Traveller Review

Reviews

Jan 30th 1998 By Total Film

The ubiquitous Bill Paxton takes time off from the clamour of his blockbuster duties to produce and star in this endearing portrait of a community of nomadic Irish con-artists. Paxton plays the veteran scam-merchant Bokky, who takes Mark Wahlberg's Pat - a young man desperate to join the travelling clan - under his wing (yes, it does sound like a another turgid Americanisation of the Emerald Isle, but bear with us). To make things interesting, Bokky falls in love with a woman outside this close-knit group (dusky ER maiden Julianna Margulies, no less). Of course, their relationship contravenes the strict traveller code, which advocates no contact with outsiders - but, if it's a toss-up between tradition and Julianna Margulies... A welcome throwback to the industrious independent cinema of '70s America, Traveller - directed by Clint Eastwood's regular cinematographer Jack Green - ambles along in a suitably leisurely manner, saying little but conveying much, as it pauses for a succession of romantic, emotional, life-changing interludes. A shame about the shotgun ending, but Traveller is still a film of considerable charm and sophistication. This carefully crafted gem deserves to be seen and admired.