Walking Out

City boy David (Josh Wiggins) joins his estranged reclusive father Cal (Matt Bomer) in remote Montana for some hunting. There are flashbacks to a young Cal with his father Clyde (Bill Pullman) on a similar hunting trip. David is forced to abandon his phone in the isolated wilderness. An incident with a bear leaves them struggling in the middle of nowhere.

The incident is problematic. David's stupidity colors the movie in a bad light. He can be clueless but he shouldn't be stupid. I was with the boy up to that point. It's unnecessary to have David be so dumb. Did he think that he's in a petting zoo? Otherwise, this is perfectly good survival in the woods movie. The father and son relationship has a good strained vibe although Matt Bomer is no classic woodsman. He's too pretty and needs a bigger beard to cover that face up.

It always amazes me, the film snobs on here that rate films so low. This was a drama that unfolded at exactly the right pace. If you are impatient or just dumb you may not get the film. So all the low ratings are just silly. A lot happens here, between a boy and his father. Be patient, the results are well worth the wait. Great acting, cinematography and directing.

This film tells the story of an estranged father and his son, who goes onto a hunting trip in a desolate place in the middle of a harsh winter. An accident bonds them together, and they have to fight for survival.

The story is built very very slowly, and you can skip pretty much the first hour and still can follow the story. Then, as danger kicks in, the father and son go through a series of emotions that is beautifully displayed. the final moment of the film is very powerful, and I think saves me from disliking the film. I don't understand why the film is called "Walking Out" though, as I see no relationship between the story and the title.

Flashbacks like an after-school special are the device of choice to force the audience to care about the characters...this backfires, of course. Perhaps there is a film out there using flashbacks that isn't this weak and insipid. It's not JUST that, offensive and hack-y as they are. One never gets behind these characters. The actors try but the script is poor. The writer writes conflict but never creates it. We cannot get behind them. But we are constantly reminded that we're supposed to be behind them and there is supposed to be some deep reality to their lives. It's maybe an American pitfall these days. Just tell a story why don't you? Don't try to make us care. We will care if you give us something to care about. But not everyone is Graham Greene. There are other jobs in Hollywood, after all.

Elmer Fudd sings this song in several cartoons, and he is referenced by the grandfather in this grim story of survival in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. That may be the only hint of humor to be found, as a father and son track down moose until tragedy strikes. The second half of the picture is as gritty and harrowing as any you will ever see this side of a National Geographic special.

Cal evidently gets custody of his son David every summer, but in the mountain country where he lives it's always winter. David is not happy with the arrangement and finds out right away he can't get a signal on his iphone. He is a city kid and his dad is a hunter; they mix like oil and water. They begin as polar opposites but in the end they are bonded, in as gripping and unexpected a finale as you can find in a slow starting movie.

I disagree with a reviewer who felt the music background was inappropriate. I felt it was just right - unobtrusive and complementary. Never saw either of these actors before but they were effective and had chemistry between them. "Walking Out" is an underrated indie and deserves a bigger market. It starts like a travelogue but is a very affecting film; amazing what the human spirit can do when faced with severe adversity.

N.B. The setting is similar to "Wind River", which has a more intricate plot.