The Woodsman

I know this is a controversial subject and will most likely not earn Kevin Bacon - or at least the movie makers - any good points with a lot of people, but I urge people to keep an open mind.

Walter - Kevin Bacon - is released after 12 years in prison for child molestation. He is trying to get back on track when he meets Vickie - Kyra Sedgwick - who makes him feel a bit better about himself. The movie portrays Walter's struggle with his past, his crime and his new life.

The characters and the crime are not romanticized. The movie can even a bit abrasive as it drills down to the truth and shows you the things just as they are.

I think it takes guts to portray a controversial subject like this one and I certainly think it takes guts to play a role like Walter's. Excellent performances by Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def.

Walter (Kevin Bacon) is the new man at work. Bob (David Alan Grier) often hires ex-cons and Mary-Kay (Eve) is suspicious. Viki (Kyra Sedgwick) quickly sleeps with the new guy. His only friend is Carlos (Benjamin Bratt). He finally tells Viki that he was in prison for molesting a couple of young girls. After the initial shock, she restarts their relationship revealing her own story of molestation by her 3 brothers. Police officer Lucas (Mos Def) is abusive to the ex-con while his therapist (Michael Shannon) tries to work out his issues. He suspects the man hanging out at a neighboring park is a child molester.

The performances are terrific especially Kevin Bacon who keeps his character tightly wound. Walter following those little girls is super creepy. The camera angles of the girls are awkward. There are a lot of cringe-worthy moments in the movie but that's the point. It's suppose to be creepy but it's definitely not for everyone.

saw the tuesday morning showing at Sundance and let me tell you, this is by far the best thing Mr. Bacon has ever done, and should garner him some acting awards this year, though since the subject of the movie deals with a tabboo subject, it might not get picked up by a major studio, and with limited release could keep him out oscar contention. I don't care though, he and his wife pull out incredible performances and if acting awards are giving to great actors, he deserves one for this movie.

I'm not going to go into the plot, basically it's based on a play that I never saw, (obviously living in the Midwest, we rarely get plays). and deals with a convicted pedofile trying to re-adjust to live after 12 years in prison, as well as confronting the demons that put him in jail in the first place. Kyra plays a woman who befriends him, and even after she finds out what his crime was, falls in love with him and assists him with his struggles. of note is a very special performance by a young Hannah Pilkes who plays a young bird watcher who temps Bacon's character and shows him that abuse is everywhere.

The journeyman actor Kevin Bacon blows most of the current Oscar Best Actor competition out of the water with his searing portrayal of a paroled pedophile in The Woodsman. The difficult subject matter may spell box-office suicide for this film, particularly at Christmas time. However, if Newmarket Films is smart, they will market this the same way Monster was promoted for Charlize Theron's performance.

Bacon employs a minimalist acting style and submerges himself into this complex character, on the strength of his physicality alone. Thin and gaunt, hair darkened, eyes dead, and jaw severely set, Bacon doesn't waste a facial muscle or telegraph anything more than necessary. He allows us to get into the character's head piece by piece, and it's not always a pleasant place to be. Bacon is uncompromising in his refusal to make anything about the character trivial and sentimental, and that is the key to his success in making Walter such a vivid, believable man.

The screenplay seems to almost be stripped bare, with little actually revealed through dialogue. However, monologues are used to great effect.

Bacon's mesmerizing performance is enhanced by astute direction from first-timer Nicole Kassell, who also adapted the screenplay with the original playwright, Steven Fechter. The cast is superb-Benjamin Bratt, Kyra Sedgwick, David Alan Grier, the beautiful Eve, and best of all, Mos Def, who steals virtually every scene he is in against Bacon, no small task. for those celebrity-watchers, Madonna's baby's daddy, Carlos Leon (father of Lourdes) is in a few scenes.

This is a must-see for Bacon's work, and for the tasteful, intelligent way the subject matter is handled. In short, Tough material, good solid film.

An intelligent and thought-provoking film that never flinches from it's subject matter, and includes a superb performance from it's leading man. Kassell's film manages to steer clear of didacticism and lays the misunderstandings and prejudices about, and ignorance of, paedophilia open for the audience to interpret in their own way. The protagonist is neither a sympathetic hero or a villain, but during the course of the film he wavers between the two leaving the audience both supportive and sickened. This amalgam of conflicting emotions makes 'The Woodsman' essential viewing for a rational, adult audience. I only wonder how an audience would react to a paedophile played by an unknown actor without Bacon's profile, as I suspect many people would find it harder to accept without his charisma or celebrity attached to the film.