God damn, what a great movie. Rarely does a film in all its aspects seamlessly contribute to the totality of the vision. An early 20's Martin Sheen is amazing; his every move is a natural extension of his character. There is no doubting his star power. Sissy Spacek is a perfectly balanced blend of bizzare, naive and girly. (They are two young people on the run from the law in the Badlands region of Montana.) Everything works to add to the story. The cinematography, the landscapes, the soundtrack, the editing, the dialogue, the bits of dry humor sprinkled here and there before and after multiple killings, the sense of playfulness within the chemistry of the two leads. It all works and it all adds up to a genuine American Masterpiece of a Motion Picture. Director Terence Malick burst on to the scene with this, his 1973 debut feature. This is, for me, the rare film that I can't even knit-pickingly find some small flaw. (Unincidentally a film that should be seen on the big screen.) If I had some Ebertesque rating system, I'd give it the max. You'll even notice how later films like 'True Romance' borrow heavily from this movie. Shit, anybody who truly cares about experiencing good films should have this on their 'absolutely-must-fucking-see-list'.
Terence Malick's 1973 debut Film, 'Badlands'.
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