Walking Out (2017) User Reviews (86)

Well made, but often a tough slog

[Wizard-8 · 6/10 · 23 April 2018]

"Walking Out" is kind of a hard movie to judge, because while there are some really good things in it, there are also a number of problems that make it difficult to embrace the good stuff. Actually, what is positive about the movie can at the same time be a problem. I'll illustrate that by pointing out three specific parts of the movie:

(1) The characters in the movie are hard to warm up to. The father character is kind of forceful, getting his son to go through an experience he doesn't really want to experience. The son is often kind of curt and disrespectful. On the other hand, these characters come across as more realistic than you usually get in a movie like this. They are flawed, but they are interesting to a degree.

(2) It takes a VERY long time for the movie to set up the crisis in the movie. To be more exact, it takes about half of the running time, and before then many viewers will get very impatient. On the other hand, it does feel more realistic for the movie to (eventually) present the crisis after spending a lot of time showing routine and casual going-abouts for the characters.

(3) After the crisis starts, what follows is a long, painful, and slow slog for the characters to try and get out of their situation. The viewer will feel the pain and anguish of the characters and be squirming in their seats. On the other hand, many crisis situations are long, painful and slow for the victims. It can be argued that this movie's treatment is more realistic.

The movie is well acted and well made, so that is what has made me give this movie a marginal recommendation. Though I am recommending it, I should point out that this movie is not for everybody, nor is it for any viewing time. The movie is a matter of taste, and should be viewed under the right circumstances. You will have to judge if the movie will fit your circumstances.

Snow is not our friend

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 5 October 2017]

Greetings again from the darkness. Man vs Nature movies tend to remind us of both our tenacity when things go badly, and our lack of control or overall insignificance in the big picture of life. This tends to be true in the mountains, on the water, under the ocean, in caves and in space. Twin brothers Alex Smith and Andrew J Smith have adapted and co-directed this film from a short story by David Quammen. The filmmakers were raised in Montana, and have an inherent feel for the stunning and often treacherous landscape.

Matt Bomer, in a sharp left-turn from his usual pretty-boy roles, plays Cal, a live-off-the-land mountain man with seemingly few needs outside of food, water and a desire to connect with his teenage son through a hunting trip. Josh Wiggins (who exploded on the scene in 2014's HELLION) plays David, a suburban Texas boy who is out of his element without his cell phone. The opening panoramic view of snow- covered mountains is contrasted with David's engrossed concentration on his hand-held video game as the plane approaches the landing zone. "How was your year?" is David's greeting from Cal, instantly elucidating their relationship.

Cal excitedly reports to David that he has been tracking a bull moose for 11 weeks, and wants this to be David's first big game kill. We are constantly reminded that this isn't trophy hunting, and that this single moose will provide Cal enough meat for a year. David has no real interest in killing a moose, but longs to connect with his father … and "longs" is interpreted through the teenager's shrugs, glances and body language. Wiggins plays David with the subtle authenticity of the teenagers most of us have known, raised, and at one time, been.

As Cal explains the history of the mountains, he also works in stories of his youth when his father (David's grandfather) was teaching him the ethics of nature. Numerous flashbacks feature Bill Pullman and Alex Newstaedter (as young Cal). The flashbacks are a bit artsy, and sometimes intrusive, but in the end, form a parallel story structure that works.

A couple of poor decisions lead to an accident that could be straight out of the Dick Cheney's field guide to hunting. Cal and David are both injured – Cal severely so. It's at this point where David must grow up quickly. The skills he has learned, or at least absorbed, are now necessary if he expects to save his father's life. What was a story of two polar opposite blood relatives trying to connect, transitions instantaneously into one of survival, maturity, persistence, and love.

