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Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Alan Vint, Ramon Bieri ... see more see more... , Gary Littlejohn , Terrence Malick , John Carter , Dona Baldwin , Ben Bravo , Charles Fitzpatrick , Howard Ragsdale , John Womack Jr.

"He wanted to die with me and I dreamed of being lost forever in his arms." A young couple goes on a Midwest crime spree in Terrence Malick's hypnotically assured debut feature, based on the 1950s Sta... read more read more...rkweather-Fugate murders. Fancying himself a rebel like James Dean, twentysomething Kit (Martin Sheen) takes off with teen baton-twirler Holly (Sissy Spacek) after shooting her father (Warren Oates) when he tries to split the pair up. Once bounty hunters discover their riverside hiding place, Kit and Holly head toward Saskatchewan, leaving dead bodies in their wake. As the law closes in, however, Holly gives herself up -- but Kit doesn't hold it against her, as he basks in his new status as a momentary folk hero. Inaugurating the use of voice-over narration that he would continue in Days of Heaven (1978) and The Thin Red Line (1998), Malick juxtaposes Holly's flat readings of her flowery romance-novel diary prose with the banal and surreal details of their journey. Singularly inarticulate with each other, Kit and Holly are more intrigued by mythic celebrity gestures, as Holly peruses her fan magazines and Kit commemorates key moments before orchestrating a properly dramatic capture for himself (complete with the right hat). The sublime visuals lend a dreamlike beauty to the couple's trip even as their actions are treated casually; Malick neither glamorizes Kit and Holly nor consigns them to the bloody end of their fame-fixated predecessors in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). With the couple's opaque dialogue and Holly's fanzine dream narration, Malick further denies an easy explanation for their crimes. Made for under 500,000 dollars, Badlands debuted at the 1973 New York Film Festival, along with Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, and was released within months of two other outlaw-couple road movies, Steven Spielberg's The Sugarland Express and Robert Altman's Thieves Like Us. Although Badlands did not make an impression at the box office, its pictorial splendor and cool yet disquieting narrative established Malick as one of the most compelling artists to come out of early-'70s Hollywood. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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98% liked it

43 critics

PG, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Terence Malick, Terrence Malick

Release Date: January 1, 1974

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DVD Release Date: April 27, 1999

Stats: 1,320 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,320)

  • fb619846742
    February 24, 2012
    fb619846742
    A beautiful, disturbing romanticized version of violence run amok against the beautiful landscape of the 1950's midwest, where a lowlife (Martin Sheen) falls for a teenager (Sissy Spacek), and the two begin a "Bonnie and Clyde"-esque rampage across the country. While the movie co... read morentains an annoying amount of voiceover on Spacek's, as well as instances where you feel director Terrence Malick might be in awe of these two twisted people, the beautiful cinematography, well-developed story, and realistically captured conclusion help usher this film home. Sheen is fabulous in a role carved strictly for him, and you can tell he has fun sporting his James Dean like looks and combining it with a Clyde Barrow type fearlessness. Spacek is wonderful in the role of the smitten but thoughtful and poetic female role, and her character's regression from an innocent, morally upright young lady to a callous, loyal companion is handed with meticulous, adept care. This film never approaches masterpiece territory like some believe it is, as I do not feel Malick allowed enough room for his actors to develop their characters as best they could given the heavy voiceover his screenplay relies on, but this is still a fine, wonderful looking film deserving a view thanks to two fantastic performances and a look into how we as a country treat serial killers like the celebrities and cult heroes they really aren't.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    December 22, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    I guess i don't get it, because this felt like a long tedious and very very pointless waste of time. This is suppose to be a "deep" metaphor for something, and the movie avoids giving motivations to the characters because that's for simple-minded audiences and i'm a poor fool for... read more demanding those trivial and superficial details. I guess this super mysterious mantra of the movie might explain why everyone whispers their dialogues. Even with all the volume up i still couldn't understand some of the dialogues. So, i'm off to being a complete fool and watch hollow empty movies, watching long takes of dusty roads is just way above me.
  • cosmo313
    December 18, 2011
    cosmo313
    This is the wonderful and fascinating debut film of one of the most interesting and talented, yet secretive and least prolific filmmakers out there, Terrence Malick. The story, inspired by the real life case of Charles Starkweather, follows that of Kit Carruthers, a young aimless... read more greaser who, along with his teenaged schoolgirl lover/companion Holly Sargis, sets out on a murder spree across Montana and South Dakota.

