| Product: |
The Woodsman (DVD) |
| Date: |
23/05/08 (101 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A tale that obviously had to be told
Disadvantages: Quite heavy going emotionally
As the Woodsman opens we see Kevin Bacon as Walter, making his way from prison to his new life, what he has done is a mystery, but it becomes the centrepiece for this tough movie about rehabilitation.
Walter is a quiet man, and his job; working in a carpentry related business allows him to keep himself to himself. Attempts by the overly forward Mary-Kay to break through his hardened exterior fail miserably. But it's hard faced Tomboy Vicki that breaks through the barrier seducing Walter with relative ease, but all the time she knows his secret. It's a conversation that keeps coming up, what did he do? Walter's response is shockingly frank "what's the worst thing you have ever done?" indicating that whatever she could possibly have done in her life that is bad, is nothing compared to his past crime.
Although Bacon has touched on sensitive issues in the past The Woodsman takes Bacon on a journey that could literally have led to career suicide, fortunately his strong portrayal and the low budget ethics of this story mean that it was a quality experiment that Bacon could dance with, without the fear of it doing any permanent damage.
The Woodsman story is incredibly well directed and written, giving the viewer vague snippets of what the terrible crime could possibly be while failing to give to much information.
Unfortunately I knew what the story was all about prior to viewing but I guess from time to time these things just can't be avoided. Like so many movies one that springs to mind is Hard Candy, if the mystery was kept secret the movie would have better legs in respect of popularity. The Sixth Sense managed pretty well, everyone spoke of "that" ending but nobody actually told you what "that" ending was. But even if you can't avoid this area, The Woodsman still makes for a good story; especially when you assess the amount of empathy you find yourself having for Walter, knowing what he has done.
What I enjoyed most of all about this tale is the very realistic view of things in respect of Walter; while some pile on the pressure hoping to force him to commit a crime again, others support Walter believing what is done is done and can easily be prevented from happening again. Then there are those that feel that Walter's crimes need to be exposed and that he should be forced to move on. One thing is for sure the movie shows you exactly how easy it is in order to get to the bottom of a situation in the United States, unlike over here where you literally need to live in the same community as someone to find out what their crime was.
The movie makes uneasy viewing, nothing to do with the crime; but more to do with the rehabilitation aspect of the film. It shows how difficult it can be for an ex-convict to re-adapt back to normal life after spending 12 years in prison. It shows the barriers put in ex-convicts ways when they just want to get on and live a normal life.
What makes this unpleasant movie more pleasant is the slow burning manner in which Walter reassesses his crimes, you can almost see through his eyes as he tries to figure out whether what he has done is right or wrong. And its this reassessment that prevents Bacon from becoming a victim of this film, I think if it did not address the past that even with the small audiences The Woodsman received Bacon's career could have effectively been over.
The Woodsman despite being a movie that's quite enjoyable is not a movie that you would watch more than once. There are a couple of lag elements, and obviously a tough topic can also mean a movie suffers from the lack of repeat viewings. Its an important tale none the less and one that should be told, especially when the harsh reality of Bacon's crimes are actually exposed; from 10 minutes in I think you'll have your suspicions, but when the final reveal of what his crime was is finally known you realise that all is not what its seems; and it might lead you to question "the law" in general.
Some nice final twists in this movie prevent it from being all doom and gloom, and you realise there is more than one side to any story especially when the word "victim" is used.
You can rent the DVD quite easily which comes with no special features (rental prices vary). If you want to buy the DVD you'll find it both online and on the high street for around the £8 mark.
Features include: Interviews with actor Kevin Bacon, director Nicole Kassell and producer Damon Dash : The main focus of this being the heavy handed manner of the law, and how Bacon found it working on such a tough story alongside his real life wife Kyra Sedgwick something he believes that had he worked alongside a virtual stranger his performance would not have been so good. Q & A with Nathan Larson in which he discusses his musical score, personally I never even noticed the music, its use was so minimal.
Summary: A ex-convict is released from prison, allowing him to consider committing again
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