Review of The Woodsman (2004) by Suzan Suzi G — 28 Nov 2010
Filled with striking imagery, Nicole Kassell's film is a painful, smart, and unconventional rumination on the life of a pedophile after jail. The film has balls, especially in its humorous moments, and because it has no boundaries, it takes its characters (Bacon's mainly) past what are the normal thematic moments in these kinds of films, to a place that is raw and rich and honest and almost too difficult for the viewer to confront.
It's tightly focused from a smart script, and the performances from the whole cast are terrific. Bacon has never been better; we feel the pain behind his eyes every time we look at him and Sedgwick manages to create a hard-edged character that isn't one-dimensional and even extremely compassionate at certain moments.
Even Mos Def, in his couple of scenes, has an energy that makes me wish he would step outside of himself like a Jamie Foxx did with Ray. This is a film, especially with its performances, that should not have gotten lost in the shuffle.
This review of The Woodsman (2004) was written by Suzan Suzi G on 28 Nov 2010.
The Woodsman has generally received positive reviews.
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