This is the wonderful and fascinating debut film of one of the most interesting and talented, yet secretive and least prolific filmmakers out there, Terrence Malick. The story, inspired by the real life case of Charles Starkweather, follows that of Kit Carruthers, a young aimless greaser who, along with his teenaged
schoolgirl lover/companion Holly Sargis, sets out on a murder spree across Montana and South Dakota. The film is pretty light on plot and also a great amount of deppth and insight into the characters and motivations, but even then, it's still a captivating study of how Holly knows that Kit is dangerous and sociopathetic, yet still finds him likeable and views their little odyssey with a great sense of innocence and naivety. It's a curious mix of crime film, road movie, and lighthearted poetic romance. It's not for everyone, but I sure was taken in by it, and I'm not surprised by it's impact and influence. Both Oliver Stone and Tony Scott heavily cribbed from it (for Natural Born Killers and True Romance, respectively), and I'm sure a lot of others have too, but those two stick out the most.The greatest things about this film, other than its curious nature and how interesting it is, are the excellent cinematography and the wonderful performances. Martin Sheen is likeable and seductively malevolent, but very cold blodded and callous. It's a tremendous job. Sissy Spacek though, is the one who really shines here. Her turn as the innocent and naive, but not completely ignorant Holly is a great showcase for her immense talents and low key beauty, both of which are far too often underappreciated. The music, like the visuals, is quite sublime and very catchy. This is a loose and breezy film, yet it never feels shallow or pretentious. I also like how it never overtly condemns or praises the couple or their actions. All in all, I think this is some excellent stuff, and definitely feel you should give it a shot.
February 4, 2011
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