“He was the most trigger-happy man I had ever met.” – Badlands (1973)

This week, we hit the open road with guest Tom Augustine to explore Terrence Malick’s stunning debut, Badlands. Based loosely on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film casts Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as drifting outsiders caught between detachment and violence, beauty and brutality.

With its lyrical narration, haunting imagery, and philosophical detachment, Badlands marked the arrival of a singular voice in American cinema. Tom joins us to discuss Malick’s influence, the film’s unsettling calm, and how it carved a new path for the American New Wave.

Episode Notes

• Badlands (1973) was written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek
• Selected to the National Film Registry in 1993
• Loosely inspired by the 1958 Starkweather-Fugate murders

Discussion topics include:

• How Badlands redefined the true-crime genre
• The film’s romanticized nihilism and its critique of American mythmaking
• The influence of Badlands on later filmmakers and Malick’s own career
• Sissy Spacek’s voiceover and the use of classical music as emotional counterpoint

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Music by Mike Natale