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Badlands

Play trailer 2:56 Poster for Badlands PG 1973 1h 35m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Inspired by real-life killers Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, this tale of crime and love begins in a dead-end town. Teenage girl Holly (Sissy Spacek) angers her father (Warren Oates) when she begins dating an older and rebellious boy (Martin Sheen). After a conflict between Holly and her father erupts in murder, the young lovers are forced to flee. In the ensuing crime spree, they journey through the Midwest to the Badlands of Montana, eluding authorities along the way.
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Badlands

Badlands

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Critics Consensus

Terrence Malick's debut is a masterful slice of American cinema, rife with the visual poetry and measured performances that would characterize his work.

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Critics Reviews

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Steve Erickson Slate 02/21/2018
If a portion of American cinema is going to remain devoted to violence, it could learn a lot by revisiting Malick's thoughtfulness. Go to Full Review
Joshua Rothkopf Time Out 05/07/2013
5/5
In the fall of 1973, one could see signposts of cinema's future in Mean Streets and The Exorcist, yet with this youthful pair of proto-indie dreamers, Malick was paving a whole new road. It turned out to be the path most traveled. Go to Full Review
Tina Hassannia Slant Magazine 05/05/2013
4/4
It's a testament to Bruce Greenwood's acting that Adan never becomes entirely as insufferable as the words that come out of his mouth. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Oct 23
5/5
…Terrence Malick's Badlands was, and still is, an American classic, a dark story of connection and love in a time of alienation and loss…throwaway shots of fish, trains, and household fires punctuate the narrative in a way that’s realistic and yet poetic. Go to Full Review
Andrew Collins Radio Times 06/07/2024
5/5
Acted with a rare lack of selfconsciousness by the two leads, it's a story of boy-meets-girl that just happens to be mythic in scope. Go to Full Review
Erica Peplin Vague Visages 12/05/2023
Some movies are so good that when they’re over, you almost expect the whole film industry to shut down. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hector I 5d This film is really what American cinema knows how to do best, like First Blood by the Coen brothers and also Paris Texas later. A cinema of borders and freedom. Here we follow the fate of Kit Harruter (Martin Sheen), an ex-garbage collector who meets Hollie (Sissy Spacek), a kid who lets herself be seduced by Kit. But this couple is not accepted by Hollie's father at all, so when Kit comes to pick her up, Hollie's father opposes them and Kit kills him. This brutal and amoral arrival of violence hits us all the more because if Kit knows what he is doing, Hollie does not seem to realize the seriousness of all this by following her father's murderer on this road trip. During this deadly trip, we start to strangely appreciate this couple especially during the little getaway in the forest, it is Hollie who is the narrator and I must say that this idyllic moment, is really beautiful and well filmed. A bit like Adam and Eve in paradise. By the way, the female voice, the shots and the superb photography influenced Wes Anderson in his cinema, it's not complicated, it was the raw version of Moonrise Kingdom. But violence always comes from Kit, uncontrolled, an antisocial element who takes what he wants and sometimes kills just for fun. Hollie, if she sees and knows what is happening, pretends not to see it, if not to feel it in any case, preferring to take refuge in her dream, her dreamlike journey. But it doesn't last and Kit's violence eventually catches up with them and he gets caught and sent on a plane. He has become a terror, a legend, but he is living his hour of glory because he is very funny and the police find him friendly. It disturbs as much as we are associated with these moments as if we were also this audience frightened and charmed by Kit like Hollie in the end. When the film ends, the embarrassment is published thanks in particular to the superb film music between Karl Orff and Erik Satie. We felt this wind of freedom and this communicative joy, these truly magnificent shots, these incredible colors. Everything is forgotten, everything is forgiven and all that remains is this appetite for life! 4.5/5 See more tucker s Nov 12 Fantastic movie. Tremendous acting and writing as well as cinematography. See more Iain M Aug 11 This is a stone cold masterpiece. The cinematography is stunning. Images from this film will stay with you for a lifetime. The performances are complex and nuanced. Sheen is weirdly charming as the psychopathic killer on the run. But on rewatching, I’m struck by how mesmeric Spacek is as his companion: reserved, romantic but passionless, self-deluding and indifferent to the mayhem that explodes around her. A enigma of a girl. The use of music (everything from Carl Off to late 1950s pop) is inspired. A visionary film. However, it is a deeply disturbing piece. Violence becomes the gateway to celebrity in this unsparing vision of America. In many ways it exposes not the banality of evil, but its vapidity. Chilling and unforgettable. See more RELICftw X Aug 9 Ego, boredom, and romance make for a dangerous combination. This movie represents unhinged teenage angst in its entirety - and what happens when a young man in need of attention stays unseen for far too long. Terrence Malick, through stark imagery and fleeting snippets of life in the American Midwest, perfectly captures the emptiness of the two main characters' hearts and their longing for fulfilment. The dangerous pair take us on chilling road trip, chasing after an impossible ideal born from loneliness, attraction and the spur of the moment. Prepare to feel the rush of connection, and pain of disconnection, vicariously through Kit and Holly's story. A movie that will stick with you. A personal 5/5 for me, though be warned: if you're not a fan of Malick's distinct, meditative pacing and detached storytelling, your experience may differ. See more Benjamin H Jul 6 With solid lead performances, stunning cinematography and a classy display of visual poetry, Terrence Malick's first film Badlands stands on its own feet, even though its narrative and character developmen lacks proper substance and many key moments within the film lacks emotional punch. See more Stephen C @bob25009 May 27 1 hour and 35 minutes of successful crime drama. Ages 17 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring a young Martin Sheen as Kit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Read all reviews
Badlands

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Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by real-life killers Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, this tale of crime and love begins in a dead-end town. Teenage girl Holly (Sissy Spacek) angers her father (Warren Oates) when she begins dating an older and rebellious boy (Martin Sheen). After a conflict between Holly and her father erupts in murder, the young lovers are forced to flee. In the ensuing crime spree, they journey through the Midwest to the Badlands of Montana, eluding authorities along the way.
Director
Terrence Malick
Producer
Terrence Malick
Screenwriter
Terrence Malick
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros., Pressman-Williams, Badlands Company
Rating
PG
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 30, 2014
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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