Every Terrence Malick Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Malick's second feature film - and his last before his famous twenty-year break - Days of Heaven has had a rocky relationship with critics over the years, initially only lightly praised before more recent reviewers have accepted it as one of the finest movies of the 70s.

The story of a couple (Richard Gere and Brooke Adams) who attempt to secure an inheritance from a dying farmer (Sam Shepherd), the period drama is ultimately about a surprising love triangle caught up in a thrilling tale of greed and crime, which moves slowly but with shocking bursts of violence and cruel twists of fate.

Aided by the cinematography of Néstor Almendros and Haskell Wexler, Malick makes the most of the film's vast Texas backdrop, highlighting the isolation of its characters whilst creating a strong sense of dread around their schemes. It's a phenomenal, dark achievement, and makes you wonder what else Malick would have accomplished in the 70s and 80s had he not taken his hiatus.