WALDEN is a new revenge thriller starring Emile Hirsch. This is a very different character for him, but it works remarkably well. There are some brutal moments in this movie as crimes are exposed. Read our full Walden (2023) movie review here!
WALDEN is a bloody revenge thriller that has some truly brutal moments. These come as crimes are exposed – kids or elderly are the victims and the actual crime can be beyond cruel. There’s also a mystery in this movie that might not be the hardest to guess. And that’s actually okay because a huge plot twist isn’t the point.
In a strange twist, this is the kind of revenge story that turns into a feel-good movie. I mean, seeing truly despicable people get what’s coming to them, certainly makes me feel good. Especially if the opposite is allowing them to continue, which is not something our title character can accept.
Continue reading our Walden (2023) movie review below. Find it in select theaters on November 10, 2023. It will be out On Demand and Digital on December 12, 2023.
Walden Dean fights back
The title character of Walden Dean is a stenographer. In other words, he sits in a courtroom and listens to the crimes of despicable people. Sometimes, those people manage to get away with it. Whether due to a technicality or lack of evidence, they are back out on the street where they can commit more crimes.
For Walden Dean, a fourth-generation resident of the small Southern town, it’s all just gotten to be too much.
Then he discovers that he’s sick and he decides to dedicate his life to justice. Having realized that neither the courtroom nor the God he prays to every night is able to deliver this, he takes it upon himself.
He simply takes justice into his own hands – and he tends to let the punishment fit the crime. An awesome detail in this revenge story!
Emile Hirsch is everywhere right now
It feels like we’re seeing Emile Hirsch in all kinds of movies right now. Just recently, the movie Helen’s Dead came out and he played a real dirtbag in that one.
Now, in this revenge movie, he’s a sweetheart of a person, who has had enough of injustice. It’s great to see him in these very diverse and intriguing roles.
MORE WITH EMILE HIRSCH
Be sure to check out the movie FREAKS as well – and you can just skip Midnight in the Switchgrass
Other familiar faces in the cast are Shane West (Here Alone), Kelli Garner (V/H/S/85), Tania Raymonde (Lost, Goliath), and David Keith (the original Firestarter).
Watch Walden in select theaters first and On Demand later
This new revenge thriller was written and directed by Mick Davis (Modigliani). Now, I might tend to call this a thriller, but it could also be called a horror movie.
As with any revenge story, it tends to live somewhere between a thriller and a horror movie. Often both at various times. Walden is no exception. Especially the crimes shown in this movie are extremely worthy of the horror label.
If you enjoy a good revenge story, where the main protagonist doesn’t start doing stupid things, then be sure to check out Walden. No doubt any criminal would rather go to jail than be faced with his creative wrath. The only reason our rating isn’t higher is that it could’ve been so much better.
This is good entertainment, but it could’ve been a great movie if the editing and script had been a bit tighter!
Walden is out in select theaters on November 10, 2023, and On Demand and Digital on December 12, 2023.
Details
Director: Mick Davis
Writer: Mick Davis
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Shane West, Kelli Garner, Tania Raymonde, David Keith
Plot
Walden Dean is a stenographer, whose mind witnessed all types of injustices in the courtroom. After discovering he has a terminal illness, repressed anger deep within him surfaces – taking justice into his own hands in the most gruesome ways imaginable.
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