There’s no escaping the enduring appeal of lovers on the run, in particularly, lovers on the run from the law. With the glamour, the terror, and the plain devil-may-care attitude of these iconic partnerships, it’s no wonder that these films are so worryingly entertaining. Although there’s one thing for sure, I wouldn’t want to be their bloody valentine.
Badlands (1973)
Never have a loved-up mass-murdering couple been so chilled as Kit and Holly. Combining Sissy Spacek’s matter-of-fact narration and Martin Sheen’s James Dean image, this film delights in the effortless coolness of its protagonists. Never armed without a cigarette or a fully-loaded gun, the couple take you to their murder scenes, their treehouse, and the badlands themselves. Whether this trip is a pleasure or a pain, that’s for you to decide.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
And now the icons of all the crime partnerships, of all the lovers on the run, these two set the benchmark for all other murdering loved-up couples to follow suit. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway deliver incredible performances as the infamous pair, dressed to the nines, and certainly dressed to kill, this film does not hold back when it comes to gun shots blaring and violence at every turn in the road. A cinematic triumph for all to see.
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Serpents and Coca-Cola adverts and mock-50s sitcoms and news reports and an Australian Robert Downey Jr. These are just a handful of oddities promised to you when following Mickey and Mallory Knox on their path of destruction. Obsessed with fast editing, merging of all media, and all angles off-kilter, this film is a visual feast or horror (dependent on the strength of your eyesight). Questioning our society’s glamorization of serial killers, Oliver Stone succeeds in creating a film that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Incredible to watch, just make you have a strong stomach for all things violent, mad, and bad.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Although not technically on the run, and although not technically lovers, this list wouldn’t be complete without the butchering barber and baker. Fighting the law in the only way they know how (hint: murder), they leave us to question: who are the real criminals? A point that may have had some gravitas, if it wasn’t for the casual cannibalism… Sinister, gritty, gorey, and a musical, this film is perfect for a wintery night-in.
Heathers (1988)
What do you get when you mix a high-school love story with Christian Slater and Winona Ryder? A blood bath. Badly dated, lunacy beyond logic, and lots and lots of people called Heather, this makes a crime partnership a comedy rather than a horror. Great for a few laughs, and making you ever grateful for your non-eighties wardrobe, it’s one to put on if you ever fancy teen-movie-meets-chaotic-murder-spree.