Search

Bandits

1997, Movie, R, 109 mins

Bandits: Review

BANDITS
starstarstarstar
Take the rogue feminism of THELMA & LOUISE, mix in some of ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL's punk-rock energy, and you've got something close to Katja von Garnier's exciting feature, the best all-girl rock flick since LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS. Luna (Jasmin Tabatabai), Emma (Katja Riemann), Angel (Nicolette Krebitz) and Marie (Jutta Hoffman) are inmates in a German women's prison who, as part of their rehabilitation therapy, form the punky garage band the Bandits. They're invited to play at a Policemen's Ball, but when the sexist guard accompanying the girls to the event gets nasty, Luna smashes him in the face and the Bandits are off and running in a stolen police van. Now officially on the lam, the band becomes an overnight media sensation with a hit single, thanks to an unscrupulous, coke-snorting record exec (Peter Sattman) who's got an old Bandits demo and the smarts to know a great gimmick when he sees one. Keeping one step ahead of a sleazy detective (Hannes Jaenicke) who's on their tail, the girls tear up the German countryside, playing impromptu gigs and burning all their bridges on a headlong rock-and-roll road trip into oblivion. The whole film is shot and edited like a feature-length music video and for once, that's just as it should be. Whenever the break-neck pace threatens to lag, von Garnier and cowriter Uwe Wilhelm just insert a musical interlude or a fantasy sequence featuring the sexy boy toy (Werner Schreyer) taken hostage by the girls. But amid the flourishes, there's plenty of heart; the film's politics are sincere and — most importantly — the music is solid, from the garagey cover of "All Along the Watchtower" that opens the film to the stirring, percussive rendition of St. Etienne's "Hobart Paving" that accompanies a surprisingly powerful climax. (In German, with English subtitles.) leave a comment --Ken Fox
Advertisement

Shop

Time Bandits
Buy Time Bandits from Amazon.com
From Starz / Anchor Bay (DVD)
Average Customer Review: nostarnostarnostarnostarstar
Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy New: $9.98 (as of 12/05/09 12:53 PM EST - more info)
Bandits
Buy Bandits from Amazon.com
From MGM (Video & DVD) (DVD)
Average Customer Review: nostarnostarnostarhalfstarstar
Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy New: $12.49 (as of 12/05/09 12:53 PM EST - more info)

more Bandits products

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. NCIS
  2. Dancing with the Stars
  3. The Game
  4. Biggest Loser
  5. American Idol
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Morgan Freeman
  2. Tiger Woods
  3. Drew Barrymore
  4. Jake Gyllenhaal
  5. Robert De Niro
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
  2. The Blind Side
  3. 2012
  4. Old Dogs
  5. A Christmas Carol
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Late Show with David Letterman
  2. The View
  3. Bones
  4. Dateline NBC
  5. The View
more top videos