    The film is pretty light on plot and also a great amount of deppth and insight into the characters and motivations, but even then, it's still a captivating study of how Holly knows that Kit is dangerous and sociopathetic, yet still finds him likeable and views their little odyssey with a great sense of innocence and naivety. It's a curious mix of crime film, road movie, and lighthearted poetic romance. It's not for everyone, but I sure was taken in by it, and I'm not surprised by it's impact and influence. Both Oliver Stone and Tony Scott heavily cribbed from it (for Natural Born Killers and True Romance, respectively), and I'm sure a lot of others have too, but those two stick out the most.

    The greatest things about this film, other than its curious nature and how interesting it is, are the excellent cinematography and the wonderful performances. Martin Sheen is likeable and seductively malevolent, but very cold blodded and callous. It's a tremendous job. Sissy Spacek though, is the one who really shines here. Her turn as the innocent and naive, but not completely ignorant Holly is a great showcase for her immense talents and low key beauty, both of which are far too often underappreciated.

    The music, like the visuals, is quite sublime and very catchy. This is a loose and breezy film, yet it never feels shallow or pretentious. I also like how it never overtly condemns or praises the couple or their actions. All in all, I think this is some excellent stuff, and definitely feel you should give it a shot.
  • fb1341085175
    July 12, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Another masterpiece from the best decade for American cinema featuring amazing performances (Sissy Spacek, I'll always have a soft spot for you).
  • imrealgod
    June 8, 2011
    imrealgod
    Decided to watch it (merely, and as I usually do, so excuse me if this is an oft found repetition by me. Oh, and it's bound to happen time and again in the future too.) 'coz it was based on real events. And it was worthwhile. Not a must watch, but serves quite well if you want to... read more *kill* time!!!


    Holly (a while after Kit shoots his friend Kato): How is he doing?
    Kit: I got him in the stomach.
    Holly: Is he upset?
    Kit: He didn't say anything to me about it.
  • stevenecarrier
    May 19, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    Terence Malick's "Badlands" is unparalleled when it comes to 1970s crime cinema (hell, even by today's standards it's never been matched). This film is extremely sparse and engrossing. The way Malick subtracts emotion from the world he creates is unique and unsettling. Coupled wi... read moreth the breathtaking photography and nuanced performances from Martin Sheen and the great Sissy Spacek (who was on a serious role in the 70s, with this, "3 Women" and "Carrie" among others), "Badlands" makes for an absorbing, surreal and unforgettable experience.
  • ythelastman89
    March 16, 2011
    ythelastman89
    It's kind've incredible how influential this has been on modern storytelling. It's easy to see where movies like Natural Born Killers and True Romance especially got their ideas. The movie doesn't attempt to analyze the minds of Kit and Holly; you simply see them for what they ar... read moree and make your own judgments. Both Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek deliver great performances here, making these real people and not caricatures of what might have been real people. What I like most about this is that it doesn't glorify nor demonize the characters or the actions. It's a more mature and unsettling way to go about making a movie like this. The music backs this up and further creates a truly unique type of viewing experience. It strays away from fitting into a genre and it doesn't try make a statement about society's downfall. Terrence Malick's vision is clear even in his first attempt. The images we get are so beautiful and often say more than the characters do. If anyone is able to tell an entire story through wide shots, it's Terrence Malick.
  • FilmFanatik
    January 23, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Gotta be honest and say that I wasn't really digging this film in the first half hour, but the longer it went on, the more fascinated I was. How difficult is it to tell a story with characters that have no redeemable qualities, yet somehow find them irresistable to watch? The v... read moreoice-over bothers me at times because I think it could have been used a little more sparingly, but overall, I fell in love with this film. A masterpiece to be sure.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 8, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Strange that it is different and similar all in one. Similar in the western/ isolation feel, different in the character of Kit. Most of Malick's characters are emotionally distant enough to make them hard to connect to, but something about Kit was so off the wall, he made sense. ... read moreOr maybe I'm a psychopath in the making. And I'm really taking that from the end. I can definitely see the beginnings of Malick's signatures.
  • ceWEBrity
    September 18, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    Badlands is a daring, full-bodied, bifurcated view of two completely different types of sociopaths: one who places absolutely no value on human life, and one who is so devoid of free will or critical thought that she can be coerced into essentially anything. Martin Sheen and Siss... read morey Spacek are perfect here. Sheen emanates the surface level charisma of a emotionally dead man, almost too good-looking and silver-tongued to be resisted. Stronger women than Spacek had probably fallen for his lines in the past. Spacek herself, as poor brain dead Holly, is eerily without texture and for an actress as expressive and intelligent as she, to suddenly shut off all your gifts is a rare and stunning feat. Her narration is passive and objective to the point of sadness; you can't help but wonder how this girl, privy to all of these awful murders (beginning with that of her own father), can remain so unmoved and unshaken by both the deeds themselves and the man committing them. Working in conjunction with our two lead figures is the nature photography, dwelt upon long enough to suggest that the movie is driving at something besides just the human element. Is what they're doing "unnatural?" Or perhaps killing the people who stand in the way of your happiness is closer to natural order than humans have been for a very long time. The notion of primacy is definitely grappled with here, especially in the portion of the film where they establish a base in a secluded forest. They are living in tandem with the wild, the only place that seems hospitable to them anymore.

