Badlands

John Chard

Little did I realise that what began in the alleys and back ways of this quiet town would end in the Badlands of Montana. Badlands is written and directed by Terrence Malick. It stars Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Ramon Bieri and Warren Oats. Music is by George Tipton and James Taylor and cinematography by Tak Fujimoto, Steven Larner and Brian Probyn. Badlands seems to be adored by critics, often being coined as one of the best debuts ever made by a director. Maybe based loosely on the Starkweather-Fugate killing spree of 1958, though the makers have been at pains to ensure we know this is a case of all the characters and situations being fictional, Badlands does indeed have impressive strands. It's a gorgeous picture visually, the surreal feel that is sometimes garnered by Malick in the narrative gives the piece a haunted edge and Spacek and Sheen are very good given the characters they are asked to play. However, Malick's commentary on amoral youth of 50s America, a corruption of innocence, alienation and etc, never has the depth, to my mind, to really be as special as so many say it is. Some argue the sketchy motives and reasonings involving Kit and Holly are deliberately thought provoking, I'd argue that devoid of psychological meat they are dull characters only livened by the actors' performances. Holly's narration is a clever device by Malick, serving to keep us interested since the structure of the film is repetitious, where being in the company of Kit and Holly becomes a chore. And lets not get onto credibility either... I know I'm in the minority, but three times I have tried to grasp this supposed genius in Badlands, and I just don't see it. There's a myth and mysticism that has been attributed to it, even enhanced as the years have rolled by, but where there is undoubtedly beauty on the surface, down below there is no beast. 6/10

CinemaSerf

This is another of those films that I could just imagine James Dean doing, but as it is it's a charismatic Martin Sheen who dons the white T-shirt and the 501s and causes havoc with his younger girlfriend "Holly" (Sissy Spacek). "Kit" is a bit of a drifter who makes a living collecting the trash in 1950s rural America and who probably won't amount to much as he hangs about with her as if they were ten years younger. Then an incident at home with her disapproving father (Warren Oates) forces the pair to get off the grid. For a while they take to the trees, but with the cops and others trying to track them down they must resort to even more drastic action that essentially turns the pair into a sort of latter-day Bonnie & Clyde - complete with their very own bounty! As their adventures continue, both justify their increasingly erratic behaviour by claiming to want to protect the other whilst she, especially, becomes disillusioned with the opportunities their new life on the run is offering them. The plot here isn't especially gripping, but there is something about the observational style of the film that really does engage. It's not just that Sheen looks like Dean, it's like he's actually trying to look like him. That nonchalantness; that portrayal of the irresponsibility of youth and the complete indifference to the consequences of his increasingly murderous actions are captured effortlessly by an actor who looks entirely natural throughout. Spacek rarely disappoints and she doesn't here either. "Holly" has more of the loyal dog to her character than a girl. What won't she do for her beau? Except, as with any good chrysalis, as they spend more time together she is the one who emerges to more readily appreciate the toxicity and unsustainability of their situation. Will they both end up driving over a cliff together in one last grand romantic gesture or will one of them crack under the pressures of their now quite perilously transient lives and their constant pursuit? The uncomplicated cinematography brings an extra dimension to their story as it's very spacious grandness seems to exacerbate her feelings of being more and more hemmed-in and the pace - though lively at times - largely has a gentleness to it that further augments the sense that this pair are still playing with skimming stones, or mucking about in the fields emanating anything but a sense of menace. There is a certain chemistry here between the two and it's a film that sort of washes over you.