by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s the harrowing tale of survival Walking Supply (Canada, 2023) by Derek Barnes, Convoke Media, and High Star Entertainment.
Synopsis
After escaping a Russian labor camp, three men must overcome the treacherous wilderness and each other, as their journey home turns into a brutal fight for survival.
The Good
Joseph: Henry (James McDougall) is an office worker who has been kidnapped along with several of his coworkers and sent to a Russian labor camp until his company coughs up ransom for them, which seems unlikely. He is about to be accosted by camp guards until two fellow prisoners, Kurt (Douglas Nyback) and Anthony (Joel Labelle), come to his rescue. The latter two devise a plan for Henry to steal a vehicle key so that they and some other prisoners can escape. This being an action thriller, the escape doesn’t go quite as planned, but the aforementioned main trio does make it out, though plenty of danger lies ahead.
Director/editor Derek Barnes, working from a screenplay that he cowrote with McDougall and Nyback, shows a keen knack for pacing a thriller, and Walking Supply also serves up some survival horror elements, as well. Russ De Jong’s cinematography captures the sense of an unwelcoming climate splendidly, and the cast members, from the main trio to the supporting players, all turn in solid performances.
Mike: Walking Supply starts off with a bang as a gang of masked men looking like Eastern European bad guys from a video game burst into an office and quickly overpower and separate the men and women within. Things don’t slow down too much from there for the remainder of the first act which will certainly appeal to people looking for a good, taut thriller with elements of a prison breakout film. Once things move outdoors the pace slows a bit, but keeps tossing enough situations at the characters that we’re never at a loss for something to make us scoot a little closer to the edge of our seat.
Indie movies, with their limited and small budgets regardless of their genre, can rely on the quality of the acting to push themselves towards success so it’s fortunate that everyone involved does a great job with their role, especially James McDougall as Henry who is forced to undergo the widest character arc and dela with the most adversity. Douglas Nyback and Joel Labelle have a bit of an easier time handling the elements, but a lot is asked of them as well with both delivering solid performances.
The scenery is beautiful in such a cold and harsh way that I literally found myself pulling a blanket over my lap in some sort of sympathetic gesture. This is one “man vs nature” story that really seems to have no certain outcome.
The Bad
Joseph: I’m going to dance around a couple of plot points to avoid spoilers, but what I am discussing here will be obvious to viewers of Walking Supply: I had some issues with the Henry character, which often felt like a clichéd presentation of an overweight buffoon who can’t do anything right unless it involves a task sitting behind a desk or table, and who can’t handle physical outdoor activities (granted, some are on the extreme side, but not all). And again, avoiding spoilers here, there is an incident involving the plan of two characters that seems like it could have solved that plan easily earlier on but, to me, seems to go ignored because of plotting.
Mike: Although the “man vs nature” aspect of Waking Supply is strong, it’s the “man vs man” part where the walking turns into a bit more of a stumbling gait and the entire crux of the problem I had (and I am sure others will as well) falls squarely onto the shoulders of the plot. Once the story moves into its second act and we start to learn more about the characters and their… motivations, things seem to happen not because situations dictate it but because the script itself does. Avoiding spoilers dictates that I can’t get much more into it than this, so I have to ask you to trust me. However, this is the only real negative thing and it’s not a deal breaker by any stretch, so it may not be as apparent or big a deal to others as it was to me.
The Verdict
Joseph: Walking Supply is a satisfying thriller that offers some surprising reveals, good performances, taut direction, and fine cinematography. Genre-film fans of action thrillers and horror-adjacent features should find this offering well worth a watch.
Mike: Derek Barnes delivers a pretty taut thriller with Walking Supply. From the explosive action that opens the film to some of the quieter moments as our protagonists bond over fires while eating canned beans, the proceedings always feel just one step away from something horrible happening. When things FINALLY do start to go sideways it still comes as a shock which is a testament to the pacing and overall directing skill Barnes utilizes. There are some starkly beautiful landscapes on display which play as important a role in the outcome of our three Russian gulag escapees as they do to each other.
Fans of prison escape and survival films should find a lot to like about Walking Supply, despite a second act plot reveal that has at least one major hole in it.
Walking Supply
Directed By: Derek Barnes
Written By: Derek Barnes, James McDougall, Douglas Nyback
Starring: James McDougall, Douglas Nyback, Joel Labelle
Run Time: 1h 30m
Rating: NR
Release Date: 2023