User reviews

OK, I'm 54 years old and what am I doing watching a movie like this... Remember how as a kid you liked to watch more adult-themed movies so you could fantasize about what it would be like when you grew up? Well, I sometimes watch a film like this so I can fantasize about what it was like when I was a teenager. It's one of my guilty pleasures. The only thing I don't miss is the teenage angst. Fortunately this movie didn't have too much of that, it was just fun.

The BMX sport which later became a craze was just getting started when I was in high school, and it was interesting to watch here. The film is not Oscar material, and some would consider it a hokey teen exploitation film. Thankfully there was not any noticeable bad language or explicit sex. One reviewer said it fits into the "so bad it's good" category. Maybe, but for me anyway it seems a little better than that.

Also, as an American I found it more interesting to watch because it's an Australian movie. I bought it in a five-movie collection DVD I found in the bargain bin at WalMart, and I wasn't really paying too much attention to who was in it when I popped it in to relax one evening. As I was looking at the girl, I thought, "She looks kind of familiar with her Aussie accent... what the...could it be? It's Nicole Kidman!" Her presence made me keep watching to see how she handled her earliest film role.

The criminals in the movie start off as real badasses, with ominous music playing in the background (which later becomes amusing). A couple of them quickly degenerate into "Home Alone" style bad guys ineptly chasing the two dudes and Nicole all over the city (including going down the tubes of a water slide!). The teenagers could now identify them, and had taken the walkie-talkies (remember them?) the crooks needed to tap into the police band radio frequency to stay ahead of the cops. In the police station there is a police woman who seems willing to be sympathetic to the teens. I thought she was hot. When the chief's back is turned, she bites one of her fellow officer's ears. I envied him.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie, and if you don't expect too much from it, you might also. The scenery is really good to look at, and the sunny seaside city really lifted my spirits. The exuberance of young people having a good time did, too.

This may be interesting to fans of this movie. Most of the movie was filmed in Manly, NSW, Australia which is a coastal town not far from Sydney. A ferry ride across sydney harbour away, in fact.

The BMX track at the end of the movie, just before the credits roll is actually Hickeys Lane BMX track which was located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.

Penrith is a city west of Sydney and I lived there from 1984 to 1989.

I have fond memories of riding my BMX at Hickeys Lane and it's great to actually see it in a movie.

If you play the BMX track part of the movie slowly, you can see the Blue Mountains in the background behind the park.

In the end credits there is a thank you message to Western Sydney BMX Club. Penrith now has a new BMX track and from what I have read on the internet, Hickeys Lane BMX track is no longer in use.

Regards,

Ashley Irons

Excellent movie. Great stunts. Horrible villains. I'll never forget watching this with my friends. It made us want to catch bad guys and then race bikes. The music is just as much fun. Everyone should see this at least once.

If I was on my deathbed, and my loved ones were gathering around me, and if they asked me if there was anything I wanted to do before I died... I would reply, "Show me BMX Bandits, one last time." Obviously, this will never happen, as I have no loved ones, and in fact will probably die alone. But enough about me.

BMX Bandits is an unparalleled achievement in cinema history, ranking right up there with, "Out of the Body" and "Birth of a Nation." It basically features a nubile NIcole Kidman (in tight BMX pants ;-) ) and her band of mates, Goose, and P.J. Confused? That's because those names are BMX lingo. This film is jam-packed with BMX tomfoolery and other high speed things. Look for a wizend David Argue (remember his role in Gallipoli?) as the colorful crook, "Whitey." Watch as him and his partner-in-crime, John Ley (Mustache) are unable to kill three kids on bikes. Even with a muscle car. And a trunkful of guns. Thrills and chills ensue. Scary Graveyard Hide-and-go seek! Foam fertilizer! Male short shorts! Complicated movie-within-movie descriptions. And one extremely awkward kiss. This movie is not to be missed.

I'm sure that there have probably been a lot more adventure films centered around BMXing than just BMX Bandits or Rad, but those are all that I have seen as of this writing. And while I thought 'Rad' was far too embarrassingly cheesy and was initially skeptical when I picked up BMX Bandits, BMX Bandits blew 'Rad' right out the water as far as acting, story, humor, and even action sequences.

BMX Bandits is something like an Australian version of the Hardy Boys (plus one girl) mystery on wheels. Three teens desperate for money to not only get new bikes, but also finally fulfill their ambitions for a neighborhood dirt course decide to try and make the cash on their own. Only, their brief, unsuccessful time as fishing entrepreneurs leads them instead to a boat with a mysterious box tied to it. So, they did what any honest citizen would: they cut the rope and claimed the abandoned treasure for themselves. A case full of sophisticated walkie talkies which yield not only a pretty penny as they sell them to the neighborhood kids, but also a lot of trouble as they are chased by their skilled, gangster owners who wish to retrieve their finds and punish the kids for taking them, as well as the cops who think something much more is going on when their radio frequencies are interrupted with the conversations of the three teens on their walkie talkies.

