The Crime? Loosely based on the killing spree actually committed by Charles Starkweather and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate, Badlands follows the cross-country adventures of Kit (Martin Sheen) and Holly (Sisy Spacek) as they seek to elude the authorities after Kit murders Hollys over-protective father. As the two runaways become increasingly cut-off from society, Kits antagonistic, unsympathetic nature begins to show itself with increasing frequency. Though justice does eventually catch up with the pair, Martin Sheen (in his feature film debut) gives such an understated, unemotional and detached portrayal of the sociopath that you are left with the impression that Kit is insane. Why Is It Great? Terrence Malicks mesmerising crime film is riddled with the visually poetic shots which have been a defining aspect of his directorial career. In this sense Badlands is just as much a film about America as it is about crime indeed some of the most enduring moments in the film where we are shown the vast openness Kit and Holly retreat into to outrun their felonies. When the film closed at 1973s New York Film Festival, it was reported to have overshadow even Martin Scorseses Mean Streets (Vanity Fair) any film capable of outdoing the great master of the criminal movie genre is deserving of a spot on a list of the greatest crime films.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