Movies such as THE REVENANT and THE EDGE come to mind, but this one is short on thrills, and is instead a trudging struggle to survive – taking a quiet approach, rather than a showy one. Lily Gladstone, fresh off her terrific work in CERTAIN WOMEN, has a brief sequence near the film's end. The beautiful landscape and terrain is captured by cinematographer Todd McMullen, while Ernst Reijseger's score effectively complements the odd mixture of slow pacing and non-stop danger. Whether you are trying to live a reclusive life off the land, or simply one of the many parents attempting to connect with their kids, keep in mind that regardless of the beauty of the mountains, "snow is not our friend".

Well done but slow

[marco-bc-costa · 7/10 · 26 May 2020]

It is a well done movie, breath taking cinematography and marvelous music. The rhythm is slow in some parts of the movie though. Not a waste of time.

I'm not sure what the point was

[dirk-lehman · 7/10 · 20 February 2020]

I had a tough time deciding if I liked this or not, which should tell you something about the film right off the bat. Some of the flaws that others have mentioned below - pacing, music, etc - they didn't really bother me. The sheer stupidity of the accident did, though. It left me hoping that the ending would redeem it, because I was willing to overlook the clumsy plot-device if it was meant to bring together a father and son.

But the ending didn't provide the redemption I was looking for. The father dies - needlessly - and for what? Are we to believe that somehow by killing his father the son will be closer to him? I don't think so. In fact, what I think is that the son will be traumatized for the rest of his life, blaming himself for petting the bear; for not climbing the tree quickly enough; for not making sure the safety was on the gun; for getting lost and following the wrong creek. Let's face it - this boy is going to have issues. And will he pass what he learned on about hunting to his own children? Not likely.

Then I thought that maybe this isn't a story about bonding, like everyone seems to be suggesting. Maybe this is a cautionary tale. Maybe there's a lesson hear about fathers trying to force their sons to be like them. Maybe there's a lesson about toxic masculinity, such as the suggestion that the only way to bond with a boy is to kill something with him.

Or maybe it's meant as a statement that children will always disappoint their parents. The son wasn't the hunter his dad wanted to be, and based on the flashbacks his dad wasn't the hunter his own father wanted him to be.

I don't know. Two things stuck out to me, though. The first is that the most important message the father seemed to get from his own father was about the difference between 'hunting' (for sustenance) and 'killing.' And yet he repeatedly tells his son that they were going to get him his first 'kill'.

The other is that, ultimately, the father got what he wanted. He wanted his son to experience his first kill, and the boy did. The father just never expected that the kill would be him.

Terrific journey of bravery and perseverance

[stephenw-30180 · 6 October 2017]

I was not sure what to expect when I first saw the trailer for this film. I will say I am very glad I watched it.

Avoiding spoilers, I will say right off....the the story was original in a theme and setting often used. Cinematography and score were beautiful. Acting was terrific and narrative told with heart and realism.

This is the story of a boy and his father who go hunting for "Big Game" together for the first time. During their search for game a terrible accident occurs. From this point on, the film is a study in human endurance and love. Also a strong element of a boy becoming a man.

I felt the story was told perfectly without overdoing it and keeping it as real as possible. You actually feel like you Are there with them and feel their pain. This pain, however, it suppressed by the human spirit. It's a simple story, yet, original and wonderfully shot IMO.

There are parallels between Father and son and the Sons Grandfather. The flashbacks are relevant and illustrate the dynamic between the three generations.

A very well done and aesthetically beautiful film.

fine survival movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 October 2017]

City boy David (Josh Wiggins) joins his estranged reclusive father Cal (Matt Bomer) in remote Montana for some hunting. There are flashbacks to a young Cal with his father Clyde (Bill Pullman) on a similar hunting trip. David is forced to abandon his phone in the isolated wilderness. An incident with a bear leaves them struggling in the middle of nowhere.

