The Walk

Set in 1974 Boston, the film centers on police officer Bill Coughlin, who is tasked to protect a couple of black students as they are bussed into an all-white high school, Coughlin being also under the pressure of a local crime boss. In the same time, Wendy Robbins, a 18-year-old student and her father Lamont, are caught in the middle of some violent protests on the streets, while Kate, Bill's teenage daughter, is faced with her own racist attitude.

The Walk is a 2022 historical drama film based on true events about the 1974 Boston desegregation busing crisis. Directed by Daniel Adams from a script he co-wrote with George Powell, the film stars Justin Chatwin, Terrence Howard, Jeremy Piven, Lovie Simone and Malcolm McDowell.

I really enjoyed this movie. Being mixed with black and Mexican I can never be able to imagine what minorities had to endure during those times. It was an emotional movie. The acting was great and it had me very grateful for being able to watch it. The end did leave me with a cliffhanger.

I think this movie was about average, despite good actors and production. For me, too much talking and unnecessary scenes made for a less interesting story... and some of the Chicago accents were annoyingly overexaggerated. I'm not sure why it had to be a period piece either (early 70s I guess), but the main theme seemed to be "How bigotry was even worse back then" which, while sometimes it serves the story or is a necessary part of it, isn't enough of story in itself to be interesting. There are thousands of them already. It may evoke viewers' emotions but it's as cheap as a girl in a horror movie looking for her dog alone in the woods at night. Yawn. Full disclosure: I didn't finish this one.

Busing was a major issue in the late '60s and early '70s, seen as a way to end school segregation. Not surprisingly, large numbers of white people resisted it. "The Walk" looks at the resistance to busing in 1970s Boston, focusing on a cop who has to help ferry Black children to a predominantly White school while also dealing with local gangsters and even his daughter's racist views. Basically, the movie makes everyone in the city - regardless of skin color - look like an unpleasant person.

I guess that the point is that racism runs deep in this country, even among the younger generations. One of the characters even notes that liberal Massachusetts doesn't seem much different from confederate Alabama. Can our society ever overcome this scourge?

Not a masterpiece, but passable. The cast includes Justin Chatwin, Terrence Howard, Jeremy Piven, Katie Douglas and Malcolm McDowell.

This film is certainly one that could be used in the school classroom. A period film with excellent acting with sets demonstrating skilled production, the narrative paces itself well with actors who hold immersive and demanding roles. Great film and I really do thank all involved in it's production.