Bandits

i went to a screening last week and all i can say is that this is one of the best films of 1999. the opening credits will grab you. the music is amazing. my friend and i walked out wanting the soundtrack. there are many subtle things happening in the background that you should watch out for. the lead looks a lot like linda fiorentino and her acting ability is of the same caliber. the ending was a bit predictable but done well. definitely worth full price.

This movie has a great soundtrack -- actually written and performed by the cast. Jazzee (Tabatabai) is an amazing song writer, and cute, too. Coco Krebitz and Katja Riemann are lovely and quite talented. Drags a little in the middle, but other than that it's a fun film worth seeing (I've seen it four times myself). Summary: Appealing cast, great music, terrific cinematography, clever dialogue. Four out of five stars from me!

There have been many movies about people escaping from jail, but few (maybe none) are like "Bandits". It focuses on a group of disgruntled young women in a German prison. When they get a chance to play outside the prison, they naturally use that chance to escape. But that's where the movie takes a surprise turn. The become the most popular band in the country.

It's a really funny movie (yes, the Germans can be funny). I particularly liked some of the things that they said while packing airplane utensils, and just the way that one of the women had a sarcastic attitude and chose to go around bending the rules just a little. A modern classic.

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.

While watching movies about music or musicians, I often sympathize with these poor bastards of actors: The script requires them to play - say - a guitar, but they obviously have no clue as to how to even hold this instrument. And then the singing voice sounds so suspiciously different from the one they talk with...

In this respect, 'Bandits' is a welcome surprise: Obviously, these actresses know far more than just the pure basics of their instruments and deliver a convincing performance as a rock band. And sitting through to the end of the credits reveals that they not only did their own singing, but wrote the major part of the music and lyrics by themselves, most notably "Luna" Jasmin Tabatabai.

For me, the great music more than compensates for the rather fantastic, sometimes clichéd plot with some minor holes. All in all, a remarkable movie!