The incident is problematic. David's stupidity colors the movie in a bad light. He can be clueless but he shouldn't be stupid. I was with the boy up to that point. It's unnecessary to have David be so dumb. Did he think that he's in a petting zoo? Otherwise, this is perfectly good survival in the woods movie. The father and son relationship has a good strained vibe although Matt Bomer is no classic woodsman. He's too pretty and needs a bigger beard to cover that face up.

A slowly spun yarn lacking emotional depth or excitement.

[brenkelly-660-528685 · 4/10 · 23 January 2017]

I'm a simple moviegoer with pretty average expectations.

I saw this film the first weekend of Sundance 2017 without knowing too much about it. I was excited about it because I'm a fan of Matt Bomer and I had seen Josh Wiggins in another Sundance movie, Hellion, in 2014. I don't often write film reviews but I've been wanting to share my thoughts on this movie since seeing it.

While the majority of this review is focused on the parts of the film I disliked, please understand that I did not find this film to be a disgrace and I'm not vehemently opposed to it. There's a lot that I thought simply didn't hit the mark or simply didn't appeal to me. Before starting my tirade, though, I want to commend the film for its beautiful location and cinematography.

And here's my tirade: I disliked the score as it felt out of place or ineffective at conveying the mood of the scene in most places.

I disliked the world building and character development. I cared very little about either protagonist because I didn't really know anything about them. One is just a pretty normal kid from a broken family and the other is a guy who presumably spent his entire life hunting while taking a brief hiatus to father a child and then get a divorce.

On a similar note, the entire first hour of the movie (or the chance to learn more about the characters) was mostly just redundancy...and walking...lots of walking. Perhaps this was an artistic decision in order to help us empathize with David's (the son) boredom or to articulate to the audience the patience of hunting and/or the depth to which the two are in the wild. In any case, as a film-goer, it was wearisome.

The climax of the movie happens a little over halfway through but the sense of danger is quickly diminished. I'm not some high octane junkie looking for action at every turn but I thought the movie lacked urgency or purpose. I was sorely disappointed to find that after a very slow crawl to a single moment of excitement, we return back to another very slow crawl until the end of the movie. There seemed to be a lot more potential for telling the story in a way that incited a heightened sense of fear. Instead, we got melancholy until the end.

For a film that is clearly meant to establish an emotional connection to its audience, it lacked a strong narrative and relatable characters.

A surprising character led survival drama

[vampire_hounddog · 7/10 · 28 July 2020]

David (Josh Wiggins) lives with his mother in Texas and once a year flies to Montana to stay with his father, Cal (Matt Bomer). Cal is a macho frontiersman who wants to teach his son the ways of hunting as his father (Bill Pullman) and take his son hunting in the Montana mountains and into the remote snowy wastes. When a tragedy happens it becomes a matter of survival whether they will get out of the mountains and back to civilisation alive.

A strong, focused character study led drama that deals with the rights of passage in a surprisingly solid and even haunting film that sadly has not achieved the recognition it deserves. Beautifully shot by Todd McMullen.

Completely unrealistic, dull and uninteresting

[mat-fletcher · 3/10 · 9 March 2019]

None of the "survival" aspects of this film are even remotley realistic in premise and the reactions by the characters are pretty much the opposite of what would be required in reality but OK, this is a movie, not a documentary.

The score is dull, depressing and reminds me of some other art house dullness.

The acting is average, the kid is better than the father but his part os very limited in scope so he does not really get the chance to shine.

The father's character is 1 dimensional and simple barks out commands that would get them both killed in real life.

If you have an interest in the wilderness, ,hunting or just survival, skip this one, it's frustratingly incompotent and boring.

If you are not interested in those things, I still dont see anythign else about this movie that would make it worth your time to watch/

That's how a good script for a small movie must be

[webwizardbe · 7/10 · 12 February 2018]

I hesitated several weeks watching this movie. I am a vegetarian and didn't care very much for a movie about hunters. But they promoted it as a survival movie so I went in. I thought yeah, hunters getting their payback! But after several minutes my humanity took over, probably because of the portrait of "ethical" hunters. The dialogue, the interaction, the symbolism, the flashbacks, the music (very good), the story, it came all together. The movie has two parts, the 40 min. introduction in the father-son relationship and the survival part.

