Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Logan Dodd There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Bandits" is a German 110-minute movie from 1997, so this one has its 20th anniversary this year. Katja von Garnier is the director here and also one of the writers and this is not the only occasion she worked with actress Katja Riemann. But probably the worst, at least I hope so. Yes I just wrote "writers", which means that actually several people worked on this movie and they still did not see all the flaws that are wrong with it. And even if I am generally a bit biased when it comes to Riemann, I still can only shake my head at her winning a German Film Award for this film. The entire plot has nothing to do with realism. This refers to the biggest crucial parts and events as well as the details. This is the story of a group of musicians who manage to break out while they are supposed to give a concert. Okay, so the police are huge idiots here and they really screwed up, but what happens next is even more embarrassing. While on the run, the gang turns into successful musicians and they are cheered at by audiences. Why? Why? Why? There are criminals on the run. Oh yes lets buy their records, won't we? And the police still can't catch them despite all this. Embarrassing stuff. Needless to say that the music in this film is extremely mediocre from start to finish, sometimes weak and this still makes it better than all the rest I guess. Now if they keep getting away from the police, they have to be somewhat criminal masterminds right? Nope not at all. Pretty much all of them act like fools on several occasions. Stupid romance plots include a romance story between a hostage and one of the criminals. Think of OitNB, Prison Break, Vier Minuten etc. and think of everything that could have gone wrong with these movies but didn't. Then you can basically imagine what to expect here. In order to keep audiences (especially horny men I guess) from seeing all the flaws with this movie they included a graphic sex scene including the not so unattractive Jasmin Tabatabai. Oh yeah, the young Nicolette Krebitz' looks are probably by far the best thing about this movie. I am honestly glad she makes films nowadays that are far superior to what we have here. But performance-wise nobody stands out at all, even if the script certainly did not help anybody here at all. But it is especially embarrassing in the case of Katja Riemann who I consider a quite untalented actress and who built her success and the fact that she still gets cast in lead roles two decades later on garbage films like this one here. No idea what awards bodies were thinking. Overall, this film is certainly a contender for worst film of 1997 and also a contender for being among the worst films of the 1990s from everywhere. I highly recommend to stay far far away. Also it proves that the likes of Jaenicke, Sawatzki etc. are people who score through recognition value and charisma and definitely not through great range. The crime plot in the center of it all is as crap as everything else in this movie. Nothing makes sense. And sadly, it is also overlong with an embarrassing final sequence/performance. Nothing feels realistic or authentic. Do. Not. Watch.

letrias This is pretty good directing for a pop rock music video. The entire film is basically a series of music videos glued together with a story that becomes impossible to believe before any of the major plot elements are introduced. If this wasn't in German probably it would be a good hit on the international MTV, but as it is, maybe the German MTV will show it a few times.

Noclador The filmakers try to copy a classic Hollywood buddy/ con movie. The outcome is simply bad, bad, bad: the plot, the music, the acting, the lightning, everything is just bad. Worst of all is the directing: obviously the movie was rushed trough principal photography without care or love by the director. Bad camera work and incredible plot holes are nothing compared to the ending which secures this `movie' a place in the movie hall of shame.

Ghostly83 I loved this film. It has a wonderful sound track and great story sort of a rock and roll meets Thelma and Louise. Or better yet the Thelma and Louise for the millennium(while this was released in 97 but who cares its close enough).The story line is a bit on the fantasy side but thats what makes it so good. And after seeing Run Lola Run I am now a very big fan of German Cinema. So see this film its wonderful in all the right ways.