Fresh
The mawkish yet weirdly mesmerizing film Badland is independent in scale but aggressively Hollywood in storytelling.
Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times
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Badland
Overview
Jerry (Jamie Draven) was an idealist when he served in the first Gulf War. But when he was later deployed to Iraq, Jerry was an older man, a father of three and embittered by broken promises and unfulfilled desires. When Jerry returns from Iraq he has been transformed by horrors that cannot be forgiven. He lives a life of poverty, his children afraid of him and his wife, Nora (Vinessa Shaw), unsympathetic and unhappy. When Jerry discovers that Nora has betrayed him, his anger and despair drive him to commit an act so heinous and irreversible that nothing he had experienced in combat could have prepared him for.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
16%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The year's dullest movie has arrived: the deeply silly Badland, which is as dead as winter and twice as long.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Rotten
Possibly the worst idea for a movie this century.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
Fresh
Expertly constructed and beautifully photographed, Badland easily sustains its 160-minute running time, and the portrayals of Draven, a British actor, and 9-year-old Fulton can stand alongside the year's best.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Rotten
The raw material would seem to be in place for a strong, moving contemporary tragedy, but scene after endless scene fails to come to life.
Robert Koehler, Variety
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