The Woodsman (2004)

Kevin Bacon is excellent as a tormented ex-con, released after 28 years, who will forever be branded as a child molester. He still feels, and fears, that darkling siren call. At the same time, he knows the consequences if he sins again: life in prison. A gifted woodworker like his father, and out of respect for his father’s legacy, he is given a mind-numbing factory job, manning a table saw. He wants to mind his own business and get on with life – but a nosy and moralistic secretary wants the whole company to know his past. The police lean on him too. Kyra Sedgwick is the hard-bitten forklift driver who both shares his pain and sees good in him. Ultimately, he makes a couple of momentous choices. Have you ever known Kevin Bacon to disappoint? 4 stars. (5-2-13, posted 3-2-16)