Busting out of prison in a cement truck, two escaped convicts make their way towards their own paradise, but paradise doesn’t come cheap. In order to fund their escape, the duo is forced to return to bank robbers.
Joe Blake and Terry Collins (played by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton respectively) decide to become the “Sleepover Bandits” in order to pay for the life they desire in Mexico. Instead of dealing with alarms at night or customers during the day, the pair will stay the night at the bank managers’ homes and accompany them into work the next morning to rob it before anyone else shows up for the day.
Unfortunately for Joe and Terry, no movie crime spree is complete without complications. In a failed carjacking attempt, Terry is struck by the car he’s trying to rob, driven by Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett). Upset with her husband’s neglect, Kate refuses to give her car to Terry, but offers to take him to where he is suppose to meet Joe and Joe’s cousin Harvey Pollard (played by relative newcomer Troy Garity). To make matters more complex, Joe falls in love with the woman, which, as anyone who’s seen a bank robber movie can say, instantly spells trouble for this dynamic duo.
The recipe for the film is the usual for director Barry Levinson. Take a rather dramatic topic, add a dash of comedy and serve. In the same way “Liberty Heights” dealt with Jewish life, and “Rain Man” looked at autism, “Bandits” takes a look at the mixed up world of crime from the perspective of two bumbling crooks, which Levinson sees as the perfect situation to throw in a one-liner or two.
In order to get some quick cash after breaking out of prison, Joe and Terry rob their first bank, without the aid of weapons or a plan. Armed with only a highlighter, Joe sneaks up behind the bank’s security guard and points the marker at the back of his head, ordering the guard to hand over his gun. Grabbing the cash, Joe turns to the guard, hands him the highlighter and quips, “Sir, in case you need to highlight anything.”
As most Adam Sandler movies prove, a film cannot sustain itself on comedy alone. The team of Willis, Thornton and Blanchett provide plenty of great acting experience to come across as likable, realistic characters. While Willis and Thornton play off each other beautifully as the comical Joe and the neurotic Terry, it is Cate Blanchett who shines as Kate.
Having already proven herself in both “Elizabeth” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Blanchett’s performance as the sincere and eccentric Kate, seems to have taken a page from Katharine Hepburn’s role as Susan Vance in “Bringing Up Baby.”
In one of the most surprising roles of the film, Garity comes across like a professional, adding a layer to the relatively thin character Harvey. Having appeared in only a half-dozen films prior to “Bandits,” Garity’s take on Harvey, the want-to-be stunt man, nears perfection. Garity actually appears to be the sweet, but dim-witted Harvey, who’s obsessed with a hitchhiking girl and trying to light himself on fire. An impressive feat for an actor whose only previous Hollywood picture was in a small role as an intern in the unimpressive “Conspiracy Theory.”
Although the film may never make a top 100 list, in the lackluster 2001 movie year, the film’s quick wit and comic timing makes “Bandits” shine as one of the better films to come from Hollywood this year.
