Lee going along?
7.Terry Lee and his plans, the Sleepover Bandits, the first test, going to the door, the mother and her weeping at the table, the children and their offhand manner? The discussions about cooking – and saffron in the pasta? Everybody going to the bank in the morning, the effect of robbery? Splitting up, dividing the money, Harvey as the getaway driver? The other examples, the manager who fainted at the door, his wife welcoming them in? The woman manager, her resistance, straight talk, allowing the policeman to come in and make a withdrawal, their giving him too much money …? Their reputation?
8.The odd couple, their style, conversation, bickering, deals?
9.Joe going to find Harvey, his stunt work, the special effects not working? Becoming the getaway driver, his divided attention, the girls? The mix-ups, his being sacked? With Claire? Not wanting to go back to robberies? The final job – and his using his special effects?
10.Terry, the attempted carjacking, the background of Kate at home, singing, ‘A Total Eclipse of the Heart’ (and Joe liking the song later)? Her cooking, flair, her husband going out? Her anger, crashing into Terry? Arguing him, going to the hotel, meeting Joe? The echo of It Happened One Night and the conversation in the motel room? Her participation in the robberies, relating to each of them, in love with Joe, her discussions with Terry? Faced with choices?
11.Kate as a character, her dilemmas, the television seeing her as a hostage?
12.The final plan, Kate informing the authorities – and getting the million-dollar reward? The bank robbery, the clash, the two shooting each other, Harvey and his special effects, Kate distracting the authorities, the ambulance, its explosion and the bodies charred beyond recognition?
13.The discussions about Paradise, their plans, Kate and her audition as a singer – terrible? Her discussions with them, the possibilities – and the happy ending with everyone together? An amoral ending for this kind of tongue-in-cheek comedy thriller?
