BANDITS
A talking head on a Most Wanted TV show describes a trio of bank robbers as
"Bonnie and Clyde meets Barnum and Bailey." Too bad the notorious threesome
(Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett) -- who've gotten the moniker
"The Sleepover Bandits" because their MO includes spending the night at a bank
manager's house and robbing his establishment in the morning -- aren't as
dynamic as their billing. But their interpersonal play makes for an amusing
three-ring circus. Blanchett's bored housewife catches on with the two prison
escapees after she runs over Thornton with her Mercedes sports coupe. Willis
spearheads the group as the strong, silent front man, and along the road both
men have an intimate moment with Blanchett. Director Barry Levinson (Rain
Man and Diner) has his finger on something powerful here: the love
triangle sizzles, the crime drama is mere background. And his build-up is
languid yet purposeful -- that is, until the film trips into a bombastic and
cliché-riddled copout. At the Apple Valley, Entertainment, Hoyts
Providence 16, Opera House, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.
Issue Date: October 12 - 18, 2001
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