Trailer is misleading and generally a truly depressing movie (SPOILERS ALERT!!!)

[theaton-62913 · 1/10 · 24 March 2020]

This movie was just terrible! I chose this movie as a watch for me and my wife. We watched the trailer and though "hey, what a good looking film about a father and son bonding", instead we get 90 minutes of shitty flashbacks with no real relevance to the actual plot, depressing and heartbreaking montages of a son dragging his wounded father through the Montana wilderness after his father saved him from his own stupid actions of approaching a wounded bear cub and then the son accidentally shot his father. Like what the hell?!? Not only that but after as majority of the movie surrounding the son carrying his father miles and miles to safety, the father dies! I just watched 90 minutes of this for a depressing ending?!?

Great Film. Worth the watch.

[michellepugh-964-461455 · 8/10 · 29 August 2018]

It always amazes me, the film snobs on here that rate films so low. This was a drama that unfolded at exactly the right pace. If you are impatient or just dumb you may not get the film. So all the low ratings are just silly. A lot happens here, between a boy and his father. Be patient, the results are well worth the wait. Great acting, cinematography and directing.

"Walking Out": Count me in.

[jtncsmistad · 7/10 · 7 October 2017]

The just-released "Walking Out" had me from the get-go. Having lived my entire life west of the Mississippi to varying degrees, I have a powerful appreciation and respect for the independent spirit of the region's people together with the indigenous wonder of the land. From its opening frame this is a chronicle presented amidst the breathtaking grandeur of the unforgiving Montana backcountry. As such, then, I was an instant sucker for what was to follow. It did not disappoint.

Matt Bomer (TV's "White Collar") as Cal and Josh Wiggins ("Max") as David are father and son. They live miles, and worlds, apart. Their relationship is strained. The pair struggle to connect. Traipsing out into the snowy wilderness, Cal aims to teach his greenhorn teenage kid how a man properly tracks, hunts and kills a moose. But the plan winds up going awry. Horrifically so. And now they must struggle against nature and it's unpredictable threats to get out alive.

Bomer and Wiggins are genuinely remarkable strictly in terms of the ferocious physical demands required of each. The fact that their acting performances are equally as notable is a bonus. With the great Bill Pullman appearing in a periodic but pivotal role, "Walking Out" steps up to a more than worthwhile watch.

From a technical standpoint, Cinematographer Todd McMullen and Music Director Ernst Reijseger are particularly impressive. The images brought to us of the rugged "Big Sky Country" through McMullen's lens (especially the spectacular aerial views) are at once primal and magnificent. The majestic peaks, trees, rivers and streams captured on camera are all critical elements here. Reijseger's dazzling soundtrack is haunting, mesmerizing, a kind of modernistic mountain melody playing perfectly with the pictures.

Bear in mind that you're gonna need to be patient with "Walking Out". Co-Writers/Directors/Producers Alex and Andrew J. Smith (twin British brothers as it happens) take us on a journey intended to unfold gradually, in unhurried layers, with generous investment in contemplation and reflection. This is thoughtful filmmaking. Meticulous effort is made to tell a complete story. A resonant narrative. A timeless tale.

The ending will strike you. Pierce you. Stay with you. This is what the Smiths have built toward with every preceding scene. They have inspired us to care about these two characters. In so doing, they have richly earned the stirring emotion we feel during the final and deeply moving moments of "Walking Out".

Bears hibernate in the winter

[bdustin-81377 · 5/10 · 3 October 2019]

Okay movie but could have been a lot better. When do you see that much bear activity during the winter months?

