The Woodsman

Released: 2004

Rated: R

Run time: 1 Hr. 27 Mins.


This is one of those movies that I avoided for so long because I feared where they would or could go with this subject matter.  To illustrate, here is the synopsis:  Walter (Kevin Bacon), a convicted child molester, is released from prison at the end of his sentence and returns to his hometown to try to pursue a normal life.  My fears were that they would portray a child molester as a sympathetic character, a misunderstood loner.  Well, my fears were partially realized, but I was able to go along for the ride.  "The Woodsman" referred to in the title is the woodsman from the Little Red Riding Hood story that saves her from the Big Bad Wolf.  As the movie opens,Walter is just released and begins to get his life together.  He gets a job, finds an apartment (across the street from a school!) and gets counseling to help his return to normal.  As you would expect, he is met with some resistance as his co-workers learn what he was in jail for and his sister has completely disconnected from him.  His only connection to his family is his brother-in-law (Benjamin Bratt), who visits him fairly regularly.  He also has to deal with a detective (Mos Def), who drops by periodically to check up on him and is absolutely unconvinced that this man can be reformed.  This is a great performance by Bacon, who really walks the tightrope between making this guy a sympathetic, almost heroic character and not shying away from how disgustingly creepy the character really is.  The dichotomy is illustrated beautifully by a sequence where he stands up to a man he suspects is targeting a kid at the school across the street, followed shortly later by a scene in which Walter has a discussion with a young girl on a park bench that may be the most uncomfortable, horrifying scenes I've ever seen.  So, I was able to get past my problems with the subject matter and enjoy (not sure that is even close to the right word!) the film for what it was: a bit of a peek into the mind of a monster...even if that monster really doesn't want to be a monster.  The only problem I really had with the finished film is that it was too short and ended rather abruptly.  I assume they felt they got across the elements they needed to get across and left it at that.  As a character study, it worked very well, but left me wanting a bit more.  This is definitely worth watching for Kevin Bacon's performance alone.  Interestingly, this movie was released shortly after Megan's Law was passed, making some of the story elements obsolete (the community not knowing there was a child molester among them, living next to a school!).  I also liked the relationship between him and his brother-in-law, who tried so hard to stay friendly but finding it more and more difficult, especially since his own daughter was the perfect age to fall prey to him.  Bacon's real-life wife, Kyra Sedgwick, also has an interesting role as his co-worker/girlfriend who stands by him even when she learns about his past.

Grade: B