Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton starred together for the first time via 1998’s mega-hit Armageddon. 2001 reunited the actors for a crime-based comedy called Bandits.

Perennial criminals Joe Blake (Willis) and Terry Collins (Thornton) break out of prison and immediately resume their wicked ways. The media calls them the “Sleepover Bandits” because they abduct bank managers, hold them overnight, and force them to come to the facilities the next day to steal lots of loot.

When bank employees realize the Sleepover Bandits will never use violence, that complicates matters for Joe and Terry. They also hit an unexpected snag when bored and eccentric housewife Kate (Cate Blanchett) comes along for the ride and creates a romantic triangle.

Don’t expect Bandits to play out in that order, however. It opens well after Joe and Terry ran their route with Kate and even comes with a TV piece that tells us they died!

Which seems like a way to subvert suspense, but I suspect that we can’t swallow these themes at face value. As I write this five minutes into the movie, I can’t help but believe that the opening involves subterfuge.

Anyway, since Bandits gives us some idea where the tale will end, the question becomes whether or not the journey to get there entertains. To my moderate surprise, the reply comes back as a moderate “yes”.

Why did I not think I would like Bandits? One reason: the presence of Barry Levinson in the director’s chair.

I’ve found a lot to dislike in Levinson’s filmography over the years. Though he produced the occasional winner, too many of his movies seemed heavy-handed and annoying.

Bandits avoids any of the “messaging” that can mar Levinson films, a factor that keeps it enjoyable most of the time. Levinson attempts a madcap and quirky tale that would seem more at home with the Coen Brothers, but he still pulls it off reasonably well.

Actually, the biggest issues here stem from the overly complicated script. Screenwriter Harley Peyton muddies too many waters for what should become a fairly simple comedy.

The decision to tell the tale in flashback doesn’t really work, as it seems like an unnecessary contrivance. Even if we assume the information we learn at the start won’t come true, the film’s related detours lack real purpose and create distractions.

Levinson also doesn’t create a great fit with the material. As mentioned, Bandits would feel more at home with the Coens, as Levinson just can’t give it the loose tone it needs.

Still, Levinson does enough to ensure the movie largely holds together and keeps up with it. It might fare better at 100 minutes versus its actual 123 minutes, Levinson allows the flick to zip by at a reasonably brisk pace.

A top-notch cast assists. Thornton and Willis exhibit such good chemistry that I can’t help but regret that they didn’t do more together, and Blanchett makes Kate nutty but not annoying.

Ultimately, this leads to a mostly engaging little comedy. Willis’ genuinely awful wig becomes a distraction, but I largely like this flick.

Bandits appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Clearly taken from an ancient source, the Blu-ray came with obvious issues.

Definition seemed overcranked and leaned toward a hyper-sharp vibe. This gave the movie an artificial tone that just felt off.

Edge haloes also came along for the ride, and too many shots felt tentative. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, but artifacts manifested and specks became a persistent – though not heavy – distraction.

With a largely warm brown/amber palette, colors seemed generally positive. However, they could come across as a bit overdone at times and too heavy.

Blacks seemed fairly deep, while shadows offered pretty good clarity. Nothing here became unwatchable but the various concerns meant Bandits delivered a dated and inconsistent image.

While not memorable, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack worked fine. The flick’s occasional violent scenes boasted a bit of involvement, but the soundscape usually stayed pretty restrained.

This meant a soundscape that focused mainly on the forward spectrum, with pretty good stereo imaging in that realm. Surrounds added a bit of dimensionality – mainly via vehicles and gunfire – but the scope of the track rarely became especially broad.

Though audio quality was adequate, it didn’t seem impressive. At times, the track boasted pretty good range, but it tended to come across as too restrained much of the time.

Still, speech sounded natural and without edginess. Music offered reasonable range and clarity.

Effects brought adequate accuracy but could’ve used a bit more kick. This wound up as a listenable mix that simply never really impressed.

No extras appear on the disc.

A madcap romantic comedy disguised as a heist flick, Bandits never quite turns into anything special. Still, it enjoys a great cast and boasts enough wit and vivacity to make it an enjoyable little romp. The Blu-ray displays dated visuals, decent but unexceptional audio and no bonus materials. I like the movie but the Blu-ray desperately needs an upgrade.