Badlands (1973)

Badlands (1973) is a haunting, lyric crime drama about a restless, James Dean–like young man and the teenage girl who falls under his spell. Set in the late 1950s Midwest, the film follows Kit Carruthers, a mid‑twenties drifter, and 15‑year‑old Holly Sargis as their secret relationship spirals into murder and a fugitive road trip across the badlands. After Kit impulsively kills Holly’s father, the pair try to escape together, leaving a cold, aimless trail of violence and drawing the attention of bounty hunters and the law. The story is loosely based on the 1957–58 Starkweather–Fugate killings. If you watch Badlands you’ll get more than a straightforward crime tale: the film unfolds with a detached, almost poetic calm. Holly’s quiet voiceover narration and long, sunlit shots create a meditative atmosphere that makes the violence feel shocking by contrast rather than sensationalized. The mood is melancholic and dreamlike — simultaneously romanticized and morally ambiguous — so viewers are asked to observe the characters’ interior lives as much as their actions. Expect restrained but powerful performances, strong visual composition, and a slow, deliberate pacing that emphasizes mood and character over plot mechanics. The result is an unsettling, beautiful portrayal of youth, alienation, and the dark side of American myth-making: you leave with a lingering sense of sadness, voyeuristic unease, and the feeling of having witnessed something quietly catastrophic. This is a film for viewers who appreciate contemplative cinema that treats violence as part of a larger, morally complex portrait rather than spectacle.

Actors: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates

Director: Terrence Malick

Runtime: 94 min

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama

7.3 /10 94 /100 7.7 /10 8.1 /10