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Dom Robinson reviews
MGM
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 22330 CDVD
- Running time: 118 minutes
- Year: 2001
- Pressing: 2002
- Region(s): 2 (UK PAL)
- Chapters: 16 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English
- Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: No
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras: Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Alternative Ending,Audio Commentary
Director:
- Barry Levinson
(Avalon, Bandits, Bugsy, Diner, Disclosure, An Everlasting Piece, Good Morning Vietnam, Jimmy Hollywood, Liberty Heights, The Natural, Rain Man, Sleepers, Sphere, Tin Men, Toys, Wag the Dog,Young Sherlock Holmes, TV: Homicide: Life on the Streets)
Producers:
- Ashok Amritraj, Michele Berk, Michael Bimbaum, David Hoberman, Barry Levinson, Arnold Rifkin and Paula Weinstein
Screenplay:
- Harley Peyton
Music :
- Christopher Young
Cast :
- Joe Blake: Bruce Willis
Terry Collins: Billy Bob Thornton
Kate Wheeler: Cate Blanchett
Harvey Pollard: Troy Garity
Darill Miller: Brian F. O’Byrne
Cloe Miller: Stacey Travis
Darren Head: Bobby Slayton
Joe Blake (Bruce Willis) and Terry Collins (Billy Bob Thornton) are the Banditsin this movie and they’re dead.
Don’t worry, I’m not spoiling the ending for you because the film starts at the end. Or ratheryou are informed of the final outcome as they hold up a bank and the film is then told inflashback as, during their final 24 hours, they tell their story to cheesy media news reporterDarren Head (Bobby Slayton) about their plan to rob banks, which begins with holdingthe bank manager hostage, politely, in his home along with his family so they can make an earlystart the next morning, hence their nickname, The Sleepover Bandits. It’s a simple plan and one that should always work.
Their problems begin after a chance meeting with fed-up housewife Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett)when Terry is nearly run over by her and then tries to steal her car, but as it’s a change toher every day humdrum life, she likes the thought of tagging along with them.
Sadly, the film continues into an overlong spiral of predictability includingthe strike up of flirtation and then a relationship between Kate and Joe. Theonly other regular addition to the movie is the inclusion of Joe and Terry’sfriend Harvey (Troy Garity), a special-effects whiz, but whom is atertiary character that can easily be done without as he follows his dream ofchasing after a girl in pink cowboy boots.
Also, director Levinson doesn’t seem to know whether he’s making a comedy,road movie, romance, drama or reality show as he throws all these elements into the mixand draws it out with scenes of the characters sitting around and talkingabout nothing when it should really be moving on.
DVD Trivia: Cate and Billy Bob worked together inThe Giftsince she starred in it and he co-wrote it. Similarly, Billy Bob and Bruceco-starred inArmageddon.
Finally something interesting happens…The film was shot and is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen with an anamorphicprint. It’s crisp and clear with no visible artifacts, so if you did enjoythe film you can rest assured it looks fantastic.
It also sounds very good too. SFX don’t play a huge part in the movie andthere’s nothing to complain about, but both a soft score and the music usedwithin are pleasing to the ear.
The rest of the disc’s presentation is what you’d expect from a back-cataloguetitle. The extras begin with an incredibly dull 20-minute featurette aboutthe making of the film and how things came together, including the fact thatBruce Willis’ part was originally to be played by Val Kilmer which wouldhave made it even worse. Then comes a 6-minute mini-featurette about the bed scenebetween Cate and Willis.
There are four deleted scenes, totalling just over 10 minutes, an alternativeending that appears in both an unfinished version – which is pointlessbecause the sound is non-existant in parts so you don’t know what’s being said- and also with an audio commentary from Cate Blanchett. Either way, it onlylasts a minute and it’s only slightly different and nothing to get excitedabout.
Any footage in the above extras is in its original ratio and letterboxed, butat least the 2½-minute trailer is anamorphic. Sadly, it makesthe film look a bit more interesting than it actually is. However, once yousee it, you’ve seen the film and anyone with half a brain can fill in theblanks for themselves.
A 30-second Soundtrack trailer and Audio commentary from thekey cast members and a couple of crew complete the paltry extras.
There are just 16 chapters to the movie, dialogue comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 forEnglish only, with subtitles in the same language and the menus are allstatic and silent.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.