Into The Wild

Let's face it, when it comes to directing, Sean Penn's track record is not great. Fine, a lot of people quite liked The Pledge - I wasn't one of them. I liked Jack's performance in The Pledge, but I thought the direction and screenplay were awful. So the thought of yet another politically charged pretension-fest, this time also scripted by Penn from a book by John Krakauer, really did not make that much appeal.

Based on the real life "adventures" of Christopher McCandless and his desire to leave all the modern trappings of American life and culture behind and head to Alaska, where it is possible to exist in true wilderness and peace, Into The Wild is almost, but not quite, a documentary. We have some odd narration courtesy of Jenna Malone and some quirky early scenes with his family (a welcome return for Marcia Gay-Harden and the ever reliable William Hurt), but once we get past the annoyances of the first half hour and the road trip begins in earnest it becomes a pretty good ride.

Emile Hirsch, whose previous claim to fame was an MTV award nomination in the category of "best kiss" for The Girl Next Door, plays the fresh faced lead with the right mix of naivety and joy - he could almost be a younger Leonardo DiCaprio, such is his intensity and innocent gaze - and it is his like-ability that really makes this film. We are absolutely on his side, elated when he is, suffering when he does, jealous of the freedom he claims for himself and the strength of his own convictions. Also notable is a lovely cameo from veteran Hal Holbrook (All The President's Men, Capricorn One, The Fog), for which he received a deserved nomination in the uber competitive Best Supporting Actor category this year. At 83 we could cynically say it was a case of give the old guy a nod before he croaks, but no, he got it on merit, come on!

Ultimately it's not a great film. But it does make you think about our modern values and how much of nature we've lost or simply given up on. There is something in the spirit of this film that I really liked, and the closing minutes, leading up to a picture of the real Christopher McCandless are very moving. Sean has a way to go still, but he is getting better. And watch out for young Mr. Hirsch, he could be very big one day very soon.