Badlands

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I was thinking that the whole time. They are very different for sure but it did remind me a lot of Badlands... maybe the style and the setting

I think they are also very similar in regard to the main character. The fact that (assuming you did not know anything about the movie in advance) in the beginning you might sympathize with him. The first act of violence comes very suddenly and shocking given our previous exposure to the character. Even after that, we are still not sure of how it happened and why. Only until more acts of senseless and pure evil that we start to realize what kind of person he is. But even then, it is never crystal clear what is going on in the mind of the criminal. “Bruce Springsteen” wrote the song “Nebraska” influenced by “Badland”. In the song he says “They wanted to know why I did what I did. Well sir I guess there’s just a meanness in this world”

I saw the similarities too, I'm a great fan of Badlands. I thought the most familar thing was the way the two youngsters related to each other and the way their relationship built with very little dialog. There was some beautiful subtle acting in their interplay, I particuarly liked how their hands often told more than their faces.

yep. totally got that too. especially the malerie/sissy spacek characters, seemingly so innocent and yet ok with the immorality. and that elvis and martin sheen were both charismatic but kinda crazy

My post comes in 2013 many years after so many references to Badlands which I saw so long ago. There is another film that I have not seen as well that stars Robert Blake. That film is based on the same subject matter (killers) as the movie "Capote: which I did see. Ok again seeing this just moments ago an ago, I found the indifference of the killer and the subtly of the movie itself (soft music that juxtaposed the horror to take place) to be like "THE KILLER INSIDE ME"(TKIM). In the TKIM Cassey Affelck (brother to Ben Affleck) plays a deputy sheriff who is a cold blooded rotten scoundrel. That movie relies on detective novel more so than this one. However, the southern setting and quietude are equally disturbing.

Also in CAPOTE the killers place the dead bodies in beds after killing them. As is later mentioned in this thread, 'LOVE LETTERS' from one film to another continue the tradition of gangster movies that also nod to one another.
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