Review: The Snow Walker

Every once in a while I take a chance on a movie rental and it pays off. I’d like to mention one that you might overlook because it’s Canadian and it has had little or no press. The Snow Walker. I picked it up yesterday only because it stars Barry Pepper, whose work I adore.

What a great film. Shot in the Canuck north and completely devoid of cheese. It’s about a bush pilot (and WWII veteran) who’s bribed by a couple of Inuit men to take a sick girl to Yellowknife for treatment of TB and en route, their plane crashes. I could even stomach the caribou hunting scenes because they were necessary to the characters’ survival on the desolate tundra and although they look incredibly realistic, I was reassured by the behind-the-scenes piece that the animals weren’t hurt.

The Snow Walker. James Cromwell co-stars along with a 19 year old Inuit girl who’s just wonderful in her film debut. It was a pleasant surprise and it stands up to anything coming out of Hollywood.