Clarence and Alabama are capable of finding some sense of mirrored self in the eyes and common quest provided by relationship with another, and it is worth remembering that identity is serious business in "True Romance," serious enough to kill over, as in the film's perhaps most famous dialogue sequence, where Christopher Walken assassinates a man whom he believes has impugned the identity of Sicilians.

Thus, the protagonists of "True Romance" are more successful than the protagonists of "Badlands." They are not simply more successful as outlaws, but as human beings. They win their quest for fulfillment, money, and excitement because they are able to work together, and are a more functioning romantic and criminal team together. Although togetherness provides the psychic fuel of the meaningless murders of "Badlands," the generation of the Kit and Holly couple is not really a couple at all. The two never connect, and their...
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