Larry’s review published on Letterboxd:
"Names Caruthers. Believe I shoot people every now and then. Not that I deserve a medal."
As I was browsing the store today on the lookout for some films for my 30 Days, 30 Countries Film Challenge, my eyes were drawn to Badlands sitting by itself on the shelf. The vintage art style on the Criterion Collection cover was striking and made it visually different than every other film in the vicinity. And after I found out that Paths of Glory wasn't in stock, and feeling like I struck out, I found myself going back to where Badlands was sitting.
I said "screw it" and bought it.
Even before I popped it in tonight, Badlands had already proved to be a film on its own beautiful isolated island. The debut film by the elusive and mysterious visual auteur Terrence Malick is a wild ride that is a lot of things at once. The plot is an elastic band that bends and stretches to fit the needs of what Malick wants to enlighten the audience on. Here he uses the killing spree of Kit Caruthers and Holly Sargis across the badlands of Dakota as a vehicle to show scenes of great tragedy, beauty, love, violence, and loneliness. The themes here are varied and heavy. Shortcomings of society, bastardization of young love and skewed family values are all exposed in their full beauty and sadness. Malick has a unique way of finding beauty in everything, no matter how tragic. Society cast Kit and Holly out, and nature took them in. Society created Kit but ultimately rejects him. Kit is played interestingly by Martin Sheen who looks like a poor mans James Dean. This was intentional due to the fact that a character even makes a similar remark in the film, the real life killer Kit is based off of had the similar look, and it adds to the fact that Kit is a Frankenstein's monster born of movie personalities and burgeoning manhood that cannot be contained. He is funny, cool, but can be very cruel and cold blooded. His counterpart, and sweetheart Holly is played by Sissy Spacek who does an admirable job but I never really became interested in her character. Spacek was kind of weak, but its not her fault. She had to act in the shadow of Martin Sheen's larger than life character. The fact that she is dwarfed by him could also be intentional because he dictates and dominates her every move. They are lovers in the age of innocence but there is an unspoken power struggle between them that eventually tears them apart.
Other movies of this nature usually end similarly to Bonnie and Clyde. Both parties try to go out in a hail of bullets but Badlands spits in the face of conformity and shows a different kind of ending. A similarly tragic but far less fatal ending. The films ends and begs the question "what would these characters be doing of this never happened?" Society usually doesn't try to intervene until the very last second and by then its too late. Kit was a hard worker, he was charismatic and goal orientated. He could've gone places if he just would've gotten help. But his isolation and loneliness left him in a void of violence and destruction. Instead of being leashed up like a dog at the end, he could've had a great job or he could've been married. The system is usually only present when we are born, and when we either die or get hauled off in chains. Until then we are children of the land who make this life as comfortable or chaotic as we see fit. Malick captures this spiritual and nihilistic road trip through Hell with a picturesque and tranquil filming style. The land is detailed with a barren natural beauty that resembles the false utopia created in the characters minds. It's beautiful sadness at its finest artistic peak.
Badlands still has its fair share of problems. Like I mentioned above Spacek's acing is a little weak and the editing is kinda sloppy in some parts. (Ex: when Kit shoots Holly's dad) I actually didn't have a problem with the narrative style and despite the VoiceOvers done by my least favorite character, I still found it insightful. I wish the movie would've shown us the other side to the couples path of destruction. The film tells us that a multiple state wide manhunt was going on but it never showed us this until the final moments. This also could've been alluding to the egocentric and selfish personalities of the couple and their focus on only themselves. But in my eyes I feel like showing forces mobilizing or citizens on edge would've given Kit and Holly's actions more weight towards the end. I still think the climax is fantastic. The movie is totally worth watching just for the ending where Kit is talking with the officers. It's so damn cool.
Badlands is a beautiful movie that is pumping with style and teen angst. Malick recreated 1950's rural areas perfectly and this debut would set up lots of future styles and techniques. I honestly could not tell you why I chose to watch Malicks filmography in such sporadic order. I think Tree of Life has recently become my favorite but I think this might become my number two. It's an unforgettable movie that is great in a lot of ways despite its shortcomings.
After watching this I also realized that this was the first time I had actually seen and heard Terrence Malick speak. Hearing him speak made chills run down my spine and it filled me with boyish glee. This is the twangy voice of a genius. An auteur. And possibly even an eternal alien.