Despite the family film theme, the movie lacks much of the corniness common to the genre, the decade, or the BMX theme. The filmmakers were willing to be a little more daring with the dialog and the story, probably trying to appeal to audiences older than just the pre-teen market and do so in an often humorous manner, thanks mostly to the witty retort of Goose (James Lugton), one of the three main teens. Although, at least for me, one of the drawbacks was a longer-than-necessary conclusion in which the teens and the gangsters duke it out more or less.

Nonetheless, it is an old adventurous cult classic that is well worth checking out.

This movie should probably be given a 1 out of 10 by any conventional standards. The acting is terrible, the sound/picture quality is extraordinarily sub-par, and the music is torturous.

The plot is very basic: These criminals decide they want to pull off a big robbery and have some elaborate plan all put together. For the plan to work, however, they need police-band radios so they can hear everything the police are doing. These BMX kids find and steal the radios and the criminals want them back. This is the point where the plot just steps out of the way for the real purpose of the movie: exhibiting "rad" BMX stunts (most of which are just jumping off conveniently placed ramps around the city).

So, these criminals chase these three kids all over the city, basically destroying their own car in the process, to get these radios back; I guess it would be too much trouble to just buy new radios. They chase these kids through a water park, a mall, a soccer field, a warehouse, and a few other locations. This ends up being one of the longest chase scenes in cinematic history.

With all that being said, the movie has great entertainment value because its just so damn cheesy. On top of that, you get to see Nicole Kidman before she knew anything about acting. She also has a stunt double which I'm pretty sure is a man. Oh, and she has one of the CREEPIEST kisses with a boy in an empty grave: I guess romance even strikes when you are sitting only feet away from a rotting corpse.

This is for the diehard Nicole Kidman fans only. (That is, unless you're aged about 12 and like seeing kids on BMX bikes foiling dastardly villains.) If you're a fan of Ms Kidman, it will be fascinating to see her at the age of around 15 acting her socks off in a pretty basic kids' movie. Other than that I'm afraid there's not much going for it.

Cult movie of my childhood. I think that in my elementary school there was no one who didn't see this at least few times and it was one of everyone's favorites. Now, three decades later, I see it from different perspective and I could find bunch of flaws. But I won't. Tonight it was still entertaining and all the time I wished to find my old BMX, fix it up and get wild for old times sake. Until ten years ago I was always on the bike. It was my main mean of transportation. I rode it to work, made tours around Serbia and even rode it to clubs on weekend nights. Maybe that's why this movie leaves stronger impression on me than it should, or maybe it's because of 16 years old Nicole Kidman. I think we were all in love with her in those days. :D

7/10

I went to see BMX Bandits when it first came out with an eleventh birthday party gang of mates. We were mostly BMX fanatics and figured we'd be running out of the cinema pulling pretend stunts on our handy imaginary bikes but alas we'd kinda just wheeled out, a little let down. Cut to many years later and I catch it on saturday afternoon TV and that's when I flip. I was too harsh on the pic as a kid coz i thought it pandered to a younger audience but now looking back on my days as a kid it's got some innocent magic like those british children's film foundation pics. Nicole Kidman is a star and her fellow BMX bandits form a fun team but it's the pursuing criminals that steal the show with their manic and obviously improvised actions and dialogue. And hey, any movie that ends with a flour bomb fight on wheels and a huge explosion of foam [which always renders the baddies useless] it's just gotta be top!

Three teenagers discover a stash of walkie talkies and decide to make a quick buck and sell the items. Unfortunately for them, the equipment belongs to a gang of hardened criminals who need them for their next job. They will do anything to get them back.

Good fun. Mainly meant for kids but it's funny enough and interesting enough to be enjoyed by all. Decent enough plot and some great comedic moments. In addition, some great panoramic views of Sydney Harbour and the Manly area.

However, it does get a bit bogged down in endless chase scenes towards the end, making it a bit tedious at times.

The film is probably most famous for starring a 15/16-year-old Nicole Kidman in only her second film. She puts in a solid performance and gives an indication of the talent that would make her a star.

I have similar feelings about this movie as a lot of the other reviewers.

As kids, my friends and I used to rent it at all opportunities. I can still remember fighting in the car over who got to look at the cover!

I watched it again a few years back. The plot seemed silly. The acting was no longer brilliant. Overall it dropped about 2 stars!

But I still enjoyed seeing it again. It was good memories. Of course having Nicole Kidman in one of her first movies ever is also great fun to watch. Who'd have known she'd go on to become such hot property.

P.s. She must spend a fortune keeping her hair straight!

This is story about is about a gang of criminals who need walkie talkies to monitor police signals during a bank robbery that they were planning to do, but the walkie talkies are stolen by kids who ride BMX bikes. The plot is so boring and plain, and most if the movie is just the three teens on their BMX bikes running from two if the criminals, doing tricks on conveniently placed ramps throughout the city. The plot is so predictable, & the nonsensical moments in the films will make you want to rip your hair out. Like how weren't the two criminals able to catch them when they're in a car, yet one of the boys was able to catch up to a car on foot. Also, no little reward for catching a criminal would've been able to pay for the property damage these kids did throughout the town. All in all, this movie is awful, & us watchers should be able to sue the directors and producers for emotional distress because that is a torturous hour & a half that I'll never get back.

