Into the Wild (2007)
★★★★½ — Into the Wild (2007)
Sean Penn adapted Jon Krakauer's 1996 non-fiction book of the same name, itself an expansion of a long-form piece Krakauer wrote for Outside magazine after Christopher McCandless's body was discovered in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. Penn, whose directorial output had been sparse and largely personal up to this point (The Indian Runner in 1991, The Crossing Guard in 1995, The Pledge in 2001), spent years trying to get the project made, eventually securing backing through Paramount Vantage, the studio's specialist arm for prestige fare. Shot on location across the American West and Alaska itself, the production gave Emile Hirsch what became his most prominent role to date, and the film arrived at a moment when there was genuine renewed appetite for this kind of road-bound, counter-cultural American story.
He was brave enough to do what we all want to do at some point. He sought freedom. Emile Hirsch portrays Christopher McCandless in what is the best performance of his career. A true story of a disenchanted gifted young man who leaves society and family to explore North America on his own terms under the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp. Fantastic acting. Fantastic scripting. Tragic portrayal of a noble tale. Plus... that soundtrack by Eddie Vedder is inspired.
Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 2007 | Watched: 2025-06-15
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Emile Hirsch: Alpha Dog (2006) · Killer Joe (2011) · Lone Survivor (2013) · Lords of Dogtown (2005)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
