''Bandits'' is a 1997
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...
directed by
Katja von Garnier
Katja von Garnier (born 15 December 1966, in Wiesbaden) is a German film director.
Biography
From 1989 to 1994, she studied at the University of Television and Film Munich. Her 1993 practice film '' Making Up!'' was shown in theatres all over Ger ...
. The film stars
Katja Riemann
Katja Hannchen Leni Riemann (, born 1 November 1963) is a German actress.
The daughter of two teachers, Riemann grew up in Weyhe, near Bremen. After high school she went to Hamburg to study music and theater. She is the mother of actress Paula ...
,
Jasmin Tabatabai
Jasmin Tabatabai ( fa, یاسمین طباطبائی ; born 8 June 1967 in Tehran, Iran, is a German actress and singer.
Biography
Jasmin Tabatabai's mother is German, and her father is Iranian. She was born and raised in Tehran until the 1979 ...
,
Nicolette Krebitz
Nicolette Krebitz is a German director, actress, model, and singer. She is often credited as Coco in her creative works.
Life and work
Nicolette Krebitz made her film debut at age eleven. Later, she hosted television and radio shows for childr ...
and
Jutta Hoffmann
Jutta Hoffmann (born 3 March 1941) is a German actress. She has appeared in more than 40 films and television shows since 1961.
Selected filmography
* ''Her Third'' (1972)
* '' Lotte in Weimar'' (1974)
* ' (1978)
* ''The Assault of the Present ...
. Both the film and soundtrack album were commercially successful in Germany, but ''Bandits'' grossed less than $25,000 in the United States. Much of the soundtrack was written and performed by the actresses themselves. The soundtrack reached number one in the German album charts.
Plot
As part of socio-professional reintegration in a German prison, four women form a band named ''Bandits''. Drummer Emma Moor, a former member of a Jazz group, was abused by the bandleader and shot him. Angelika ''Angel'' Kleinschmidt is imprisoned for marriage fraud, she plays the bass. Singer and guitarist Ludmilla ''Luna'' Nabiba was arrested for aggravated robbery. Marie Irrgang poisoned her husband, is
schizoid
Schizoid personality disorder (, often abbreviated as SzPD or ScPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency toward a solitary or sheltered lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness ...
and suicidal, she plays the piano.
On the way to a performance at a prom the band manages to escape from custody. On their way towards
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
they hear one of their own songs on the radio, which they sent to record producer Michael Gold. Due to the media attention the Bandits gained, Gold senses profitable business. The four women trick him into paying them without signing the contract he offers, financially securing their escape.
In light of their growing fanbase, the Bandits play a spontaneous concert in a club, however they are interrupted by the police. To evade arrest, they take the American tourist West hostage. The good-looking male causes faction within the group, as he seduces both Angel and Luna. The Bandits leave him behind soon after.
With the police led by
Kommissar Schwarz still chasing them, they get surrounded on a bridge. Marie dies of a natural death, and the other bandmembers set the car on fire. Luna and Angel jump into the river, while Emma gets arrested. Soon after, she is freed by the other musicians. With the help of a contact Marie had, they concoct a plan play a gig on a cruise liner and thereby leave the country.
Prior to their departure the Bandits play a farewell show on a rooftop in the
harbor
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
. As the police is informed about this, Kommissar Schwarz and a
Sondereinsatzkommando rush to the scene. Constrained by the audience and makeshift barriers, the SEK reaches the rooftop only to see the band
stage dive
Stage diving is the act of leaping from a concert stage onto the crowd below, which occasionally causes serious injuries. It is often the precursor to crowd surfing.
Long before the word was invented, public stagediving took place during the fir ...
down. While Luna, Angel and Emma run towards the cruise liner, Marie appears to be standing behind the guard rail, wearing a red evening dress. Meanwhile, police snipers get into position.
As the Bandits reach the gangway, Kommissar Schwarz addresses them with a bullhorn.
Facing the police, they draw their weapons and throw them away. Kommissar Schwarz, however, misinterprets the move and orders the police snipers to shoot. Realizing his mistake, he looks shocked, while shots are heard. The film ends with Marie's hand reaching down to the hands of Luna, Angel and Emma.
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports 88% approval of ''Bandits'' among eight critics.
Attempted remake
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...
purchased the rights for an American remake of the film in 1998.
Bill Gerber
Bill Gerber (born April 30, 1957) is an American film and television producer. He was President of Production at Warner Bros. Pictures, before establishing an existing and long-standing producing deal with the studio. Bill is known for producing ...
and
John Wells were signed on to produce. von Garnier was also attached as producer and was even considered to direct, but she declined, claiming that she already had her dream casting for the movie. Several other directors, such as
Joel Schumacher
Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. H ...
, were considered before music video director Nancy Bardawil was attached to direct in 2002, while
Susan Skoog
Susan Skoog (1965- ), American filmmaker, is best known for her low-budget but highly acclaimed debut film ''Whatever'' (1998). Asked why she felt the desire to make the film, Skoog explained to ''IndieWIRE'': "I felt like I hadn’t seen in film ...
wrote the script. No further development was reported afterwards.
Awards
*1998
Bavarian Film Award
The Bavarian Film Awards (german: Bayerischer Filmpreis) have been awarded annually since 1979 by the states of Germany, state government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the Deutscher Filmp ...
for best music.
*1998
German Film Award
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...
Best Actress (Katja Riemann)
*1999 Grand Prize at the 10th
Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Fil ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1997 films
1990s musical films
German musical films
1990s German-language films
1990s English-language films
Films set in Hamburg
Films about musical groups
1990s chase films
Films directed by Katja von Garnier
1990s German films