The heist genre is, ironically, easy money. All it takes is a worthwhile team of personalities and you’re almost guaranteed a streaming hit, and that is the appeal Bandidos banks on throughout a seven-part Season 1. But the Netflix series isn’t content with that, and instead of a dull plot to stick up a bank or empty a vault, it weaves in an Indiana Jones-style tale of local history and forgotten relics.
This sounds a lot better than it ends up being.
Bandidos at least gets the basics rights – it introduces us to the team immediately. Miguel (Alfonso Dosal) is the leader, son of famed treasure hunter Juan (Bruno Bichir). Lilí (Ester Expósito) is a con artist who uses lingerie and a little dog to distract men for long enough to clone their credit cards. Miguel’s uncle Wilson (Juan Pablo Medina) is an experienced forger, and to complete the gang, Lucas (Juan Pablo Fuentes) is a hacker and gamer who basically provides tech support.
“What could possibly go wrong?” asks Miguel in rather heavy-handed opening narration. The answer, predictably, is “everything”.
This eccentric group of misfits is after the fabled treasure of Aj Took, a Mayan ruler who discovered gold, spent his reign hoarding it, and was subsequently buried with his fortune. Among that fortune is a solid gold jaguar, an untouched relic worth an astronomical sum. Inspired by a chance encounter with a Spaniard who has a map to the treasure tattooed on his stomach, Miguel assembles the team to track it down after the Spaniard is found dead with a big flap of stomach skin missing, implying someone else is after the loot.
Since greed isn’t always a relatable motivation, there’s a personal element here. Miguel’s father Juan is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and owes his memory care facility money. A more complete form of the missing map is being held in a museum of Tucatan antiquities opened by Juan’s protégé Ariel Tavitan (Andres Baida), so you can see how this is getting a little familial. The museum and the map become the first target for the team, and things spiral from there.
Naturally reminiscent of other heist shows, including recent streaming hits like Baby Bandito, Berlin, and Culprits, Bandidos has a familiar vibe. There’s even a slapstick quality to it as Miguel’s overconfidence contrasts with the natural ineptitude of his gang, leading to a surprisingly heavy comedy focus. Sometimes that comedy can walk the line of bad taste – such as in a recurring gag about Lili threatening to bed 17-year-old Lucas as soon as he turns 18 – but it mostly gives the adventure a more enjoyable vibe.
Bandidos Is Too Light For Its Own Good
The problem is that it’s a bit too light, breezy, and predictable to make its mark. You’ve seen it all before in mostly the same composition as here, and few surprises are on offer even when you factor in the specificity of the target and the burgeoning personal stakes. Ocean’s Eleven meets National Treasure sounds great on paper, but in execution, it’s lacking.
Of course, shows of this type rely on their casts and the likability of their characters, and to be fair to Bandidos, spending time with the team is fun in and of itself, which gets it over some early hurdles. Some entertainment is meant to be fun above all else, and we shouldn’t mark it down for not reaching a level it never set out to attain in the first place. But Bandidos always feels like it’s on the cusp of being a much more interesting and exciting experience, and it never quite manages to get there.
What did you think of Bandidos Season 1? Comment below.
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