"Walden" (2023)

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 revenge thriller, Walden, by Mick Davis, Benacus Entertainment, and RNF Productions.

Synopsis

Walden Dean an unassuming court stenographer in a small southern town. When he discovers he is dying, he decides to exact revenge on criminals who escaped their prosecution.

The Good

Joseph: Not all vigilante heroes wear capes, as the title character of Walden proves. The film has parallels with a superhero origin story, as Walden Dean (Emile Hirsch) goes from unassuming small-town court stenographer to murderous avenger after a fateful prognosis from a doctor. Gingerly tiptoeing around spoilers, he even gets some wink-wink support from law enforcement. Batman comparisons aplenty, in my book, with a bit of Dexter added to the mix, as well. The villains are bad folks indeed, so it’s quite easy for fans of revenge thrillers — and I often do not count myself among that group — to get behind Walden’s actions. Hirsch is almost unrecognizable compared with previous roles and looks, and his performance here as a rather nebbish individual is quite captivating. Writer/director Mick Davis does a fine job in both roles.

Mike: Walden is an interesting film that does an admirable job at examining the duality of good and evil (bad), without ever really turning too far to either side and becoming preachy. It also seems to me that Walden is a bit on the spectrum which, if intended, is nice to see. Hirsch puts in a great performance as the titular Walden, giving him an air of being damaged yet still innocent, while dialing up a darker, less forgiving side once he starts on his quest of dishing out his own justice.

Davis does an excellent job at giving the film a slick and professional look on what I assume was a fairly limited budget.

The Bad

Joseph: Although overall Davis’s screenplay works well for me, there is quite a bit going on with subplots, and even though Kelli Garner is great in her supporting role as fellow stenographer Emily Duperon, the romance angle between her character and Walden feels a bit much. I also feel that the reveal of a child murderer is telegraphed somewhat earlier than it needed to be. The leap from mild-mannered optimist to murderous vigilante is rather sudden, and the medical diagnosis feels like an easy out.

Mike: There seems to be a few themes battling one another for the spotlight which causes Walden to come across like a politician trying to play both sides of the aisle. There’s the duality of Walden himself, with his meek, stenographer side, and his other, the not-as-meek vigilante side. There’s the fact that Walden is diagnosed with a brain tumor, the cases of missing young boys, and an odd romance.

From back to front; The romance never comes across as genuine and seems more like a bit of subterfuge to get Walden to remove himself from a stenographer competition (did I mention the stenographer competition? I should have). The case of the missing young boys feels like it should be the main plot which would seem to come to head involving Walden’s new-found vigilante hobby, but it seems to be hobbled and overshadowed by too many other sub-plots and ideas. There are also some situations and character reactions that seem to only serve the plot and are otherwise extraneous with its biggest fault being the half-hearted exploration of Walden’s psyche and the tumor that has invaded his brain. This feels as if it should have been front and center, yet it seems to have been cast aside once it was used to establish Walden’s vigilante side. There are also some issues with pacing that crop up from time to time, creating an odd jump from tone to tone with no form of transition, making it hard to stay focused on what is happening.

The Verdict

Joseph: The talent on both sides of the camera is high with Walden, and though it doesn’t offer a great deal of new ideas in its storyline, Davis’ vision of a small-town Southern setting having a good deal of mysteries and surprises works well. More of a character study with revenge thriller elements than a full-on revenge thriller, Walden earns a solid recommendation from me.

Mike: Mick Davis delivers a professional looking production full of well above-average performances, but fails to maintain a consistent tone throughout. Too many themes and sub-plots jockey for position with none of them feeling totally explored as well as their seeming importance would have you believe they should be. Pacing issues interrupt the development of the sub-plots and cause unexpected juxtapositions of tone and relevance.

Assuming it was intended, Walden being on the spectrum but nobody pointing it out and everyone treating him as they would anyone else (albeit possibly nicer), is a nice touch.

A little more focus on what drives Walden’s change in attitude and a little less on subplots that ultimately feel extraneous would have worked wonders and made Walden a much more enjoyable thriller than it is.

Walden, from Uncork'd Entertainment, is available via VOD and digital platforms