Review of The Woodsman (2004) by Dave G — 17 Dec 2009

What is wrong with "The Woodsman" is that Kevin Bacon is so great in it. What one basically wants to see is the monster we continuously see in the media and not this ordinarily flawed person who one can feel sympathy to. To feel the slightest bit of empathy might seem unacceptable, but to feel it is human and ultimately a hard stance to take on this. We enter the day to day life of a man, a pedophile, trying to deal with the consequences after being released from prison. What is disturbing about this is the truth and honest perspective the film has.

Many kuddos to Nicole Kassell for delivering a subtly honest film without the shock value. She seamlessly maneuvered each character with confidence. I think an interesting discovery of this film was Lee Daniels, the producer, who is set on making "honest, urban" films. It is great to see him put together a diverse cast (Benjamin Bratt, Mos Def, Eve, Hannah Pilkes, David Alan Greir...), above all, that works so well on film. Maybe someone will remember "Monster's Ball" which he produced as well. I look forward to seeing his next film with captivation. What more truths shall precede amongst our urban dwellings.