A-Hunting We Will Go

[GManfred · 6 October 2017]

Elmer Fudd sings this song in several cartoons, and he is referenced by the grandfather in this grim story of survival in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. That may be the only hint of humor to be found, as a father and son track down moose until tragedy strikes. The second half of the picture is as gritty and harrowing as any you will ever see this side of a National Geographic special.

Cal evidently gets custody of his son David every summer, but in the mountain country where he lives it's always winter. David is not happy with the arrangement and finds out right away he can't get a signal on his iphone. He is a city kid and his dad is a hunter; they mix like oil and water. They begin as polar opposites but in the end they are bonded, in as gripping and unexpected a finale as you can find in a slow starting movie.

I disagree with a reviewer who felt the music background was inappropriate. I felt it was just right - unobtrusive and complementary. Never saw either of these actors before but they were effective and had chemistry between them. "Walking Out" is an underrated indie and deserves a bigger market. It starts like a travelogue but is a very affecting film; amazing what the human spirit can do when faced with severe adversity.

N.B. The setting is similar to "Wind River", which has a more intricate plot.

slow movie with beautiful snowy landscapes

[barbosa-vicki · 6/10 · 10 November 2018]

It's interesting that people either seem to love or hate this movie. Apparently it depends a lot on what type of movie you prefer and what you want to get out of it.

I admit I like some action, though I snooze off through car chases. This movie is meditative and slow, with a bit of drama in the middle when the bear attacks. The relationship between the father and son is subtle and nuanced, and I liked how the boy took the man's role in the end. But unless you're a fan of wilderness vistas and wild animals, you may not enjoy this that much. I watched it on DVD and found myself skipping ahead frequently.

TOTAL SPOILER:

The dad dies in the end, but the son still carries him out, keeping his promise. It could have been a much shorter movie and gotten the point across. I don't care for movies that end tragically, so wouldn't watch it again.

Starts ok, second part disappointing

[bionicol-1 · 6/10 · 25 June 2019]

It's a survival movie, you know from the beginning that something will go wrong, but at first you don't know what (if you haven't read spoilers before, I guess). I liked the first part, because there is a sense of suspense to it. The father looks a bit odd, has a kind of crazy light in the eye. There are those backflashes with the grandfather, who also looks strange (well, Bill Pullman...). There is the incident with the dead moose, implying there might be other "bad" hunters around. There is a tension buildup that I found interesting.

Then it happens, and you realize there is no mystery at all. It all crumbles down to a stupid accident due to incredibly stupid (and improbable) behavior from the kid. And all that follows is pretty unrealistic in my opinion. People complain about the slowness but that's not what disturbed me. It was rather what they did, how it all went on, and particularly how it was written, filmed and acted.

So I'd give it 7 stars for the first part, which was a good effort, and 5 stars for the second part, which could have been much better. Average: 6 stars. Bonus points for the scenery (i love snowy mountains).

Boring and Preachy

[tralrdr · 1/10 · 18 June 2018]

Why cant they make a movie that just does stuff and not preach or try to teach the rest of us the morality or otherwise reasons why someone does stuff? The dad is way too preachy and lost me right from the beginning like hes the end all God of wild living, then a couple of seriously rookie mistakes happen no thanks to dads serious breach of proper weapon management. So there ya go mr know it all. Gag. This movie stinks and is rotten as the dead moose they walked in 2 days and found.

I Did Like This Movie, But...

[Planet-38 · 7/10 · 9 November 2022]

I did like this movie, but...it was better the first time I watched it. The reasons I gave it 8 out of 10 stars the first time I watched this movie, was the scenery first, and the story second. I was in the mood for beautiful scenery since I had just been gifted a 39" TV. The movie and the review holds up for this, the second time viewing.