    This is a film of quiet audacity, a delightful and subtle psychological study and the inimitable genesis of the serial killer picture. It excels at everything it sets out to do and makes its points with clear, focused, creative cinematic language. It also makes me feel really awful that I dozed through most of The New World. Emphatically recommended, and enough to get me to catch the rest of Terrence Malick's films as soon as possible.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
February 8, 2010
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Days of Heaven put Terrence Malick's intuitions into cogent form, but this is where his art begins. Full Review

Variety Staff
May 16, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Written, produced and directed by Terrence Malick, pic is his first feature and it's an impressive debut. Full Review

Peter Stack
January 1, 2000
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

Among the great American crime movies, 1973's Badlands stands alone. Full Review

Mark Pfeiffer
August 9, 2011
Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

Malick has come to be known and revered as a cinematic poet and philosopher, as a filmmaker who explores big ideas, but in Badlands in particular he also shows a knack for off-kilter humor. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
June 27, 2011
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

In his debut, Terrence Malick is an uncanny creator of pearlescent forms, a very stark balladeer, Mark Twain's coolly ferocious heir Full Review

Tim Brayton
May 31, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Incredibly beautiful, of course (you may have heard that Malick movies are famous for their landscapes), but it's not "just" beautiful. Full Review

Josh Larsen
May 13, 2011
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm

...the first of Malick's many screen Edens, all of which inevitably come to a violent end. Full Review

Nick Schager
May 11, 2011
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Malick's film, full of striking cutaways to the burning-sun horizon and the harsh landscape's solitary creatures, comes to operate at an overpoweringly chilling remove. Full Review

Derek Malcolm
August 29, 2008
Derek Malcolm, This is London

The superb performances from Sheen and Spacek are as memorable as Malick's vision of something akin to hell. Full Review

August 29, 2008
Total Film

The unique, lilting music would subsequently crop up in True Romance, though Tarantino's generation has yet to dethrone Badlands as the most haunting of all couple-on-the-run movies. Full Review

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Badlands Trivia

  • Badlands (1973) stars a man whos most recent role was playing the American President on a highly acclaimed TV drama. Who is he?  Answer »
  • He made Badlands in 1973, Days of Heaven in 1978, The Thin Red Line in 1998 and this film in 2005.  Answer »
  • Who played the person who knocks on the Rich Man's door to be answered by Kit in Terrence Malick's "Badlands"?  Answer »
  • Which iconic director took a huge career break between his films Badlands in the 70's and The Thin Red Line in the 90's?  Answer »
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