BADLANDS (1973, Dir. Terrence Malick) * * * * * One of the best cinematic debuts since 1941s CITIZEN KANE, both on and offscreen! This was actually based on the true story of late-1950s cross-country killers Charles Starkweather (age 25) and Caril Ann Fugate (age 15), whose names are changed to Kit and Holly as played by then newcomers Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, respectively. Terrence Malick adeptly transforms the account into a masterpiece that remains, with the debatable exception of my personal top favorite of all his works, THE THIN RED LINE (1998), his best work. But this film, which could have been another knockoff of EASY RIDER or BONNIE & CLYDE during the continuing counterculture era of the 1970s, stands alone as one of the finest films to actually explore the human condition through outsiders whose motives arent always clear (even to themselves) and who also seem to capture the feeling of doom and puzzlement hovering over mid-20th century America as they hurtle into an uncertain future littered with far more casualties than victories. This is not a film for everyone - it is a disturbing work, more often on the basis of what is suggested rather than seen. But it needs to be seen and accepted for what it is: a highly philosophic poem on the true fractured nature of civilized society and the morally ambiguous issues of the human monsters it tends to create. While we may not condone these killers actions, were also not so quick to condemn them, as they appear to contain a rare humanity strangely lacking in the world around them and are victims of human societys flaws in general, unable to escape their inevitable fates but also capable of making an indelible impact - a journey that applies to each and every one of us. Sheen and Spacek are astonishing in performances that rival - and in some cases surpass - their later work, and Malicks trademark imagery - aided by legendary cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, also a newcomer - and musical selections does far more than merely enhance the depth of the drama and concepts conveyed, just some of the reasons why the film has been an influential cult favorite Look for Malick in a cameo as a architect with a blueprint visiting a homestead held up quietly by our protagonists! Out on DVD and Blu-Ray from The Criterion Collection youtube/watch?v=qKykxE7CBbc
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:36:05 +0000
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