Luc Besson, a filmmaker who's jumped around from genre to genre, recently tapped the relatively untouched waters of the Western comedy by serving as co-writer of Bandidas. Although this period adventure boasts a considerably less than fresh script and is so predictable you might feel you've already seen the movie without having actually watched it, Bandidas still features its share of spunk and a few hints of spirit scattered throughout the production. 

Taking place in the wild west -- of Mexico, that is -- Bandidas centers around two feisty women whose backgrounds couldn't be more different. Sara (Salma Hayek) is the cultured daughter of a local don, eager to return to Europe to immerse herself further in polite society. On the other hand, Maria (Penelope Cruz) is a free-spirited farm girl angered over the fact that a big, bad, American railroad flunkie named Jackson (Dwight Yoakam) is snatching up land from all the decent, hard-working townspeople.

Things take a turn for the personal when Jackson kills Sara's father and almost does the same to Maria's papa. With the former fueled by revenge and the latter determined to fight for the rights of her fellow peasants, Sara and Maria end up teaming together to strike back against Jackson in the best way they can: robbing the very banks he's taken over.

After receiving a few pointers from a retired gunslinger (Sam Shepard), the duo sets out on their criminal quest and quickly become the area's most wanted women. But their streak of heists comes with a price, as Jackson becomes increasingly determined to protect his amassed assets, and a bright but bumbling crime expert (Steve Zahn) is brought in to help put a stop to the ravishing bandidas' crimewave.

If Bandidas is anything, it's pure, unabashed, relentless fluff -- and what makes it such a surprisingly entertaining watch is that the film seems completely aware of this fact every step of the way. Often the movie is just flat-out goofy, relishing the excuse to have two of the most gorgeous actresses working today wear drop-dead sexy get-ups and act catty on occasion. We quickly get the idea that the whole mess must have been done on purpose.

Cruz and Hayek are incredibly good sports; these  highly-acclaimed actresses romp around in cowgirl outfits and bicker like "Laguna Beach" cast members. Their awareness of the fact that Bandidas isn't likely to win any awards enables them to open up a little more and have a ball shooting up the screen in what's essentially the cinematic version of one of those wild west stunt shows you see at theme parks. The fun they had definitely comes across through their sparkling chemistry here. Best of all, Bandidas actually churns out the occasional, honest-to-goodness entertaining scene, such as Sara using ice skates to maneuver around one of Jackson's security alarms and a gunfight on a train that dips into Matrix-style cinematography.

Unfortunately, the frequently breezy and diverting Bandidas has its flaws. Cruz and Hayek's partnered performance is just fine, as is Zahn's portrayal of the token goofball who spends most of the movie being groped and kissed by the leading ladies (so you know he had a good experience during filming), but the same can't be said for Yoakam, who dons a downright ridiculous wig-and-mustache combo that makes him look like a graduate of the Snidely Whiplash School of Villainy. Also, the story is predictable almost to the point of laziness. I realize the filmmakers didn't set out to create anything truly memorable, but a little effort to make the movie more than a petticoat retread of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid would've been nice.

Despite this flick's fluffy fun, there are only two reasons for anyone (or any guy, at least) to check out Bandidas, and those reasons are the lovely ladies gracing the DVD cover. 

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by 20th Century Fox and rated "PG-13" for sexuality, nudity and violence.)