Hysterical! Romantic! Suspenseful! Clever! BANDITS is all this, and more. From the opening,
BARRY LEV INSON toys with and draws you into the film. The audience, at least the industry crowd in Westwood on this night, gladly went along for the ride. And it is a ride, at times daring and frenetic. LEVINSON call it "an old fashioned Hollywood screwball comedy" along the likes of the BING CROSBY/BOB HOPE genre. No unnecessary car chases, or overdone bang'em up shootouts, just efficient, adrenaline injections of action that move the viewer to the comic moments. And there are many.
BILLY BOB THORTON has never been better. He is natural. At times seemingly wicked smart, other times pathetic and brain-dead. Nearly every word out of his painfully drawn lips evokes a chuckle or a hoot. And then there are the choice visions of his trimmed, grimacing face that do the same. Not to mention the disguises. Funny stuff. THORTON describes it as "a perfect part to play...what a perfect movie. It was one of those I wish I had written."
This perfect movie is more than just action and laughs. Interspersed within a fine cops and robbers action/comedy is a complex and inviting romantic escapade. CATE BLANCHETT enters after 20 minutes or so and hijacks the film. She is captivating with her red hair, her porcelain face, her frustrated singer mentality, her looniness, her beauty, and her place in between THORTON and BRUCE WILLIS. WILLIS is at once macho and tender. No caricature of the male lead here. His is the brawn, but also the victim. Strewn in for good measure is the trademark WILLIS charm. But again, this is not the same old WILLIS. He is subtly filled in here, in a pleasant accessible way.
The combination is pure magic. There are some incredible scenes between WILLIS and BLANCHETT where the electricity is palpable. A dimly lit dark blue night, champagne and a sandy beach create an image from which legend is borne. As does the scene wherre the three of them shoot off fireworks. So now, with a vivacious woman aboard, we are off and running, cops on our heels, devil may care. The film is a modernized amalgam of BONNIE & CLYDE and BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID, but better than both.
Each of those films was buit around characters whose personas were larger than life, cartoonish in their defeat of convention. These characters and their travails are real; we are onboard and with them all the way. It is as far fetched as most other Hollywood fare, but it doesn't much matter. We want to be the fourth wheel in this goofy triangle. Bring them back for more, and fast! Let's hope, like the other Hollywood road pictures, there are many more installments with this trio of irresistible BANDITS.
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