This is the movie Mad Max: Fury Road could've been. Well, I mean, you know, it's pretty good, anyway. Better than its IMDb average score would suggest, I'd say. Who cares if it's not actually gritty and convincing? It's a kids movie! It's a fun ol' adventure! Plus, the sixteen year-old Nicole Kidman (in her Big Screen Debut, no less) is terrific. Why not watch it? Huh? Why not? Yeah, see? You can't answer me, can you? I thought as much.

And had about 5 bucks for the budget. Everything in this movie is just too over the top bad. It would probably be a good movie to get together with some friends, drink heavily and make fun of it at every turn.

If you are not doing that then I would recommend you stay away from this one.

You know, it's a small thing, but I can't remember the last time I watched a movie in which a group of characters embarked on a watercraft of any size, and made a point to wear personal floatation devices out on the water. It's a nice little touch! Put that aside, and the fact that A-list star Nicole Kidman makes an early film appearance at only 16-years old, and there's not necessarily much about 'BMX bandits' to make a major impression. This movie fits neatly into that niche genre of kids (or teens) hanging out, playing, and/or getting up to mischief, and in the process stumbling onto criminal activity that in one way or another they help to stop. Such pictures reliably have some gimmick that they latch onto for their premise - the title of this one gives it away - and of course we get mild, family-friendly action, stunts, tension, and humor. Cheesy, predictable, and filled with clichés and tropes, it won't be for everyone, but this isn't half bad.

Anyone who isn't receptive to such features, targeted for a young audience, won't find anything here to change their mind; the expected scenes that focus on the lead characters showing off on their "wheels" are especially kitschy. Still, it's well made from a technical standpoint, and the writing is reasonably decent. While the plot and characters are pretty standard fare, there's just enough intelligence and cleverness in the dialogue and scene writing to help 'BMX bandits' to feel fresh, and keep viewers engaged - not least for the climactic sequence, naturally. I like the original score, even if it's a tad repetitive at times, and the filming locations are excellent and well considered as they add to the construction of the narrative. Stunts are well done, scenes at large are orchestrated well, and director Brian Trenchard-Smith demonstrates a certain flair in some of the shots he puts together. And the cast are really quite good as they bring their roles to life - the kids, precocious and resourceful; the criminals, mean but bumbling; the secondary supporting characters, varying in their personalities and consistently built just to lend to the comedy.

Whether it's a chase or not, no few shots and scenes are filled simply with characters running or riding their bikes, and the frequency does get tired after a while. Whether on account of poor timing or just questionable arrangement generally, some moments are less than authentic or convincing, and sound effects ("whoosh!") are generally downright unnecessary as embellishments. All the same, this is a movie that only wants to entertain, and has no illusions about being anything it's not. For those who can get on board with the silliness, and the commonness - even with every possible weakness or shortcoming in mind, it's really fairly enjoyable. Except for diehard fans of Kidman or Australian cinema, or the very curious, there's maybe not any particular need to go out of your way for 'BMX bandits,' but if you happen to come across it, it's a sufficiently amusing way to spend 90 minutes.

This movie was every bit as cheesy as I had expected it to be.

80s movie? - Check. A young Nicole Kidman? - Check. BMX bikes? - Check. 80s synth electronica? - Check.

The story in "BMX Bandits" is very simplistic and thus requires very little from the audience in order to keep up to speed. The storyline is also quite stereotypical for a movie such as this. A group of youngsters find something hidden by criminals, and as the bad guys try to get their stuff back they are bested by the underdog youngsters. And this time they do it on BMX bikes!

The acting was as to be expected for a movie and script such as this. But it was funny to watch a very young Nicole Kidman in a movie such as this, of course.

Everything here just reeked to high heaven of the 1980s, and with good reason.

This movie would indeed have been enjoyable back in the 1980s when BMX bikes were hot and in, but not so much today.

I and my brother rented this movie for our birthdays for, I don't know, something like five years in a row. Even though it might not be a philosophical masterpiece, it's one of the dearest memories I have from my childhood. I gave it a 10. I'm renting it again for my brother's bachelor party. If he ever finds a woman to marry, that is.

This movie is perfect for a drunken video night at home. Nicole Kidman stars as one of the teenage BMX bandits and a check-out chick at the local supermarket. The kids come across a bunch of stolen walkie-talkies and get caught up with some "nasty" goons. Don't miss the classic going down the Manly waterslides on BMX bikes. Luv Nicole's perm! And the BMX bandits matching outfits! And the goons'"scary" halloween masks!

80's children classic!

A total stinker - but in the "it's so bad it's good" category.

Plus a must see for all those Nicole fans out there.