Entertainment
Extreme Mystery Thriller Is A Perfect Case Of Second-Hand Revenge
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Vigilante justice is often portrayed in films through masked superheroes or hardened but well-intentioned police officers who are tired of always seeing the bad guys win. 2023’s Walden introduces its quirky brand of vigilante justice through a frustrated stenographer who has access to countless court records and starts noticing the coincidences that pile up through his millions of keystrokes. It’s the story of a man with a front row seat to some of the worst crimes that pass through the courtroom, who finally snaps after watching enough guilty people walk away without receiving the punishments they deserve.
Between the acts of brutality found in Walden is an underlying sweetness from its titular protagonist (Emile Hirsch), who simply wants to see bad people go away. The problem is that he’s such a nice guy that he doesn’t quite know how to carry himself in heightened situations, which lands him in more trouble than even the most hardened private eye could reasonably handle.
Documenting Cases Leads To Cynical Places
When we’re first introduced to Walden Dean, there’s literally nothing to dislike about him. He speaks softly, with a gentle Southern drawl, and he’s excessively polite to everyone he encounters, not because he’s trying to pull one over on anybody, but because he’s genuinely kind.
A true master of his craft, Walden is well on his way to accomplishing the unthinkable by typing 360 words per minute with startling accuracy. This particular skillset becomes the catalyst for his transformation, because those skilled hands are responsible for documenting every grisly case that passes through the courtroom under Judge Boyle (David Keith).
When a fainting spell leads to a potential terminal brain tumor diagnosis, Walden starts thinking about his purpose in life, and it doesn’t take long for him to find one. After learning that murderer Norman Bolt (Ben Bladon) walked free on a technicality after burning his own daughter to death in an oven, he springs to action, deciding he has nothing left to lose. Convinced he’s found his calling, Walden pulls out old case files with the intention of tracking down guilty parties and delivering the punishments he believes they deserve.
What Walden doesn’t anticipate, though, is a larger conspiracy that surfaces when his mentally handicapped friend George (Luke Davis) is wrongly implicated in a string of child disappearances and arrested by detectives Bill Kane (Shane West) and Sally Hunt (Tania Raymonde). As Walden’s brand of vigilante justice escalates, the stakes climb quickly. His days are numbered. His friend is in serious trouble. Authorities are catching on to his totally justified but still totally illegal slayings. And looming over everything is a much bigger case that has been brushed under the rug for years.
You Can’t Not Like This Guy
Walden works so well because Emile Hirsch dials the wholesomeness up to 11. He’s a typing nerd who suddenly finds himself way in over his head after learning he might not have much longer to live. He has seen firsthand how often people avoid justice for their horrific crimes, and he has the paper trail to prove it. He carries out acts of violence that mirror the ones committed by his targets, and he does it all with near childlike innocence and Southern charm.
Even if Walden is technically the bad guy for taking the law into his own hands, it never feels like he’s in the wrong. His intentions are pure. He still shows up week after week trying to hit that per-minute word count that would make him a legend, because at the end of the day, he takes pride in his work, and he’s simply on a side quest.
They say nice guys finish last, but in Walden, Walden Dean gets the last laugh, and it’s so satisfying to watch. If you want to type along to the subtitles while solving this murder mystery, you can stream Walden for free on Tubi as of this writing.