Bandidas (2006)

"Always count your bullets, senoritas", 26 July 2007

Sara Sandoval (Salma Hayek) and Maria Alvarez (Penélope Cruz) are two very different women. They may be from the same area of Mexico, but everything else about their upbringing couldn't be more different. Sara comes from a wealthy family and has just returned home after having completed her studies in Europe. Maria is the daughter of a dirt poor farmer and has received little in the way of a formal education. But these two women are brought together when an enforcer (Dwight Yoakam) representing a NY bank comes to town to buy up land for the railroad. His methods include killing Sara's father to take control of his bank and seriously wounding Maria's father to get his farm. How are these two women going to right the injustices and get revenge? The pair come up with a plan – why not rob banks?

If you're looking for a deep, meaningful movie that explores life's mysteries – Bandidas is the wrong movie for you. I've seen the word "cute" used several times to describe Bandidas and that's better than any I can come up with. This is a light, fluffy, silly, popcorn movie from the word go. I mean, seriously, can you imagine a more unlikely pair of turn of the century, would-be bank robbers than Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz? But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. For me, it's all about suspending reality and just having fun with it. It doesn't hurt that Hayek and Cruz are two of the most stunning actresses working today. But their appeal here goes far beyond their looks. They have a definite chemistry on-screen that's very natural. And the constant bickering between the two is often quite funny. Yoakam and Steve Zahn provide solid support. Yoakam's bad guy performance is especially well done.

Overall, I don't have much to complain about. For me, Bandidas made for an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes. I don't want to get into my spiel about the importance of entertainment to me in rating a movie, but Bandidas is a good example. It's just a fun movie!

7/10