← Back to results
Badlands
1974 94 min United States of America PG 16+
★8.1
Crime, Drama, Romance
Director: Terrence Malick
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
EN
Description
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.
Budget:
$300,000
Starring
Martin Sheen
Actor
Sissy Spacek
Actor
Warren Oates
Actor
Awards
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1974
— Golden Shell
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1974
— San Sebastián Award – Best Actor
BAFTA 1975
— Best Breakthrough
Key opinion
Terrence Malick’s directorial debut is widely regarded as a masterful, atmospheric crime drama that transcends the typical 'Bonnie and Clyde' road-movie template. While a minority of viewers find the characters hollow and the narrative thin, most praise its lyrical, detached exploration of youthful aimlessness and the haunting emptiness of the American landscape.
| Cinematography | The cinematography captures the barren American plains with a haunting, detached beauty that defines the film's unique visual identity. | |
| Acting | Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek deliver compelling, understated performances that anchor the film's unsettling and quiet tone. | |
| Direction | Malick’s directorial approach is praised for its factual, non-judgmental observation of violence, which stands in stark contrast to more stylized crime cinema. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is viewed by some as a profound meditation on existential void and youth, while others criticize it for lacking substance and providing shallow character development. |