SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

FountainPen Definitely a movie that will get you thinking and pondering, as a convicted child moleseter, who has served his prison time, tries to start life anew, suffering the gamut of emotions and sensations. Kevin Bacon turns in a star performance in this very difficult role of a pedophile, a role that calls for many subtle displays of feeling, proper acting talent! Superbly done. All aspects of this picture click together so well, to produce a solid, valuable film. This is a real cinematic success, rarely seen these days, harks back to the 50s and 60s when sensitive themes were often tackled head-on by the studios, and not always with success. 2004's "The Woodsman" deserves a strong 8/10, almost 9/10.

Tarek Shabana The Woodsman I believe is a very important film that opens our eyes and allows us to sympathize with even the most despicable people: pedophiles. The story follows Walter (Kevin Bacon) after his release from a 12 year sentence for child molesting and his struggle to fit in the community again and be "normal." We have no sympathy for his 12 year imprisonment, nor should we, however we do, at times, begin to sympathize with Walter throughout his reentering into the community. But our sympathy is met with a dilemma, brought on by Sgt. Lucas (Yasiin Bay) and Walter's co-worker Mary Kay. Mary realizes that there is something wrong with Walter, so she starts digging and finds out about his history and why he was sent to prison. She feels a morale obligation to notify everyone of this. Now she may have come off as low trash by doing that, but was she wrong to do it? Shouldn't people know this, to be more cautious with their kids around him? Then we have Sgt. Lucas, who is very cynical of and loathes and degrades people like Walter, as do most people, and we can't help but agree, whenever Lucas visits Walter we're always taking his side. But when Walter is alone and we see that shame, that self hate in his eyes, we can see and understand something more. We begin to see the true evil here, it is not the pedophile, it is pedophilia, and Walter is cursed with it. This is true for a lot of forms of evil, it is not the rapper that is the enemy, it is the lust which leads to rape, the greed that leads to corruption, and so on. This in no way excuses the person who carries out these actions, but understanding this helps us view and treat these people in a more human and empathetic manner.

captaintneil Modern society is being engineered to embrace behaviors and lifestyles that were in the shadows in the same esteem as man-woman-children families that are the heart of any healthy society.God help the viewers of romanticized filth if they dare to speak truth, the will be condemned by the PC police who celebrate abortion and condemn traditional families as being insensitive.The best movies to watch are The 9th Gate and Eyes Wide Shut if you want to learn about how the elites program humans for their gradual enslavement....you can't enslave humans....you have to turn them into beasts first...same as war must dehumanize enemies you are supposed to hate and kill.

Scott LeBrun Kevin Bacon is excellent as Walter, an adult who returns to his hometown after a dozen years in prison. Although we don't know it at first, he's a convicted child molester, who's now doing his best to put his disgusting past behind him. He keeps to himself, trying to live his life in peace. A tough co-worker, Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick, a.k.a. Mrs. Kevin Bacon) who herself has a traumatic past, attempts to make a connection with him. One other person who'll give him the time of day is his brother-in-law Carlos (Benjamin Bratt); the main thorn in his side is a detective named Sergeant Lucas (Mos Def) who subscribes to that theory that "a leopard doesn't change his spots".A film like "The Woodsman" is going to be a hard slog for some people, especially if they've dealt with abuse in any way in their lives. They may find intolerable the idea of a story with a sex offender as the main character, particularly a story where even if the main character isn't treated as sympathetic, he's not demonized either. As we can see, Walter's just trying to live his life, for the most part. He's not exactly "cured", unsurprisingly, as we see him following girls and trying to strike up conversation with a solitary youngster, Robin (Hannah Pilkes). Walter, perhaps fatefully, has found an apartment near a playground, and he can recognize the predatory nature of another local character (Kevin Rice). He also seems to recognize something unnatural about Carlos' affection for his own daughter.Director Nicole Kassell scripted with Steven Fechter, upon whose play this was based. She seldom indulges in any sort of visual flourishes, instead giving the material believability and a gritty reality. She gets low key and compelling performances out of her entire cast. Bacon is extremely well supported by Sedgwick, Mos Def, David Alan Grier and Eve as co-workers, and Michael Shannon as a therapist.The reality of who Walter is as a person is never denied, but in the end you feel like he's turning a corner and a sense of hope is created.Eight out of 10.