Badlands . Newcity Chicago . 03-30-98

Badlands

DIRECTED BY: Terrence Malick

REVIEWED: 03-30-98

Terrence Malick's 1974 haunting, often hilarious debut feature is one of the great, slippery masterpieces of the 1970s, at once a crackling outlaw couple story as well as a richly detailed satire of the fifties. Kit (a very young, very good Martin Sheen) is a garbage collector who gets it in mind to go on a spree with schoolgirl Sissy Spacek. Spacek's ethereally dopey narration offers a fan-magazine version of the facts, usually contradicted by the images in front of us, and the conflict makes the pulpy material even more mysterious. Great soundtrack; rich, delirious camerawork by Tak Fujimoto. Malick's first film since his 1978 "Days of Heaven," a $65 million adaptation of James Jones' "Thin Red Line," is tentatively scheduled for Christmas release. 94m. New 35mm print.

--Ray Pride

Other Films by Terrence Malick
Days of Heaven
The Thin Red Line

Film Vault Suggested Links
The Basketball Diaries
The Designated Mourner
Sling Blade

Rate this Film
If you don't want to vote on a film yet, and would like to know how others voted, leave the rating selection as "Vote Here" and then click the Cast Vote button.