Bandidas

Even in the context of Besson's export, this film is an incredibly trivial, awkward, and, above all, incredibly sterile spectacle that has no place being on a filmstrip. A desperate spinning concoction of mutual slapping and shouting by Hispanic beauties Hayek and Cruz, whose bodily sensuality is only used by the directors as a self-serving voyeuristic fetish, for which top-notch cinematographer Thierry Arbogast was unfortunately abused. The dialogue is dull, the gags desperate, the action scenes lack ideas, the pace has no rhythm... It’s even absolutely unusable as entertainment for which you switch your brain off. (04.02.2007)

Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek are beautiful women, and that’s really all we need to know to watch Bandidas. The film doesn’t aim for anything else than to reveal their assets, but only in a way that avoids censorship. It’s a superficial film that attempts to showcase female strength by depicting them in a sexist manner purely for the enjoyment of a male audience. These aren’t strong heroines deserving of cult status; they’re just two girls who haven’t quite crossed to the other side of the law. Steve Zahn merely supports them, and his initially perfect investigator turns into a dullard as interesting as the last extra. The story revolves around two women trying to get to a bad man who killed their father, or at least attempted to. As the runtime decreases, the shots of the women’s cleavage become less interesting, and there are fewer of them. Both women are accomplished actresses, so they won’t reveal their breasts unnecessarily unless it serves the role, which it really shouldn’t here. Although, to be fair, for some, that might be the only reason to actually watch the film. I’m struggling to think of what else the film might offer you, but everything feels too superficial, so just accept that this is a spectacle best enjoyed on TV when you have guests over, and you’re projecting the film just in the background, with no one really paying attention until someone shouts something like, “Hey, check out her boobs!” (01.03.2013)

In the hands of French co-productions, the Western genre has become a screaming boredom, taking only guns, hats, horses, and bank robberies from the golden Hollywood genre. It has a lot of everything, but in such a shabby presentation that the male eye can only eagerly search for magically deep cleavages. I send two poor stars to Luc Besson's stable mainly because of the beauties in the lead roles and thanks to the unexpectedly amazing action scene on the train. (29.03.2008)

Unfortunately, the script is so dumb that even though the actresses are likeable, it is not enough for a better than average rating. The Latin American touch has always had its charm, whether it was Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Man on Fire, or The Mask of Zorro, and this movie is no exception, with beautiful scenery and delicate string music among the typical ingredients. The female duo is definitely the best thing this film can offer. Salma Hayek's beauty is breathtaking, and together with Penelope Cruz, they understand each other wonderfully on the screen. Their scenes together are probably the only genuinely funny ones in the whole film. The action is bland and the final bullet time is downright embarrassing. A nonsense film worth watching once. (22.06.2006)

Two beautiful babes in a banal story with a lot of jokes, Steve Zahn without being awkward, Sam Shepardm who unfortunately only flashes, and the charismatic Dwight Yoakam, who I didn't know until then... Fantastic easygoing entertainment! (18.10.2007)