It’s 2025 and this is the first time I’ve watched Badlands. I recognise the poster, but haven’t read the copy and know nothing about the film. What have I missed? Holly (Sissy Spacek) is a young girl growing up with her father (Warren Oates) in 1950s South Dakota. It’s a sleepy dead-end sort of place. Honestly why anyone ever had the notion of American being great needs to watch more of its films. Anyway, it’s here Holly meets Kit (Martin Sheen), who’s basically James Dean, all white t-shirt and denim. Even Holly thinks so and is quickly besotted, despite being only 15 and Kit being 10 years her senior, plus generally emotionless. This predictably upsets her father, who unpredictably shoots her dog as punishment. I have to remind myself with scenes in films like this that it’s not real. Anyway, I now hate Holly’s dad but so does Kit who’s got a gun of his own and I’m sure you can guess who gets shot. Again America with its guns, not great. Holly you’d think would be an emotional wreck, I’m not sure if this is trying to say something about the despondency of rural post war America or if it’s trying to shock, but it feels weird that she’s so detached. The pair torch the house and run away to hide in the forest. Fishing, living in a treehouse, killing more people. Kit is trigger happy and Holly eventually shows some concern as the death toll rises on their impromptu road trip, although largely through narration rather than on screen. I said I didn’t know what to expect going in, but it certainly wasn’t this. It’s an odd film but certainly watchable and unfurls like a slow motion car crash. I think though I’ve left it too long to appreciate this properly or I’m not in the right environment for it. Perhaps it’d be better in a cinema, an old dusty one, 50 years ago, but I’m still pleased to have caught up and I’m pretty certain I’ll watch this again.
6/10
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