Bandidas

Two insanely beautiful Mexican women decide to exact revenge on some pistoleros, hired guns for a U.S. banking concern, who shot each of their respective dads. One is a spoiled rich girl, the other a poor girl, and these two unlikely allies unite forces. They meet some guy who trains them how to shoot, and the fearsome Bandidas are born, free to plunder the Mexican desert in sexy outfits and chase the bad guys. They set out to even the score by robbing banks.

Does the premise make sense? Of course not. It's just a convenient set up of odd circumstances so Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz can do a Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid send up, except with high heels and thick Spanish accents. They trade barbs pretty humorously, and make a good screen comedy team. The action is fun, and of course, way over the top. The expert of the new science of forensics (this is set about a century ago) is the luckiest guy in the old west; he gets to kiss both of them.

Campy slapstick fun. The whole cast has a good time, and makes the satirical and playful mood amusing. Good brainless popcorn entertainment.

This is not about Salma being Mexican or not (altough is sad, that a Mexican said that in his comment). The movie is pure entertainment, some laughs, some action, a lot of gorgeous girls (two in fact) and what really matters is the fact that you leave the movie theater smiling. Salma is really funny in this comedy, she is relaxed and sexy, her look is very natural, you will be able to appreciate what a beauty she really is. Steve Zahn is hilarious, it's the kind of role he is perfect for. You know it's not the great script, but the movie is well directed, nice scenery, decent art direction and cinematography. Landscapes of ancient Mexico are great, Real de Catorce is an amazing place, the perfect "ghost town". Come on, just go and prepare to be a little relaxed, and enjoy.

I can say this movie is worth watching. It is really entertaining and can fill your day with laughter. As you probably expected already that Bandidas was made as a light and entertaining movie. The story is definitely easy to catch with a big support by Salma and Penelope's acting and fresh jokes.

You could say that Bandidas is a story of two females Zorro. Under any circumstances they always managed to get a hold onto something - in some unique ways. Salma and Penelope played really well, and definitely HOT! Frankly speaking, Maria (Penelope Cruz) was a farm girl which did not have much education. On the other hand, Sara (Salma Hayek) was a uptown girl freshly graduated from European university. Both of them did not share any common traits or life, except the bad guys killed and almost killed their fathers. Joining their forces and power together, they were robbing the enemy's banks.

If you would like to have a good time without any brainstorming activities, Bandidas will suit you just fine. Hope you guys enjoy it as I did!

"Bandidas" is set during the Mexican Revolution…

Cruz stars as María Alvarez, a gun-happy superstitious peasant who learns that her land has been sold to Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam) by a corrupt Mexican banker Don Diego Sandoval (Ismael 'East' Carlo) until some higher authority intercedes…

María always knew what she wants and she always knew she feels, however when she dared to accuse Don Carlos as a corrupt and a thief, as a result of that her father is wounded in his ranch and his house is burned to the ground…

Sara Sandoval (Salma Hayek), who has been away at school in Europe for ten years, has left as a girl and came home as a woman…The only problem of Don Diego is now to convince her to stay… But Sandoval is poisoned following a real estate agreement with the avaricious Jackson…

So the two girls—joined by destiny—decide to be trained by Sam Shepard, to shoot well and to learn the rules of robbing banks… So they teamed up to get the people back on their land, and to come up with a plan, something that will benefit the people and destroy these murderers…

But after Quentin Cooke (Steve Zahn) an expert from New York City is kidnapped by the two she-monsters, the ruthless Jackson brought in more reinforcements, real killers hunting the two girls like animals… So every bank was seen more guarded now… Sara saw herself desperate, running out of ideas… Inside of herself she knew that she was raised to be a spoiled lady, not a renegade…

Penélope and Salma have great chemistry, and they are totally adorable together… The film has many memorable moments: the church catfight; the horse climbing a ladder; the two beauties in prostitute red cloth; Hayek getting off her chest her bloody corset which has been squeezing her gut her whole life; Salma teaching Penélope how to kiss a man right and how to capture that nuance

Set in Mexico in the 1800s, a violently strong banking corporation is moving in on Mexican lands, trying to muscle out the Mexicans off their own land. A spoiled brat lady and a farmer's daughter find themselves victims of such oppression, and together have bonded to unite in a cause against the banking corporation. Eventually, the two became bank robbers, bandidas who rob the oppressors to avenge and restore the rightful property of their people.

This movie is based upon the idea of its producer, the highly respected film director-producer Luc Besson, who was responsible for films like Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. Bandidas is directed by Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg.

Being a big fan of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti westerns (like the Clint Eastwood classics "A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly, and the Charles Bronson revenge epic "Once Upon A Time in the West"), I appreciated the manner in which the director employed subtle Sergio Leone shots and sequences, not to mention a little of Ennio Morricone's music to spice up the little moments of Sergio Leone homage. But, of course, the film has the fast pace of a typical enjoyable action-adventure. There is one action sequence wherein the technique of bullet-time (as pioneered by the Matrix movies) was smartly used in a well done, impressive sequence.

In terms of brands and generalizations, the closest in comparison to this movie, being a popcorn action chick flick, is Charlie's Angels. But while the Charlie's Angels and its sequel may have been crammed with absolute unoriginality and badly-recycled tricks, Bandidas, on the other hand, is quite healthy with its own potentials. First of all, these 2 main characters are very attractive, not only in terms of beauty and sufficient cleavage exposure, but also in terms of their on screen chemistry, their chuckle-worthy bickerings and arguments, not to mention their vibrant aura on screen.

Penelope Cruz, for instance, who plays a somewhat simpleminded farmgirl acts convincingly dumbed down, to have the appeal which reminds you of Joey and Phoebe from the Friends TV series. Salma Hayek as the sophisticated and educated brat shows a radiant and spunky side of her on this role. i cant believe how delightfully ageless Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz are on this movie. While their nagging arguments may sounds a bit annoying in the trailers, I eventually grew to realize that when you watched the movie in its entirety, their noisy arguments are indeed hilarious and oftentimes cute. Although it's such a forgettable role, country singer Dwight Yoakam pulled off a satisfactory performance as the main villain of this movie. Sam Sheppard also appears as the Bandidas' mentor. And the film also stars Steve Zahn, who plays a quirky young scientist who obviously is trying to pioneer the science of crime forensics.

There is a thought-provoking pro-Mexican, Anti-American colonialism plot in this movie, which I suspect may be the reason why this film isn't out on US theaters yet; it isn't even listed to be set for release in US theaters anytime soon. Which is a shame, since this film really deserves a spotlight attention. Sure, it's a mere popcorn flick, but it's good as one.

Do not be fooled by the film's lack of, or unappealing sense of marketing; this film really is big and deserves a summer blockbuster treatment. It's unexpectedly good! It's irresistibly charming! BANDIDAS is the summer big action-adventure that not many have known of yet.