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People are voting emotionally.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Parts of the film shine tremendously in the performance of Kevin Bacon, as well a long scene with a little girl that is truly heartbreaking and shocking. But the rest of the film doesn't live up to the greatness of these two performances. The other characters of the film are conventional, and the pace is maddeningly slow, but that perhaps was on purpose. This was a fairly unusual and disturbing subject to make into a film in 2004, but by today's standards, especially with the over saturation of technology and the ever increasing conversation about pedophilia, the chilling nature of the film has decreased over time. But what is timeless is how creepy it is.

When it was first released in 2004 "The Woodsman" was a highly controversial film because it offers a relatively sympathetic portrayal of a convicted child molester. When I say that the portrayal was "sympathetic" I do not mean that the film attempts to excuse or justify paedophilia. I mean that the main character, despite his crimes, is not depicted as a "monster" but as a human being with feelings and emotions of his own and, moreover, as a human being who is capable of redemption.That main character, Walter, returns home to Philadelphia after serving 12 years in prison for sexual offences against young girls. He gets a job at a local timber mill (hence the film's title). The film explores how Walter attempts to rebuild his life with the aid of his co-worker and girlfriend Vicki, who opts to remain with him even after she learns about his offences, and his brother-in-law Carlos, the only member of his family who stood by him after his conviction. The authorities do not seem to be a lot of help to him; his probation officer, for example, does not seem concerned that he lives in a flat overlooking a primary school and he is constantly pestered by a police officer named Lucas who quite clearly hopes to catch Walter reoffending.Special praise is due to Kevin Bacon for his sensitive and well-judged performance in the leading role; he makes us realise that Walter is human, and yet we are never allowed to forget the seriousness of what he has done, even if Walter himself would at times prefer to forget it. There are also excellent performances from Kyra Sedgwick as Vicki and from Hannah Pilkes as Robin, a young girl whom Walter meets in the local park.Because of its subject-matter the film had only a very limited cinematic release in both America and Britain. It was a brave move on the part of the film-makers to tackle a subject as controversial as this, but I think that their courage paid off. "The Woodsman" is not a great film; the plot is not always easy to follow and the dialogue is at times difficult to hear. It does, however, make an important contribution to the debate around the moral question of how society should deal with those who suffer from a compulsion to commit acts which others find abhorrent. 6/10

I think this film does broaden understanding of the extremely difficult issue of pedophilia.The story is extremely well told. Kevin Bacon is superb as the main character, Walter, a man with a pedophile past who has come out of prison and is trying to get his life together.The plot has some unexpected turns and is surprisingly neatly tied up at the end.This film respects its audience, we are never spoon fed the storyline or told how to respond to the characters.The world the characters inhabit is very real.Walter's struggle with his sexual desire is a little like a drug addition. There is a point in the film where things are going very badly for Walter and it is then that he is tempted towards starting to "groom" an underage girl. At this point in the film there is a great emotional understanding of what it is like to suffer as Walter does from this terrible problem that he has.The rather clever plot makes unexpected use of the nature of each character in the film. There is no clear division of good persons or bad persons, rather we find that the good or bad can reveal itself depending on circumstances.

Paedophilia is a difficult subject for any film maker to cover. It requires a great deal of tact, causing many to simply use them as a plot device or villain whilst avoiding elaborating on them to bypass any disputes on their portrayal. 'The Woodsman' completely disregards any potential controversies and goes for the jugular, placing Kevin Bacon front and centre as the troubled Walter.Upon his release from prison, Walter returns to his home-town to rebuild his life, only to find his past acts aren't forgotten. Ostracised by the vast majority of his family, he is ashamed and leads a quiet existence to avoid drawing any attention, failing when he attracts a co-worker, Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick) which leads to a complicated relationship.Throughout the feature, Bacon is the protagonist, forcing the viewer to see events from his perspective. I can only compliment the cast and crew as they manipulate your mindset to empathise with the criminals troubles despite your own opposition to what he has done. It's an impressive feat which is reinforced by a solid performance, be that as it may I never found myself rooting for him due to his previous act. An interesting point as this reflects on other people within the movie. Regardless of the time that had passed since the crimes, the road to redemption for Walter would be a long and arduous one, with an abundance of distrust along his path to atonement, including a run in with another predator outside his flat. Ignored when contacting police because of his past.Rather than going for a stereotypical depiction of a paedophile the character is given an abundance of personality and you can tell that the lead really made sure his appearance assisted in adding depth to the life he was portraying. He is shown as thin with a darkness around his eyes. Without even mentioning this, it is apparent he has problems with sleeping and eating due to his guilt.Also, whilst he is determined to live a normal lifestyle without the torment and temptation that his demons encourage daily, the attraction is always there to him, which leads to the most disturbing idea that the film presents. The idea that his urges aren't suppressible, that it is a part of him, much like a sexuality. That concept is chilling yet it explains Walters frustration and depression.It was a very audacious move by the film-makers to produce a film showing this perspective, however, its downfalls lie in the pacing and my disbelief that a convicted child molester would be re-homed across from a playground and the ease in which he has a relationship with an adult considering his problems. Surely the intimacy should have felt more forced to portray his attempt to move on from his past? Nonetheless, performances from all are of a high calibre. From the distant Walter, to the watchful Detective Sergeant Lucas (Mos Def) everyone gives a convincing display in each persona.Due to it's content and pacing, it isn't a film I'd recommend yet I applaud how bold the industry were for going ahead with a movie of this ilk. My opinions are completely unchanged on paedophilia, it still sickens me to my core although this film does show a very compelling perspective on how their minds potentially work.