Travis Simpkins

Wild Wild West (1999): Will Smith, Salma Hayek and Kevin Kline Go Steampunk

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Wild Wild West (1999) was based on the 1960's TV series of the same name. The film re-teamed Sonnenfeld and actor Will Smith, who has previously worked together on Men in Black (1997), but the duo was unable to replicate their success... and Wild Wild West, while mildly successful at the box office, was a critical failure due to a dull storyline. The film has grown into a Cult Classic however, and has helped to cater interest in the popular "Steampunk" style with it's use of Victorian-era gadgetry and CGI effects. The cast is good, including Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek and Kenneth Branagh.

Wild Wild West. 1999: Will Smith

Wild Wild West. 1999: Salma Hayek

Wild Wild West. 1999

Wild Wild West. 1999: Salma Hayek

Wild Wild West. 1999

Wild Wild West. 1999: Salma Hayek

Bad Girls (1994): Drew Barrymore in the Old West

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, Bad Girls (1994) is not unlike the many other films featuring female outlaws in the Old West. The storyline remains pretty much the same, the characters are of the same cut. It is the superb beautiful female cast, however, that sets Bad Girls apart from the flock... featuring a youthful Drew Barrymore. The rest of the cast is good as well, including Madeline Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell, Robert Loggia and Dermot Mulroney.

Bad Girls. 1994

Bad Girls. 1994: Drew Barrymore

Bad Girls. 1994:Drew Barrymore

Bad Girls. 1994: Drew Barrymore

"Bad Girls"- movie trailer

Bandidas (2006): Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz

Despite mixed reviews and a nearly straight-to-video release, Bandidas (2006) has steadily earned itself a Cult following. The two reasons for the belated success are plain to see... and quite easy on the eyes. Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, both beautiful and successful international actresses and producers in their own right, had never worked on a project together. Rather than wait for an opportunity to arise, the two lovely friends decided to create one in the form of a Western Comedy featuring themselves as bank robbers on a mission. They enlisted the help of a diverse group of mutual filmmaker friends, and the film ended up being a co-production with investors in France, the United States and Mexico. In the end, Bandidas is mainly an excuse for Hayek and Cruz to have fun together, but the supporting cast is good as well... including Dwight Yoakam and the always great, Sam Shepard.

Two very different Mexican ladies, one a poor farmer's daughter, Maria (Penelope Cruz)...

Bandidas. 2006: Penelope Cruz

and the other, Sara (Salma Hayek), the daughter of a wealthy land owner...

Bandidas. 2006: Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz

are forced to join forces against the evil force of a U.S. Land Baron (Dwight Yoakam), who not only is stealing their land, but killed Sara's father and nearly killed Maria's as well...

Bandidas. 2006: Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz

Maria and Sara, despite initial conflicts, end up becoming partners in a series of bank robberies meant to dwindle down Yoakam's holdings and provide for the chastised Mexican families caught in the middle...