Badlands
1973 · Movie · PG · 94 min · ★ 7.5 · 96% critics
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older boyfriend set out on a killing spree across the South Dakota badlands. Their break from normal life quickly turns into a dangerous run as they struggle to stay ahead of what’s coming.
Where to watch
Streaming on TCM — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
Stream (included)
Rent
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Years
- 1973
- Release date
- 1974-01-05
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Critic score
- 96/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (1,346 votes)
- Budget
- $300,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy Badlands if you like slow, eerie crime stories with poetic, dreamlike momentum and youthful narration; Not for you if you want a conventional, thrill-heavy action crime film like In Cold Blood or Days of Heaven.
Pros: gorgeous landscapes; dreamlike tone; memorable narration | Cons: slow pace; repetitious structure; violence feels unreal
Themes
- mass murder
- based on true story
- fugitive
- on the run
- on the road
- killing spree
- south dakota
- badlands
- runaway couple
- fugitive lovers
Awards & recognition
- Golden Shell · 1974
Cast & crew
Martin Sheen
as Kit Carruthers
Sissy Spacek
as Holly Sargis
Warren Oates
as Holly's Father
Ramon Bieri
as Cato
Alan Vint
as Deputy
Gary Littlejohn
as Sheriff
John Carter
as Rich Man
- BM
Bryan Montgomery
as Boy
- GT
Gail Threlkeld
as Girl
- CF
Charles Fitzpatrick
as Clerk
Directed by Terrence Malick