Bandidas



Bandidas is a 2006 Western Comedy film starring Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek, produced and directed by Joachim Ring and Espen Sandberg.

It tells the story of two very different young women, Maria Alvarez and Sara Sandoval. After the death of Don Diego (Sara's father) and the attempted murder of several farmers (Maria's father included), by the hands of an American land baron Tyler Jackson, they join forces to rob banks and give the money to the poor. At first they don't get along very well and can barely rob anything, but after training with a famous bank robber, Bill Buck, they take a level in badass and Maria becomes a Gunslinger and Sara a Knife Nut (something to do with her inability to hold a gun without having hiccups). Later they meet Quentin Cook, a scientist and criminal investigator brought by Jackson to help catch the Bandidas. The girls capture him and, after realizing who's the real criminal, he decides to help them. And then stuff happens...

It is noted for being the first movie in which Cruz and Hayek ever worked together and for its huge amounts of Fan Service.

Bandidas contain examples of:

 * The Ace: Bill Buck.
 * Action Wedding Dress Rip.
 * Action Girls: Maria and Sara,.
 * Betty and Veronica: Or should I say Maria and Sara..
 * Captain Obvious: Clarissa
 * Cat Fight: In a church.
 * Devil in Plain Sight: Jackson
 * The Ditz: Both girls have the ditzy moments, but specially Maria.
 * Dumb Blonde: Clarissa seems to be one.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Not a beefy hunk per se, Quentin does provide a lot of manservice in just one scene (probably to compensate the enormous amount of Fan Service granted by Maria and Sara).
 * Fake Nationality: Maria, the poor farm girl who has never being outside Mexico, is played by the very Spanish Penelope Cruz, and while both Salma Hayek and her character are Mexican, Sara studied in Europe and had just recently came back.
 * Fallen Princess: Sara.
 * Girls With Guns: Though Sara can't shoot to save her life, so she switches to throwing knives during actual combat.
 * Hand or Object Underwear: Hand and BOWLER HAT Underwear.
 * Hot Blooded: Maria
 * Idiot Hero: Maria.
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him:
 * Lovely Angels: Maria and Sara.
 * Missing Mom: We never see the girls' mothers. Sara's mother is said to have passed away, but Maria's nowhere to be found.
 * Non Action Guy: Quentin.
 * Not Without Any Bullets, You Wont
 * Obviously Evil: Jackson.
 * Of Corsets Sexy
 * Outlaws
 * Banditos: Bandidas: Subverted to the core.
 * Power Trio: Maria (Id) and Sara (Super-ego) already have their Red Oni Blue Oni dynamics so when Quentin complete the trio he serves as The Heart (Ego) for them. Which is and isn't a good thing, since he keeps them together as a team, but.
 * Really Gets Around: If Sara is to be believed.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: Maria is slobbish, passionate and determined and Sara is arrogant, poised and cultured.
 * Retired Outlaw: Bill Buck
 * Rich Bitch: Maria sees Sara as this. She is, but she becomes less so as the story goes on.
 * Rule Number One: Bill Buck's three rules for robbing a bank:
 * 1) No one gets killed.
 * 2) Don't take more than you can carry in one hand.
 * 3) Getting away is the first rule.
 * 4) Trust your partner with your life.
 * Scenery Censor
 * Smug Snake: Jackson
 * Spoiled Brat: Sara, as she, herself puts it.
 * Third Option Love Interest: Clarissa, Quentin's fiance
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Maria is the tomboy and Sara the Girly Girl.
 * US Marshal: Jackson who doubles with Corrupt Hick
 * You Can Leave Your Hat On: Played with by invoking it literally; when the girls try to blackmail Quentin they strip him naked except for his hat, and Maria and Sara disagree on where he should wear the hat.