The best movie in a long, long time.

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2007)

I knew nothing of Christopher McCandless or the book of his life or even anything about this movie until I was sitting in the cinema. The only thing I knew is that Sean Penn was directing and having been very impressed with his gut-wrenching, if incredibly downbeat, The Pledge I was pretty much guaranteed to like this film. My guess turned out to be extremely correct.
Alexander Supertramp (that's Emile Hirsch as McCandless folks) is a man with no attachments. Having been raised in a loveless household by parents who only wish for him to 'or-din-ary' things he entertains them as far as graduating college but escapes to the country as soon as the diploma is in his hands.
His dream is to explore the land with no ID, no money and no chance of being found by those who might want to interfere with his mission of reaching peaceful seclusion in a remote corner of Alaska. Along the way he touches many lives, some brief, some profound and gains experience and character that some might never have even if they lived to a hundred.
Sean Penn's photography and affection for nature give this film an overall gorgeous look. It is surely one of the most uniquely composed films of the year. He reminds me a lot of Clint Eastwood as an actor who can also direct fine movies and encourage impressive performances out of his cast. Pretty much everybody here is on top form, even Vince Vaughn manages to shake off the taint of those tawdry 'frat pack' comedies and play a genuine character for once.
But Hal Holbrook as old Ron Franz really is a standout. I've never seen a more heartfelt or touching performance in so long. If he doesn't earn an Academy Award come Oscar-time then there ain't no justice in the world. I think it's great that Sean Penn brought Holbrook (now 82) back for such an important and thought-provoking role. If you don't shed a tear for him then you have no soul.
Don't con yourself out of a good movie. It may have a limited release but Into the Wild is a film worth taking time out to see. Since I live in the UK, the story of Christopher McCandless (which appears to be some sort of true urban legend in America) is not well known here. I guess that having no expectations of the film made me enjoy it on the right level. Definitely something I will be tracking down on HD DVD when it's released.
PS
I broke my tooth while watching this movie. Just ordinary chewing gum took a big chip out of one of my molars.