What loses out the second time around is the story-line/plot. I just don't understand why someone would take a city raised teenager, who has no experience with guns, hunting, or the great outdoors, into extremely remote and harsh wilderness, to hunt big game on their first hunting trip. This fourteen-year-old is ill-prepared for this venture, even if he was eager for the experience, which he, initially, is not. He has no lessons in gun use or safety, and the brief, can we even call them instructions, he is given by his father, in no way prepare him to be in a dangerous and life-threatening situation of any kind. Add to that, the fact that he has no experience in suburban woods, much less the remote, if starkly beautiful terrain he is taken to. Terrain he is experiencing for the first time, at the start of winter no less.

In addition, their relationship is estranged and strained to the point of non-existence at the start of the journey, so he is unlikely to even be really listening to anything his father is telling him, after being ticked-off at having to leave his smartphone behind. He is not told how dangerous the animals they may encounter may be. In fact, there is a point in the movie, where he shows that his father hasn't even told him what type of animals they might encounter, beyond the moose they are hunting, much less what types of behaviors to expect. The father had a great relationship with his father, and enjoyed fishing and hunting with him. It does seem from the little detail given, that his father taught him well. So, why he thought that he could just up and dump his son into this situation, with only anecdotes of the past, grumbling about his son's upbringing with his ex-wife, and some brief gun use instruction, is beyond me.

Watch it for the scenery, but if you have any experience in the great outdoors, try to suspend your need for a realistic plot.

Fear of the wilderness

[wilsp-25512 · 1/10 · 23 January 2020]

This is how faux-Hollywood wants folks to see the great outdoors. Misery. Mistrust. Deception. Pain. Yadda yadda yadda. As bad of a wild woods adventure as you will ever see. Filled with classic mistakes and quite a few manufactured ones too! Don't scare your urban loved ones....let this one pass. Pathetic!

A Little slow tbh

[tarrantl · 6/10 · 13 November 2021]

On watching 'Walking Out' on the small screen (Was it ever released on the big screen?) the film started slowly, and got slower. The photography was mighty fine however, but has to be said, the story a little lame. The plot is very simple, the dialogue a little muttered but really, the film treads at a very slow pace and doesn't deliver any suspense as you keep thinking it may do. Nice to see Bill Pullman in a small role, again, nice wilderness footage, music a little disconcerting and lacked suspense instead opting for a classical theme with mixed discordant strings, script was 'fair' but overall a missed opportunity to deliver a true fine adventure that really has you gripped from start to finish.

Here son, let's spoon...gonna make a man outta you!

[tim-arnold777 · 4/10 · 14 October 2017]

Just because some dude knows a lot about hunting and seemingly has only that singular specialty to pass along to sonny-boy, I struggle to understand why the young newbie with buck fever gives absentee daddy three ticks off the clock. From the moment the dad all but threatens the boy with physical violence if he didn't put away his iPhone tells me he is quite possibly less mature than his teenage son. It seems that everything has to be on the father's terms even though the grandfather (now deceased) was a far more accommodating individual. As another reviewer complained, the story was shallow, vapid, and lacked any depth of character development and sympathy. I didn't really care if they both died of frostbite on the mountain. The dad was one of those aging Abercrombie & Fitch underwear models with the perfect teeth, perfect 4 day macho stubble, and just enough hair product to pull off that Cabela catalog wardrobe. He almost had me believing he stepped right out of the pages of The Von Hoffman Brother's BIG DAMN BOOK OF SHEER MANLINESS. Excuse me for being suspicious that Dad's relationship with mom ended because she found out ol' Cal was fishing for trouser trout through a glory hole in the Bass Outlet's dressing rooms.

Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins are brilliant

[see-248-475350 · 10/10 · 6 April 2019]

A very moving film. Im always inspired by Matt Bomer's ability to be such different characters. This is a masterclass in acting. Highly recommend.

Good

[moonrandy · 7/10 · 13 April 2018]

Not a bad movie it's worth watching if there is nothing else on

A true stinker

[riderack · 3/10 · 1 December 2019]

Something needs done about these movies critics who take money to give bad films good reviews. This is a unrealistic, boring and just plain bad flim.