Everything about Bandits totally explained
» This is about the film; Bandits as a general term refers to outlaws.
Bandits is a
2001 comedy/crime/drama/romance movie directed by
Barry Levinson. It stars
Bruce Willis,
Billy Bob Thornton, and
Cate Blanchett. Filming began in October 2000 and ended in February 2001. It helped Thornton earn a
National Board of Review Best Actor Award for 2001. Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett were nominated for Supporting Actor and Actress Golden Globes for their performances in this film. The film's release and box office intake was marred by the initial
Anthrax attacks at NBC on the morning of its release.
Tagline:
Two's Company, Three's A Crime.
Plot outline
Two friends and convicts, one charismatic Joe, (
Bruce Willis), the other neurotic and hypochondriac Terry, (
Billy Bob Thornton) break out of
Oregon State Penitentiary in a cement truck and start a bank robbing spree, hoping to fund a dream they share. They become known as the "Sleepover Bandits" because of their
modus operandi: they kidnap the manager of a target bank the night before a planned robbery, then spend the night with the manager's family; early the next morning, they accompany the manager to the bank to get their money. Using dim-witted would-be stunt man Harvey Pollard (
Troy Garity) as their getaway driver and lookout, the three successfully pull off a series of robberies that gets them recognition on the
FBI's
Ten Most Wanted list.
When a housewife with a failing marriage (
Cate Blanchett) decides to run away, she ends up in the hands of the criminals. Initially attracted to Joe, she also ends up in bed with Terry and a confused
love triangle begins.
The three of them run away and manage to pull off a few more robberies, but after a while the two begin to fight over Kate, and she decides to leave them. The two criminals then decide to pull off one last job.
The story is told in
flashback, framed by the story of the pair's last robbery of the Alamo Bank, as told by
Criminals at Large, a fictional
reality television show. The show tells the story of the last job to be a failure when Kate tips off the police and the two are caught in the act. The two then begin to argue when Joe tells the police "You won't take us alive!" and the argument gets to the point where the two of them shoot each other dead.
But at the end of the film the real story behind the last job is revealed, when after the bodies are taken away in an ambulance, and the duo's real plan is revealed. They used fake blood to fake their death, and then got away, while the stunt man faked an accident with the ambulance and it exploded, leaving the public to believe the bodies were destroyed.
Reunited, Joe, Terry, and Kate make it to Mexico to live out their dream.
Cast
Soundtrack
"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" - Bob Dylan
"All the Tired Horses" - Bob Dylan
"Holding Out for a Hero" - Bonnie Tyler
"Twist in My Sobriety" - Tanita Tikaram
"Rudiger" - Mark Knopfler
"Just Another" - Pete Yorn
"Walk on By" - Aretha Franklin
"Superman (It's Not Easy)" - Five for Fighting
"Crazy 'Lil Mouse" - In Bloom
"Just the Two of Us" - Bill Withers, Grover Washington Jr.
"Wildfire" - Michael Martin Murphey
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
"Bandits Suite" - Green Day
"Gallows Pole" - Led Zeppelin
"Beautiful Day" - U2
Details
The story is (very loosely) based on the real-life exploits of Joseph W. Dougherty and Terry Lee Conners, who, during the 1980s, staged a series of successful bank robberies using the "sleepover" method. (Both Dougherty and Conners had committed several solo bank robberies before joining forces.) Producer Michael Birnbaum brought the true life story to writer Harley Peyton, a frequent collaborator, and together they developed the script that was to become Bandits. It was originally titled "Outlaws: A Love Story".
The song "Kill the Rock" by Mindless Self Indulgence was used prominently in the film, but wasn't included on the soundtrack CD.
When Terry wakes up saying "Beavers and Ducks", it's a reference to two arch-rival Oregon college football teams, the Oregon State University Beavers and the University of Oregon Ducks.
The interior of the reporter's house in which Joe and Terry film their interview is the Sheats-Goldstein Residence by architect John Lautner. It was also used in The Big Lebowski (1998).
The little girl who belches during the dinner scene is Bruce Willis' daughter, Scout... and according to him, that belch wasn't enhanced. The other girl is another one of Willis' daughters, Tallulah.
Val Kilmer was originally considered for the part of Joe, and Bruce Willis was originally going to play the part of Terry, but due to scheduling conflicts, Kilmer backed out, and Willis took over the part of Joe.
Billy Bob Thornton has a phobia of antique furniture in real life, and the producers wrote it in as part of his character.
At the cabin right after they "pick up" Kate, Joe stretches a drape between the two sides of the bed, saying he saw it in a movie once. This is a reference to a scene which takes place in It Happened One Night where Peter (Gable) places a sheet between his and Ellie's (Colbert) beds. Kate then asks, "How does [themovie] end?" Joe says, "With a wedding." At the end of the movie Harvey marries the Pink Boots girl.
Director Cameo: Barry Levinson - The last staff to the right of the camera in the studio room from Darren's point of view when he presented Criminals at Large at the beginning of the film.
Producer Cameo: Michael Birnbaum - The desk sergeant near the end of the film when Cate Blanchett goes to the police station to turn herself in.
Hans Zimmer was the only choice for the music composing. However, Zimmer was just finishing Hannibal and Pearl Harbor at the time in London, and he already committed himself to Black Hawk Down, which was recorded in the US. Barry Levinson said that he'd move the film for a later release, waiting for the German composer, since they're good friends since Rain Man. Zimmer politely refused it. The second choice was Moby, who was interested but, ultimately, was unable to fit the film's score into his schedule.
The green car Billy Bob Thornton drives after the second bank robbery is a Peugeot 505 and the black one he parks in front of the Flamingo hotel is a Citroën DS, which are both French automobiles.Further Information
Get more info on 'Bandits'.
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