Name: The Traveler (2010)
IMDb: link to The Traveler page
Genres: Thriller, Supernatural. Country of origin: Canada.
Cast: Val Kilmer as Mr Nobody/Drifter, Dylan Neal as Detective Alexander Black, Paul McGillion as Deputy Jerry Pine, Camille Sullivan as Deputy Jane Hollows, Nels Lennarson as Deputy Toby Sherwood, John Cassini as Deputy Jack Hawkins, Chris Gauthier as Desk Sergeant Gulloy.
Directed by: Michael Oblowitz. Written by: Joseph C. Muscat.
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| image courtesy of TMDb |
The initial tableaux:
The film starts with a short depiction of the abduction of a young girl by an out-of-focus kidnapper.
We jump forward a year to the present day on a rainy Christmas Eve night.
Desk Sargeant Gulloy is a fussy man who is the omega male of the group at the Sheriff's station. He does not care for the loud, foul, disgusting speech of his coworkers at the station, or their generally inconsiderate actions, like leaving the door open for the cold and rain to flow in, cancelling the central heating. His passive aggressive approach clashes with the classless alphas early and often.
The interactions of the four deputies are primitive and adolescent. Evidently psych tests were not required to obtain their jobs. Detective Black is the father of Mary, the girl abducted in the first scene.
To complete the initial scenery, Mr Nobody enters the station, and tells Gulloy that he would like to confess to murder. The state cops come by to tell them that they are going to close down the off ramp from the Interstate due to a major accident. The station will be more isolated than usual, and many things are not working due to the holiday. That's where we are when the action of the story begins.
Delineation of conflicts:
The deputies and the desk sergeant despise each other. The detective's wife is phasing into a breakup with him. The detective is held in contempt by the deputies since he was promoted over them to detective. The detective is in a depressed phase since he has not been able to solve his daughter's disappearance.
Mr Nobody is not especially compliant with the orders of the cops. Clearly, he holds them in contempt, and the cops are not happy with his lack of obedience.
Have they already met Mr Nobody? Will any of them get a bit of closure about their failed pursuit of Mary's murderer?
Resolution: The police think they have a confessed murderer. Only late in the film do they realise that his confessions are to their detriment.
One line summary: Cops pay for guilty secret.
Statistics:
Cinematography: 6/10 The visuals were in the VHS range most of the time. The reduced palette and the dominance of dark regions over light contributed to the overall tone of depression and hopelessness. The lighting choices involved a great deal of fluorescent lamps, whose colour output contributed heavily to the grey-green of the interiors, where most of the film is shot. The peeling paint, rusted metal, and flickering lighting contribute to the feeling of gloom and decay.
Sound: 5/10 I could hear the dialog. The background music was alternately creepy and irrelevant.
Acting: 5/10 I recognise Val Kilmer from many works, of course. Otherwise, I'm familiar only with Paul McGillion (Stargate Atlantis, 2004-2009). The acting was OK, but not great. Kilmer's performance was not one of his best, but he still outshone the others.
Screenplay: 3/10 The dialog was hardly sparkling, and the f-word was used to the point of numbness. I would rate the script low on originality. The theme of supernatural retribution is hardly new, and elimination derbies are common in horror films. The ending was a bit better than I expected.
Final rating: 4/10
Elimination order: spoiler alert
As Mr Nobody confesses, the deaths of the guilty cops happen. Hawkins first, Gulloy second, Sherwood and Hollows third and fourth, then Pine. The order related to the manner of violence the cops had visited on an unidentified drifter the year before while looking for Mary Black's killer.
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