Badlands (1973) (Blu-ray) (UK Import)

Badlands announced the arrival of a major talent: Terrence Malick. His impressionistic take on the notorious Charles Starkweather killing spree of the late 1950s uses a serial-killer narrative as a springboard for an oblique teenage romance, lovingly and idiosyncratically enacted by Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. The film introduced many of the elements that would earn Malick his passionate following: the enigmatic approach to narrative and character, the unusual use of voice-over, the juxtaposition of human violence with natural beauty, the poetic investigation of American dreams and nightmares. This debut has spawned countless imitations, but none have equaled its strange sublimity.

Director-Approved Special Edition Features

Restored 4K digital transfer, approved by director Terrence Malick, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Making “Badlands,” a 2012 documentary featuring actors Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek and art director Jack Fisk
Interviews from 2012 with associate editor Billy Weber and executive producer Edward Pressman
“Charles Starkweather,” a 1993 episode of the television program American Justice, about the real-life story on which the film was loosely based
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by filmmaker Michael Almereyda

Rezensionen

Lexikon des Int. Films: "Spätwestern, der sich eindringlich mit Amerikas Gewalttrauma befaßt und zu diesem Zweck teilweise krasse inszenatorische Mittel nutzt, die jedoch keineswegs zum Selbstzweck geraten."
Halliwells's DVD Guide 2005: "Ein grundlegender Film in seiner Darstellung zielloser Wut als Mittel in dem Versuch, mit der Umwelt Verbindung aufzunehmen."