Linbeymusol
Wonderful character development!
Leoni Haney
Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
areatw
'Bandidas' is a film about two Mexican women who become bank robbers. It's supposed to be a fun, tongue-in-cheek comedy, but is severely lacking jokes. This is because the entire film is just a repetition of the same 'joke' - two cute, innocent women becoming bank robbers. It's only fun for so long, until it becomes boring.Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz are wasted in this film, given silly roles that really don't do them justice. The plot is not intended to be taken seriously, but that doesn't make it any better. It's weak, unimaginative, predictable and soon becomes boring and repetitive.This is a poor film that is short on ideas and even shorter on laughs. A big disappointment and a waste of Hayek and Cruz.
Scott LeBrun
In turn of the century Mexico, two very feisty young ladies who are worlds apart come together for a common cause. They've each lost a father thanks to the machinations of a greedy, conniving, evil robber baron, Tyler Jackson, played with gusto by Dwight Yoakam. At first, spoiled rotten bankers' daughter Sara Sandoval (Salma Hayek) cares only for a personal vendetta, but farm hand Maria Alvarez (Penelope Cruz) opens her eyes to the bigger problem of the exploitation of the Mexican people by people like Jackson. A big city criminologist, Quentin (Steve Zahn), follows the trail of the ladies as they embark on a bank robbery spree."Bandidas" is good, amiable, fairly light entertainment, that bears the marks of co-writer and co-producer Luc Besson. Directed by the team of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, it's a gorgeous widescreen combination of Western, comedy, and action film. It might be too silly for the tastes of some people, but others are sure to find it likable, funny, and charming. Certainly it succeeds as a showcase for the appealing leading actresses, who are at their sexiest and liveliest. Their banter flies back and forth, and they even fight over the nerdy Quentin, who becomes a believer in their cause.Zahn offers a good counterpoint as the straight man to their antics, and it's an amusing bit of irony that HE'S the one who gets naked in this story. Delivering solid supporting performances are Denis Arndt, Audra Blaser, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Gary Carlos Cervantes, Jose Maria Negri, and Humberto Elizondo. Sam Shepard gets a particularly delicious role as the retired bank robber who teaches Sara and Maria the finer points of that line of work.It may not be all that memorable, but "Bandidas" IS a pleasant diversion for a little over an hour and a half.Seven out of 10.
Desertman84
Latina heartthrobs Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz co-headline the rousing indie Western movie entitled,"Bandidas". It tells the tale of two very different women in mid-19th century Mexico who become a bank robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorizing their town. It was produced and written by Luc Besson. The film was directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg.Sara and Maria are two women whose fathers are each wiped out by a nasty, vile, gun-wielding swindler named Tyler Jackson,who cuts a bloody swath across the Southwest as he reduces one bank after another to an impoverished trash heap. In revenge, these women vow to beat Tyler at his own game by hitting and robbing each of the banks before their father's killer can reach them. The movie is has the same kind of brisk and lightweight comic action.The only thing going for it is the playful chemistry between its charismatic,sexy and appealing stars - Cruz and Hayek - who are look to good at and nothing more.
sonya90028
Bandidas is a highly entertaining, fun ride. It takes place in Mexico, during the Mexican revolution in the 1800s. Two drop-dead gorgeous young women (played by Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek), decide to team-up and rob banks. This is quite a twist, from the usual macho western movie formula. The women commit robberies out of vengeance, in order to save land stolen from the Mexican people, by a villainous land baron.The violence in the film is ubiquitous, as it is in most westerns. However, the violent tone of the movie, is leavened with a jaunty, slap-stick humor. Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek, play the bank robbing duo more like a squabbling Laverne and Shirley, rather than Butch and Sundance. They have hilarious cat-fights with each other, as they try to learn to work together as a team.There's lots of incredible stunts throughout the film. Some are even performed by the horses, ridden by the characters. This is one of the few westerns I've seen, in which the steeds are as important to the plot, as the humans are. This factor highlights the overall lighted-hearted ambiance, running throughout the course of the film.The serious business of justice and revenge is pursued with gusto, by the beautiful, bank-robbing two-some. But along the way, the viewer is treated to lots of belly-laughs. Watching this film, is a great way to get your funny-bone tickled, while rooting for the good guys (in this case gals), to triumph over evil.
