Walden

2023 Uncork’d Entertainment

Rated: Unrated

Length: 1 hr 42min

Horror ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Shane West and Kelli Garner.

“I’m the ghost of the courtroom…….recording every truth, every lie, every murder.”

This is the movie synopsis from the Official Walden Movie Website:

People collect sweaters, Walden Dean collects the testaments of justice, he is a stenographer and being the ghost of the courtroom, his mind is agonizingly crammed witnessing the torrent of injustice, until now. Discovering he has a terminal illness sends him into a rage that has been simmering deep within him for years and now he is about to take justice into his own hands, in the most gruesome ways imaginable. But there is a more gruesome piece of business Walden will need to deal with, a pedophile serial killer right on his small town’s own doorstep.

Emile Hirsch stars as Walden Dean, the mild mannered, very polite, very straight laced, very geeky, bow tie wearing fourth generation stenographer in a small southern town. He is practically married to his job and his stenography machine. He cleans it religiously and takes it with him wherever he goes. In the beginning he is a teetotaling Church man who prays religiously. During the course of the movie he transforms into a ruthless, crafty and clever drunken vigilante murderer with no remorse for those who have spread their evil while destroying innocent lives. He literally starts drinking whiskey by the bottle while he pops pain pills and gets worked up about his next vigilante execution.

Kelli Garner stars as Emily Duperon, the sixth generation southern woman who just moved back to her hometown to get away from the big city. She meets Walden at a stenography contest and takes an interest in the quiet “sevant” stenographer. After her repeated flirtatious advances they become romantically and physically involved. Briefly before Walden turns into the drunken vigilante. I liked Kelli in this and thought that Walden and Emily’s relationship was something the movie should have explored more. Writing this I thought, geez, they were meant for each other. Look at their names, Walden and Emily…..the lovely stenography couple.

Shane West and Tania Raymonde star as the two detectives that start investigating the murders that start to happen around town. David Keith as the “Bad, very bad man Judge Boyle. Luke Davis plays the mentally disabled grown man with the IQ of a ten year old General George. There are quite a few stories going on here and is sometimes a little hard to follow.

There is the mystery of the missing Mexican boys, all approximately the same age. Brought to light by the disappearance and eventual discovery of the murdered body of Cal Pepper. General George becomes a suspect because he is friends with all the neighborhood children, having the IQ of a ten year old.

There is the relationship between Walden and Emily, the estranged relationship with his widowed Father, the troubled relationship Walden had with his promiscuous Mother, the strange and intimate relationship with the Judge, and his close friendship with General George.

In the end you see that a lot of these things are intertwined and make sense as it comes to a conclusion. There are some questions if you start looking too deep. Like why are there so many crimes in such a sleepy looking little southern town. Why is it that a court stenographer geek suddenly flips and becomes his drunken, murderous alter ego yet still prays for his victims. Why is it that he seems to leave no evidence and the Police never get any clues from the crime scenes. It’s like everything is a mystery, and even that is a mystery.

It is quirky, a little dark, a little bizarre but yet, homey and pleasant in a small southern town sort of way. Would you like some ice tea with that? Yes I would. I’ve watched it twice and I like it. It is different but sometimes different is good. I think the ending lands itself to a sequel although I haven’t seen any news of one.

Worth a watch.

Two Thumbs Up!