Bandits (1997)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Masterful Movie

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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.

The "Bandits" show extraordinary circumstances of the heightened possibilities of human life. The skin shapes in women's prison, which reflect meticulously composed images that threaten to overwhelm the viewer's sensibilities, makes actress Jasmin Tabatabai a personification of the heroine of an action thriller. Her performance makes a compelling passion below her rebellious surface.The script takes the audience on a ride full of peaks and valleys, forcing them to experience a full range of emotion in a very short time. All four female actresses, Emma (Katja Riemann), Luna, (Jasmin Tabatabai), Angel (Nicolette Krebitz), Marie (Jutta Hoffmann), performed superbly in their scripted characters, yet, none of them is particularly happy with their lot in life.From the moment they escape from the police vehicle, one thing leads to another and they throw off the shackles of their old existence, and turn, instead, to fugitives-on-the-run and ironically they become celebrities who orchestrate a pop-rock band, "The Bandits," selling their albums while being on the run.The movie perhaps is articulating the distaff aspects of human life. The women live in a man's world full of sexist slobs. The theme rotates on freedom, not necessarily from the prison, but from a male-ordered universe. The women, have financial freedom, which translated into world terms, and means economic security for the female gender.Their journey is absolutely a classic one. Four women, buddies, heading out together into the nowhere land, away from structure, away from conventional civilization and responsibilities, sometimes into romantic destruction in the quest for "freedom," at all cost. Outlaw roles usually reserved for males, but viewers here see women coming into self-knowledge and finding their aggressive nature.In this awe-inspiring acting, Jasmin Tabatabai, a Persian-German actress, plays her role and pattern just perfectly. She has the talent and a great artistic ability and temperament. She has a delightful voice and very expressive face and gestures. She is supremely confident in her ability to create a unique person. She has what it takes to elevate the motion picture to superlative heights.Acting becomes an art of persuasion for her in the Bandits. She has claimed of the nobility of this art, and then she received the acclaim of her audience. She has become an important element in the success of this movie as the illuminator of the human heart in the society.Actors must absolutely complement each other in order to come up with a memorable performance, as we see in the Bandits the harmonious and natural performance from our four beautiful German Actresses.

I loved this film. It has a wonderful sound track and great story sort of a rock and roll meets Thelma and Louise. Or better yet the Thelma and Louise for the millennium(while this was released in 97 but who cares its close enough).The story line is a bit on the fantasy side but thats what makes it so good. And after seeing Run Lola Run I am now a very big fan of German Cinema. So see this film its wonderful in all the right ways.

Bandits is a film filled with laughter, tears, and good old fashioned Rock'n'roll. And if your a man who thinks this film is just another lowly chick flick you have another thing coming, Bandits is filled with something for everyone and I mean everyone! So if have not seen it get up off your rear, pick up your keys, rent it- buy it, whatever, just remember to keep your keys handy because you just may need to go out and get your hands on the killer soundtrack!!!