Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Walking Out Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson February 11, 2018

For their third feature film in their native Montana, sibling directors Alex and Andrew J. Smith explore familial connections, loss, and tragedy in the sprawling wilderness of Paradise Valley, Livingston, and Bozeman. The filmmaker brothers have explained in press interviews that they've wanted to adapt David Quammen's eponymous short story Walking Out (originally published 1980 in the Northwestern University journal TriQuarterly) ever since reading it in high school back in 1988. The film is centrally a two-character piece about fourteen-year-old David (Josh Wiggins) flying in to Montana from Texas while on school break. David lives with his mother and makes one annual visit to see his father Cal (Matt Bomer), an avid outdoorsman. David is most used to the city life and has a firm attachment to his smartphone, which he incessantly plays games on and texts his mom. Father and son have a rather estranged relationship. David barely looks up from his phone when his dad arrives at the airport to pick him up. Neither seems excited to see the other and Cal makes it clear that he wants David participating in outdoor activities. Matt Bomer has a voice and persona like Josh Brolin. He's stern with David but they both handle the other with mutual restraint. David would rather not go pheasant hunting but agrees to join his old man. Cal takes it one step further and asks him if he'd like to go on a moose-hunting expedition in the snow-peaked mountains. David is reluctant but also feels obligated to make the trek.

The Smiths establish a parallel father/son relationship when the narrative flashes back years earlier to David's grandfather Clyde (Bill Pullman) taking young Cal (Alex Neustaedter; think of a younger Emile Hirsch) out on hunting and fly-fishing trips. Clyde died young but was also a widower long before David was born. The middle-aged Cal recounts these memories with a bittersweet nostalgia as he clearly misses his own dad and wants to pass the lessons on to his only child. After David discovers an injured cub near the water and a grizzly bear later appears, his first instinct is to shoot but his dad advises him to proceed with both caution and patience. I thought something would happen to one of them at that moment and was weary of Cal's indecisiveness. However, a flashback scene presented later shows how Cal acquired his temperament. There is a fine line between hunting/killing, the Smiths are saying. In a subsequent scene in the narrative's present, David's hand is bitten by a bear (though nothing like the mauling in The Revenant). Cal instructs him to climb a tree and wait to come down til all is clear. David hangs on a limb and then an accident occurs (which I'll avoid revealing).

David and his father Cal make the journey into the wilderness.

For the first forty-plus minutes, Walking Out is primarily a character-driven drama with minimal dialogue. While the story sags without much happening, Todd McMullen's splendorous cinematography keeps the picture interesting and watchable. When the accident happens, the film becomes a classic survival tale although I thought the Smiths could have ratcheted the tension even more. Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins have great chemistry together. They neither underplay nor overplay their roles as each hits all the right notes. Walking Out could have used some pruning during the hike and perhaps added some of the father/son scenes that were excised from the final cut. Still, it's wonderfully acted, photographed, and scored.

Walking Out Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

IFC Films brings Walking Out to US Blu-ray on this slipcover edition that comes with a single BD-50. Shout Factory presents the film in its intended aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded disc that boasts an average video bitrate of 31993 kbps. The presentation is virtually flawless with no detectable blemishes. The color grading on the digital intermediate is ultra-sharp with well-defined hues. The pitch-black levels for the low-lit scenes are very solid without any traceable noise. Detail on faces is excellent (see Screenshot #10). The wintry scenes have been desaturated with predominantly pale blues and greys. Flashback scenes appear like they were taken from stock shots but filters were intentionally used. Bilge Ebiri of The Village Voice noted the "lovely grainy footage of young Cal and his own father" at one screening. Grain was thus added in post-production.

Shout makes a dozen chapters available for scene access.

Walking Out Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Walking Out's sound track options comprise a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (2649 kbps, 24-bit) and a downsampled DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1696 kbps, 24-bit). The lossless 5.1 Surround was my main reference for this review. Dialogue was clear and crisp throughout. Rifle shots produce a deep reverberation in the speakers and demonstrate terrific depth. Wind and nature sounds are nicely picked up by the fronts and surrounds. Composer Ernst Reijseger's score is built around aching cello strains, pizzicati strings, piano, and percussion tubes. Audio fidelity on the music side is clear and sharp. One wonders why Shout continues to include unnecessary stereo downconversions when they could give the principal sound track a maxed out recording and bitrate.

Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles can be accessed through the menu or via remote.

Walking Out Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Walking Out (2:51, 1080p) - really an extended trailer with very brief interview snippets with co-director Alex Smith as well as actors Bill Pullman, Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Alex Neustaedter, and Lily Gladstone. In English, not subtitled.

• Deleted Scenes (13:21, 1080p) - a slew of alternate/extended and omitted scenes presented in 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen. I thought the Smiths could have left a couple of these in the final cut so they could develop the father/son bond further and lean heavier on dialogue. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailer (2:33, 1080p) - IFC Films' official trailer of Walking Out for the theatrical market presented in 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen.

• Previews - bonus trailers for The Tribes of Palos Verdes, Sweet Virginia, and 78/52: Hitchcock's Shower Scene. These load in succession after the disc loads and can't be accessed through the main menu.

Walking Out Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've been looking forward to seeing Josh Wiggins on screen ever since reading about his performance in Hellion. His work in Walking Out demonstrates that he's one of the brightest actors of his generation. Shout Factory delivers a spotless transfer and a clean lossless audio presentation. The deleted scenes are very good but the extremely brief "Making-of..." left me wanting a lot more. Hopefully, the Smith brothers, Bromer, and Wiggins will record a commentary on a future edition. If you're a fan of The Mountain Men and The Grey, then I recommend Walking Out and advise making a purchase.