Bandidas directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Roenning.
Luc Besson is best know for movies like 'Leon' and 'Colombiana' so it was interesting to discover this overlooked western movie.
The pairing of Salma Hayak as the spoilt rich Sara with Penelope Cruz's poor farmer's daughter Maria was a piece of good casting.
The story centres around the New York Bank and Trust buying up land to invest in a railroad. Their representative is a cold-blooded killer, Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam) who has a way with words. When a farmer says that the only way Jackson will get his hands on the land was over the farmer's dead body - Jackson obliges.
Control of the local bank passes to the New York Bank after Jackson kills Sara's father and triggers the union of the banker's and the farmer's daughters.
They engage the services of former bank robber Billy Buck (Sam Shepherd) to teach them how to go about getting revenge on Jackson and the Bank. What they learn is how to bond - then how to rob banks.
It is not long before it comes clear that Tyler Jackson and his gang are looking to line their own pockets and leads to a showdown on a train.
But not before they meet up with New York policeman, Quentin Cooke (Steve Zahn), who brings in something that I cannot recall in a western - forensic science. It is the use of this that Cooke is able to reveal that Sara's father was murdered. He is then seduced by Sara and Maria into helping them.
This film has a good script with enough action, pace and with lacings of comedy that makes for an enjoyable 90 minutes.
1 comment:
I have watched it once and parts of it several times because of Salma and Penelope. These ladies could read the phone book and I'd watch.
Post a Comment