*****
Fascinating crime drama about two kids -- a 25-year-old misfit and the impressionable 15-year-old girl who falls for him, neither of whom have anything remotely resembling a conscience -- forced to go on the lam after the boy kills the girl's disapproving father. Features outstanding performances by both its young leads, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, with the latter shining even in her narration. Always believable, even as the body count mounts, and cleverly entertaining: Sheen's bad-boy charm and Spacek's naïveté alleviate much of the horror without diluting the underlying and terrifying truth of what it means to be without empathy. Loosely based on the crimes of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.
Fascinating crime drama about two kids -- a 25-year-old misfit and the impressionable 15-year-old girl who falls for him, neither of whom have anything remotely resembling a conscience -- forced to go on the lam after the boy kills the girl's disapproving father. Features outstanding performances by both its young leads, Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, with the latter shining even in her narration. Always believable, even as the body count mounts, and cleverly entertaining: Sheen's bad-boy charm and Spacek's naïveté alleviate much of the horror without diluting the underlying and terrifying truth of what it means to be without empathy. Loosely based on the crimes of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate.