HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Bandits'' is a 1997
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
road movie A road movie is a film genre, genre of film 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 the ...
directed by
Katja von Garnier Katja von Garnier (born 15 December 1966) is a German film director. Biography von Garnier was born in Wiesbaden. From 1989 to 1994, she studied at the University of Television and Film Munich. Her 1993 practice film ''Making Up!'' was shown in t ...
. 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 ( ; 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 Islamic Revolution, at which poin ...
,
Nicolette Krebitz Nicolette Krebitz (born 2 September 1972) is a German director, actress, model, and singer. She is often credited as Coco in her creative works. Life and work Nicolette Krebitz was born on 2 September 1972 in West Berlin, Germany. She made he ...
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 Presen ...
. 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

Four women form a band named ''Bandits'' as part of an offender rehabilitation program in a German prison. 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 convicted of 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. En route to a performance at a police officers' ball the band manages to escape from custody. On their way towards
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
they hear one of their own songs on the radio, which they sent to record producer Michael Gold some time ago. Due to the media attention the Bandits have gained, Gold senses an opportunity for 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, but they are interrupted by the police. To evade arrest, they take the American tourist West hostage. The good-looking male causes friction 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. They concoct a plan to 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), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
. Kommissar Schwarz and a Sondereinsatzkommando rush to the scene. Constrained by the audience and makeshift barriers, the SWAT team reaches the rooftop only to see the band stage dive 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 muffled 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 aggregator, 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 ...
reports 88% approval of ''Bandits'' among eight critics.


Attempted remake

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...
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. He 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, 1939 – June 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 designe ...
, were considered before music video director Nancy Bardawil was attached to direct in 2002, while Susan Skoog wrote the script. No further development was reported afterwards.


Awards

*1998
Bavarian Film Award The Bavarian Film Awards () are film awards given to German films in the state of Bavaria, awarded by the state government. Background and description The Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bav ...
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 Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...
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 chase films 1990s German films 1990s German-language films 1990s English-language films Films about musical groups Films directed by Katja von Garnier Films set in Hamburg German musical films English-language action thriller films English-language musical films 1997 musical films Buena Vista International films