Bandidas
Encyclopedia
Bandidas is a 2006
French/Mexican/American Western comedy film
starring Salma Hayek
and Penélope Cruz
directed by Norwegian
directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson
. It tells the tale of two very different women in turn-of-the-century Mexico
who become a bank robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorising their town.
This is the first movie that Cruz and Hayek have starred in together. It was a co-production among France
, the United States
and Mexico
. Despite the lackluster reception, it gained a cult following
due to the film's lead actresses.
) and María Álvarez (Penélope Cruz
). María is an uneducated, poor farm-girl whose caring father is being forced off his land by a cruel U.S. land baron, named Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam
). Sara is the highly educated, wealthy daughter of the arrogant owner of the nearby properties, and has recently returned from Europe where she attended numerous grade schools and colleges in England, Spain, and France for several years. In one fell swoop, both María's and Sara's fathers fall under attack by the baron, (Sara's father is killed, María's is shot but survives) giving him free rein in the nearby territories. As an act of revenge, María and Sara team up to become bank robbers, stealing and giving back to the poor Mexicans who had lost their lands.
At first, the two are catty and quick to fight over the smallest matters over their different backgrounds, but under the tutelage of famed bank robber Bill Buck they learn to trust each other. During a training session, the two women are testing their strength by hanging off a cliff over a wide river, and at the last moment María swallows her pride and tells Sara she can't swim. María nearly drowns but is saved by Sara, and it is then that the two women put aside their differences and agree that, while they are not friends yet, they can at least work together as partners. María turns out to be a crack shot and, while Sara can barely hold a gun, she shows that she is an expert with throwing knives.
Angered by the recent attacks by the newly infamous 'Bandidas', Jackson brings in a specialist criminal investigator named Quentin Cooke. It doesn't take long for Sara and María to hear of this, and they quickly capture Cooke and seduce him to help them. He has already figured out that Sara's father was murdered, so realises that his employer is actually a criminal.
Now there are three robbers, each playing their part in bigger, more ambitious heists. As time goes on, the girls compete for Quentin's affections, which he rebukes because he is engaged. In a move to make the money they have stolen useless, Jackson moves the gold that backs the money on a train up towards U.S. territories. Midway, he decides to steal the gold, betraying the Mexican government. The Bandidas manage to hunt him down, but when they get their chance to kill him, they can't, feeling it would make them no better than him. Jackson manages to draw his gun and almost gets a shot off at María but Sara shoots first, finishing the villain off. In the end Quentin ends up with his fiancée and María and Sara ride off into the sunset, their eyes set on Europe where the banks are, according to Sara, "bigger".
and $2,380,000 in Russia
. The film earned mostly mixed reviews, with a 62% out of 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
French/Mexican/American Western comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
and Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
directed by Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
. It tells the tale of two very different women in turn-of-the-century Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
who become a bank robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorising their town.
This is the first movie that Cruz and Hayek have starred in together. It was a co-production among France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Despite the lackluster reception, it gained a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
due to the film's lead actresses.
Plot
Set in Mexico during the 1850s, the film tells the story of Sara Sandoval (Salma HayekSalma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
) and María Álvarez (Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
). María is an uneducated, poor farm-girl whose caring father is being forced off his land by a cruel U.S. land baron, named Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
). Sara is the highly educated, wealthy daughter of the arrogant owner of the nearby properties, and has recently returned from Europe where she attended numerous grade schools and colleges in England, Spain, and France for several years. In one fell swoop, both María's and Sara's fathers fall under attack by the baron, (Sara's father is killed, María's is shot but survives) giving him free rein in the nearby territories. As an act of revenge, María and Sara team up to become bank robbers, stealing and giving back to the poor Mexicans who had lost their lands.
At first, the two are catty and quick to fight over the smallest matters over their different backgrounds, but under the tutelage of famed bank robber Bill Buck they learn to trust each other. During a training session, the two women are testing their strength by hanging off a cliff over a wide river, and at the last moment María swallows her pride and tells Sara she can't swim. María nearly drowns but is saved by Sara, and it is then that the two women put aside their differences and agree that, while they are not friends yet, they can at least work together as partners. María turns out to be a crack shot and, while Sara can barely hold a gun, she shows that she is an expert with throwing knives.
Angered by the recent attacks by the newly infamous 'Bandidas', Jackson brings in a specialist criminal investigator named Quentin Cooke. It doesn't take long for Sara and María to hear of this, and they quickly capture Cooke and seduce him to help them. He has already figured out that Sara's father was murdered, so realises that his employer is actually a criminal.
Now there are three robbers, each playing their part in bigger, more ambitious heists. As time goes on, the girls compete for Quentin's affections, which he rebukes because he is engaged. In a move to make the money they have stolen useless, Jackson moves the gold that backs the money on a train up towards U.S. territories. Midway, he decides to steal the gold, betraying the Mexican government. The Bandidas manage to hunt him down, but when they get their chance to kill him, they can't, feeling it would make them no better than him. Jackson manages to draw his gun and almost gets a shot off at María but Sara shoots first, finishing the villain off. In the end Quentin ends up with his fiancée and María and Sara ride off into the sunset, their eyes set on Europe where the banks are, according to Sara, "bigger".
Cast
- Salma HayekSalma HayekSalma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
as Sara Sandoval - Penélope CruzPenélope CruzPenélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
as María Álvarez - Steve ZahnSteve Zahn-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
as Quentin Cooke - Dwight YoakamDwight YoakamDwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
as Tyler Jackson - José María Negri as Padre Pablo
- Audra Blaser as Clarissa Ashe
- Sam ShepardSam ShepardSam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
as Bill Buck - Ismael 'East' CarloIsmael 'East' CarloIsmael 'East' Carlo is a Puerto Rican actor, sometimes credited as East Carlo, Ismael East Carlo or Ismael Carlo.-Life and career:Carlo was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, and raised in Spanish Harlem, New York....
as Don Diego Sandoval - Edgar VivarEdgar VivarEdgar Vivar is a Mexican actor. He is best remembered as "Señor Barriga" and his son "Ñoño" from the El Chavo del Ocho television series, and as "El Botija" from the El Chapulín Colorado and Chespirito television series...
as bank manager
Release and reception
Bandidas earned $18,381,890 worldwide including $3,153,999 in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and $2,380,000 in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The film earned mostly mixed reviews, with a 62% out of 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.