Like its lovers-on-the-run predecessors Gun Crazy (1950) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Terrence Malick's masterful debut explores violence in American iconography, but it devotes equal attention to nature's languorous rhythms. Through the poetic narration of teenager Holly (Sissy Spacek), the film follows Kit (Martin Sheen), a James Dean type who goes on a haphazard killing spree across the Western plains. For a rebellious criminal, Kit has a curious preoccupation with both his legacy and mainstream cultural norms: “Listen to your parents and teachers . . . try to get along with the majority of opinion . . . Holly and I have had fun . . . so far a good sign, hadn't got caught. Excuse the grammar.”