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Badlands

Badlands

Crime · Drama · Romance · 1974

An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.

Movie details

Badlands

“In 1959 a lot of people were killing time. Kit and Holly were killing people.”

1974 Crime · Drama · Romance 1h 34m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Badlands?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Terrence Malick

Written by

Terrence Malick

Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen

Kit Carruthers

Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek

Holly Sargis

Warren Oates

Warren Oates

Holly's Father

Ramon Bieri

Ramon Bieri

Cato

Alan Vint

Alan Vint

Deputy

Gary Littlejohn

Gary Littlejohn

Sheriff

John Carter

John Carter

Rich Man

Court is in session

Put Badlands on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.