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BANDITS Director Barry Levinson's quirky comedy casts Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton as "The Sleepover Bandits," a pair of bank robbers who pick up a bored housewife (Cate Blanchett) as an accomplice. Like a squeaky axle that won't quiet down over the course of a 500-mile road trip, this grates on the nerves almost from the start, with insufferable characters and a noticeable lack of laughs. 1/2

IRON MONKEY In a 19th century Chinese village, a masked man known as the Iron Monkey has his hands full fighting government corruption. While this Asian import (originally released in 1993) may lack the epic grandeur of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it equals that blockbuster in terms of its martial arts wizardry, as it showcases some of the most exhilarating action sequences I've seen this year.

JOY RIDE Transcending its own limitations, Joy Ride, the sort of film that would normally pop up on cable, emerges as a satisfying, hardcore thriller in which a psychotic trucker terrorizes three kids (Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski) on the open road. The masterful direction by John Dahl builds the suspense so effectively that the final half-hour may have you chewing your nails down to the cuticles.

THE LAST CASTLE A military compound is the setting for this disappointing work from director Rod Lurie in which a virtuous prisoner (Robert Redford) squares off against a corrupt warden (James Gandolfini). This dull drama trots out the usual prison flick stereotypes, including the offensive one that presents the compound's rapists and murderers as the kind of jovial guys you'd be happy to invite over for a Sunday in front of the TV.

TRAINING DAY An idealistic rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) learns the law of the streets under the corrupt eye of his superior (Denzel Washington). Rivetting performances by Hawke and especially Washington are what keep us watching even after the movie surrounding them falls apart. 1/2