Bandits
Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett play an unlikely trio of bank robbers in Barry Levinson's outlaw comedy, and this eclectic soundtrack reflects the quirky personalities of their characters. Heard quietly under the film's opening credits, Bob Dylan's "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum" refers to the bickering duo played by Willis and Thornton, while two '80s hits byBonnie Tyler("Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart") virtually define the neglected housewife-on-the-run played by Blanchett. You'll have to listen closely to hear some of these songs in the film, and two tracks ("Walk on By" and "Wildfire") are exclusive to this release. And while there's not much connective thread from one song to another, their sequencing has an idiosyncratic appeal, just like the film itself. From the soothing effect ofMark Knopfler's "Rudiger" toFive for Fighting's whimsical hero's lament "Superman (It's Not Easy)," these songs convey the same emotional range explored in Christopher Young's "Bandits Suite," a score sampler that closes the disc with instrumental flare.--Jeff Shannon