Movie Review: Badlands

This is proof that "collaborative filtering" technology, better known as "Recommendations" works.

I'm not sure how this admittedly bizarre movie got on my queue (well I put it there), but it was made because of some of my other preferences.

And it paid off...at 90 minutes, it was a decent viewing about a 25 year old guy who kills the father of the 15 year old girl with whom he is infatuated. That sets off a killing spree/manhunt but interspersed with profound moments of life introspection.

The killing of the father was humbling...now that I'm in that position. You think about the stupid things that kids do, thinking they know what life is all about, and bang-literally-the father is dead-for a no-good loser.

But that, most definitely, is not the point of the movie. Honestly, I'm not sure what the point is, but it's a good story nonetheless.

Perhaps the point is the law of unintended consequences is at play or that people get caught and keep doing things that are worse in order to avoid getting caught and it spirals downwards.

Not sure, but despite the film's (based on a true story) relative dark, macabre scenery/cinematography and the bizarre characters played by a VERY young Martin Sheen (and even younger Sissy Spacek)--Sheen did look like James Dean, too--it was somehow enlightening and engaging.