| Badland | |
| Director: | Francesco Lucente |
| Producer: | Olimpia Lucente Jorg G. Neumann |
| Screenplay: | Francesco Lucente |
| Starring: | Jamie Draven Grace Fulton Vinessa Shaw Chandra West Joe Morton |
| Music: | Ludek Drizhal |
| Cinematography: | Carlo Varini |
| Editing: | Francesco Lucente |
| Distributor: | Copex Distribution |
| Runtime: | 165 minutes |
| Country: | United States Germany |
| Language: | English |
Badland is a 2007 German-American drama film written and directed by Francesco Lucente and starring Jamie Draven, Grace Fulton, Vinessa Shaw, Chandra West and Joe Morton.
The protagonist, named Jerry, is a veteran from the Iraq War living somewhere on the Great Plains, presumably South Dakota. He then goes on a killing spree after discovering that his wife has been withholding money from him.
The film had a limited theatrical release on November 30, 2007.[1]
The film has a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews.[2]
Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle awarded the film one star out of five.[3] Rob Humanick of Slant Magazine awarded the film one and a half stars out of four and wrote, "Until the mess in the Middle East has found its way to a resolution, we can continue to expect films like Badland as part of the collateral damage in the War on Terror."[4] Robert Koehler of Variety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "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."[5] The Associated Press also gave the film a negative review: "When the picture gets around to its calculated socko ending, the viewer has long been pummeled into a state of numbness."[6]
Eric Monder of Film Journal International gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Badland takes a step in the right direction by attempting to understand the aftermath of war."[7] Matt Zoller Seitz of The New York Times also gave the film a positive review, calling it "mawkish yet weirdly mesmerizing."[8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "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."[9]