Film Review: BADLANDS (1973)

Writer/Director: Terrence Malick
Running time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance
USA Release date: 13^th October 1073 (New York Film Festival)

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 12^th May 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have always struggled in the past to get a grip on the films of Terrence Malick. I guess they just don’t make a connection with me the same way the works of other directors do. To this end I decided to go back to what many have told me is his best work, Badlands, and I must say I was not disappointed. I will give you a more detailed opinion after this very brief summary.

In 1959, Port Dupree, South Dakota a young man named Kit sees fifteen year old Holly and decides to speak to her. She is ten years his junior but that doesn’t seem to matter to Kit and eventually they fall in love. After an incident that involves Holly’s father the pair finds themselves on the run. They live in a tree house for a while, but they are discovered and Kit ends up killing three men. What follows is a race across the country and a killing spree that becomes legendary. It all ends in the Badlands of Montana, but, of course, I’m not going to say just how it ends here or the Spoiler Police will have an APB out on me! (again).

There are some moments of sheer cinematic brilliance in this film that I found quite beautifully done. The way Malick uses imagery is quite stunning sometimes. The film hinges on the performances of the two central characters and both Martin Sheen as Kit and Sissy Spacek as Holly stepped up to the mark and put in stellar performances (IMO). In fact Sissy Spacek was nominated for the Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles BAFTA in 1975 on the strength of this performance.

A very slow deliberate pace is one of the hallmarks of a Terrence Malick film and this is no exception. If anything, I did find it a little too pedestrian for my taste, however, the strength of the characters was enough to keep me interested. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at how good this film was, especially the cinematography. A stunning piece of work and one I have no problem in deeming: Highly Recommended.

My score: 8.9/10

IMDb Score: 7.9/10 (based on 23,833 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0069762/

MetaScore: NO DATA: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 98/100 (based on 43 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 89/100 (based on 21,580 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1001577-badlands/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Holly Sargis: [voice over narration] My Mother dies of pneumonia when I was just a kid. My Father kept their wedding cake in the freezer for ten whole years. After the funeral he gave it to the yard man. He tried to act cheerful but he could never be consoled by the little stranger he found in his house. Then one day hoping to begin a new life away from the scene of all these memories he moved us from Texas to Port Dupree, South Dakota.

Holly Sargis: [voice over narration] Little did I realise that what began in the alleys and back ways of this quiet town would end in the Badlands of Montana.

Kit Carruthers: You Tired?
Holly Sargis: Yeah.
Kit Carruthers: Yeah, you look tired... Listen, honey. when all this is over, I'm going to sit down and buy you a big, thick steak.
Holly Sargis: I don't want a steak.
Kit Carruthers: Well, we'll see about that... Hey, lookie.

Holly Sargis: One day, while taking a look at some vistas in Dad's stereopticon, it hit me that I was just this little girl, born in Texas, whose father was a sign painter, who only had just so many years to live. It sent a chill down my spine and I thought where would I be this very moment, if Kit had never met me? Or killed anybody... this very moment... if my mom had never met my dad... if she had never died. And what's the man I'll marry gonna look like? What's he doing right this minute? Is he thinking about me now, by some coincidence, even though he doesn't know me? Does it show on his face? For days afterwards I lived in dread. Sometimes I wished I could fall asleep and be taken off to some magical land, and this never happened.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: THE NEW WORLD (2005)

Writer/Director: Terrence Malick
Running time: 135 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Biography/History
UK Release date: 27th January 2006

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 10th July 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film was recommended to me and so, on good faith alone, I sat down to watch. I’ve heard many good things about Terrence Malick over the years and so was looking forward to a bit of a cinematic treat. Sometime things don’t turn out the way you expect and this was one of those occasions. I will explain more after this brief summary.

It is the early 1600’s and the eastern seaboard of America is being discovered and colonised. A group of English explorers find a place on the coast of Virginia and set up a base there. They send a group lead by Captain Smith out to trade with the natives. They capture him and are about to execute him when he is saved by the Chief’s daughter, Pocahontas. Thus begins the famous love story. Eventually, after helping the colonists more than once, she is forced to go and live with them. Captain Smith is called back to England by the King and Pocahontas is left alone. Believing he is dead she takes a husband, John Rolfe, but this is not the end of the story. There, I said it was going to be brief.

On the positive side this film is beautifully shot with some beautiful scenery and great set pieces. Performance-wise, nobody put a foot wrong, Colin Farrell did a fine job as Captain Smith, although I felt he was totally miscast (more on that later). Q'orianka Kilcher was also great as Pocahontas, as was Christopher Plummer as Captain Newport and Christian Bale as John Rolfe. It just didn’t have any energy about it. I felt so depressed by the time I got to the end of the two hours and thirty minutes.

On the casting, although I have nothing against Colin Farrell, he’s a fine actor who has appeared in some great films. I just felt he was totally wrong for this role, to have an Irish man (with an Irish accent) playing the part of an English man I find totally stupid and slightly offensive. But enough of that, back to the film, I it found quite boring and also very depressing. It’s very ‘artsy’ with the characters inner thoughts being voiced, but it just didn’t work for me. I will give it a half decent score for the visuals and the music wasn’t too bad either, but unless you’ve got a spare two hours and thirty minutes of you life you don’t want back… Not recommended.

My Score: 5.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0402399/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1152954-new_world/
Official Site: http://www.newline.com/properties/newworldthe.html
Trailer: