Badlands (1974)
Terrence Malick's stunning debut — a chilling, poetic road movie about love, violence, and the American myth of the outlaw.
Badlands - Movie Information
- Original Title: Badlands
- Release Year: 1974
- Directed by: Terrence Malick
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Crime, Drama, Romance
- Age Rating (US): PG
- Runtime: 1h 34m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: French, English
- Release Date (Theatrical): January 5, 1974 (Brazil), March 24, 1974 (United States - PG), April 1, 1977 (Germany - 16), June 3, 1975 (France - 12), March 5, 1977 (Italy)
- Alternative Titles: Det grymma landet (SE), Terra de Ninguém (BR), 황무지 (KR), 不毛之地 (CN), La rabbia giovane (IT), Пустоши (RU), Qanlı Torpaq (AZ), Malas tierras (ES)
- Production Companies: Pressman-Williams, Jill Jakes Production
- Production Countries: United States of America
Badlands - Plot
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.
Badlands - Trailer
Watch the official trailer and see the haunting world of Kit and Holly come to life.
In 1959 a lot of people were killing time. Kit and Holly were killing people.
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Badlands - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Terrence Malick
Main Cast
- Martin Sheen
- Sissy Spacek
- Warren Oates
- Ramon Bieri
- Alan Vint
- Gary Littlejohn
- John Carter
- Bryan Montgomery
- Gail Threlkeld
- Charles Fitzpatrick
Writers
- Terrence Malick
Producers
- Terrence Malick
Badlands - FAQs
Is Badlands based on a true story?
Yes, Badlands draws directly from the real-life 1958 killing spree of Charles Starkweather and his teenage girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate across Nebraska and Wyoming. Malick reimagines them as Kit and Holly, capturing the eerie detachment of two young people who treated murder with unsettling nonchalance.
Who are the main actors in Badlands?
Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek lead the film as Kit Carruthers and Holly Sargis, delivering career-defining performances. Warren Oates also appears as Holly's father. Sheen's magnetic menace and Spacek's dreamy detachment together create one of cinema's most unforgettable outlaw couples.
What is the real story behind Kit Carruthers?
Kit Carruthers is Malick's fictional stand-in for Charles Starkweather, a 19-year-old garbage collector who idolized James Dean and murdered at least eleven people in 1957–58. The film preserves his charisma and his chilling indifference to violence, though names and some details were changed.
What does Holly's voiceover reveal about her character?
Holly's narration is one of cinema's great unreliable voices — flat, dreamy, and oddly romantic about events that should horrify. Her detachment reveals a teenager shaped by pulp romance novels and boredom rather than moral awareness, making her complicity in the killings all the more unsettling and thought-provoking.
What is Badlands about?
Badlands follows 15-year-old Holly and 25-year-old Kit, who fall in love in a small South Dakota town and flee across the badlands after Kit murders Holly's disapproving father. Their road trip turns into a killing spree, narrated by Holly with an eerie, fairytale calm that contrasts sharply with the violence unfolding around them.
Where can I watch Badlands online?
You can rent or buy Badlands on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, and Spectrum On Demand. It's widely available across digital platforms, so finding a way to watch this classic is easier than ever.
How long is Badlands and what is its age rating?
Badlands runs 94 minutes — lean and propulsive for such a thematically rich film. It carries a PG rating in the United States, which reflects the standards of its 1974 release era. By today's guidelines, the violence and mature themes would likely earn a stronger classification.
What are films similar to Badlands?
If Badlands gripped you, try Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Natural Born Killers (1994) for outlaw-couple thrills, or Thelma & Louise (1991) for a feminist spin on the road-fugitive formula. Wild at Heart (1990) and True Romance (1993) also capture that same dangerous, romantic restlessness.
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