Benjamin Bratt, Carlos Leon, David Alan Grier

A pedophile returns to his hometown after 12 years in prison and attempts to start a new life.

Flixster Users

74% liked it

4,578 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

127 critics

R, 87 min.

Directed by: Nicole Kassell

Release Date: December 24, 2004

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2005

Stats: 987 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (987)


  • June 2, 2009
    really well made film. it's short but packs a punch. kevin bacon plays a kiddy fiddler that's just got out of prison and is trying to mend his ways. along the way there's some interfering people, some temptation and a new woman in his life. it's filmed well and the director creat...( read more)es a good atmosphere. kyra sedgwick is the new woman and she's pretty good in it too. good direction from nicole kassell
  • May 17, 2009
    Whilst taking on a theme that people usually unite together in hatred against, Kevin Bacon takes on the brave part in possibly his best performance of his career.

    Not an easy subject to tackle, especially when we are seeing it from the flip side of the coin, yet the storyline ...( read more)is based on the power of suggestion as opposed to graphic content, yet still manages to create a psychological discomfort for the viewer.

    Interesting Drama that will leave you questioning the moral dilemma throughout and the people?s views envolved.
  • July 23, 2008
    It's a shame this film went unnoticed. It's so disturbing and awakening. Kevin Bacon gives his greatest performance.
  • May 15, 2008
    what a great disturbing movie, you're constantly questioning Bacons character, will he, won't he? Amazing performances by husband wife team bacon and sedgwick
  • February 20, 2008
    After twelve years in prison, Walter arrives in an unnamed city, moves into a small apartment across the street from an elementary school, gets a job at a lumberyard, and mostly keeps to himself. A quiet, guarded man, Walter finds unexpected solace from Vickie, a tough-talking wo...( read more)man who promises not to judge him for his history. But Walter cannot escape his past. A convicted sex offender, Walter is warily eyed by his brother-in-law, shunned by his sister, lives in fear of being discovered at work, and is hounded by a suspicious local police officer, Detective Lucas. After befriending a young girl in a neighborhood park, Walter must also grapple with the terrible prospect of his own reawakened demons. Bacon is truly amazing in his implosive turn as a man so at odds with being in his own skin it threatens to suffocate him in his vein gestures at becoming 'normal' and his body language suggests a crumbling man of sand about to blow away in the winds of society. His pained, grimace of accepting his sickness only curdles his well intended desire to shirk his monstrous past but will not embrace the touchy-feely psycho-babble that he must endure to delve into his childhood as perhaps the key to his perversities. It is a modern day witch-hunt, where accusers reign and the accused all face the gallows, regardless of the severity of their crimes. The film is itself a parable, in this way. Walter will have to confront his impulses day by day, finding himself stronger each time to fight them down, since he now will be living with the knowledge that was able to show that strength once already.
  • September 22, 2009
    Kevin Bacon was great.
  • August 19, 2009
    Very intense. Nicely done movie. It made me wish to believe in things like that, in human beings, in second chances... I wish I did believe... Probably Bacon's best work.
  • August 16, 2009
    You know someone can really write a story when they make you feel sorry for a pedophile. Easily Kevin Bacon's greatest performance. An understated portrayal that hits on all cylinders.
  • August 8, 2009
    Creepy and chilling.
  • July 17, 2009
    Very hard watch, but Mos Def is fantastic in this film.

Critic Reviews


January 14, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Kassell, a first-time feature filmmaker, shows confidence and some lovely instincts. full review

January 13, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Bacon's portrait chills to the bone. full review

January 13, 2005
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Intense, intelligent and superbly acted. full review

January 7, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Bacon is a strong and subtle actor, something that is often said but insufficiently appreciated. Here he employs all of his art. full review

January 7, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

If the trappings feel stilted, the performances keep the film on track. full review

January 6, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

It's Bacon who overcomes all obstacles. This underrated actor, who never got the props he deserved for Mystic River, has found the role of his career. full review

December 28, 2004
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Never comes alive as a story in itself--not even when Bacon nearly lures a young girl onto his lap. full review

December 24, 2004
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Tasteful but not compromised. full review

December 23, 2004
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Nicole Kassell's lean, disturbing first film stars Kevin Bacon as a child molester struggling to re-enter society after 12 years in prison. full review

View more The Woodsman reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • alush1
    April 29, 2008
    An engrossing film with an amazing performance by Kevin Bacon.I watched it several times,having worked with pedophiles and their victims for many years.It was exceptionally well researched and has incredible depth-a good primer for those who want to try and understand the non -violent pedophile.

    The main character tries to supress his urges toward children,but it is similar to a heterosexual supressing the primary sexual urge-or likewise, the homosexual.Pedophiles main sexual interest are children.There is a very high recidivism rate because many believe that it is impossible to change one's true sexual orientation.They are arroused by images of normal children at play or doing normal child behaviour.The real danger in this type of offender is that on a deep level,they believe that they love the child and that they are not child abusers,because they do not inflict physical pain.However,they cause extreme emotional trauma in the seduction and betrayal of trust.
  • superzelda
    November 7, 2006
    this really does provoke, big time. I like the fact that it doesent tell you what to think, it does not force you to have sympathy with the main character, and it gives you a chance to dislike/ understand all of the characters in the film - and their acts. Some scenes are enormous poweful in a painful way, and kevin does a good job in the way he let us feel his struggling and anxiety.
  • Aaron2100
    July 3, 2006
    I have to say that even though it is controversial I think people should see this movie. Just give this film a chance.

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The Woodsman Trivia


  • In the movie The Woodsman who plays Kevin Bacon's new girlfriend after he gets out of jail for pediphila?  Answer »
  • In what movie did Kevin Bacon's wife play his onstage girlfriend?  Answer »
  • Which actor has starred in all these films: Footloose, The River Wild, Trapped, Stir of Echoes, and The Woodsman?   Answer »
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