The Film (4/5)

Howard Wakefield (Bryan Cranston) is your usual business man. Over worked, short tempered, but he has a nice house and family. On his way home one night, he suddenly suffers a nervous breakdown. He chases a raccoon into his attic above his garage, and notices he has a clear view of his house. He suddenly makes the choice to stay up there and spy on his family. But soon hours turn into months, and he realizes his life could be different. 

WAKEFIELD (2017) started life as a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sharing the same name. In 2008 E.L. Doctorow updated the story into modern day, and then bam we got a film version. Bryan Cranston is an actor that up until the TV series Malcom in the Middle, was under the radar. But boy was he a work horse. He worked in TV, voice acting for Anime, and even doing kids films, but then in 2008 it all changed when he started in the AMC produced series BREAKING BAD, a show that ended in 2013 but is still as popular as ever.

Since then Cranston has become the go to actor for various big roles. WAKEFIELD largely works because of his casting. The film is a one man show where we can see a wide range of his talents. Thanks to all of his experience in animation voice overs, his narration throughout the movie sounds real and delivers depth in every scene. As he goes from selfish to an existential crisis, Cranston delivers the goods. The film is also filled with dark humor, such as Wakefield dreaming up various plans to return into his old life and surprise everyone.

While Cranston is the heart of the film, Jennifer Garner almost steals the film from him, in a mostly silent performance. 90% of her scenes are seen from Wakefield’s point of view and she expresses a wide range of emotion through her body language alone. The film becomes more grounded and real thanks to her performance. The film also uses her comic timing to great effect in the various dream situations.

Audio/Video (4.5/5)

Shout! Gives us two main audio options. First up is the DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 English track. The track is an excellent blend of effects and music, the smallest details sound fantastic. There’s no errors like hiss or pops. The second track is the 2.0 Stereo, which sadly suffers from some dullness in some of the night scenes. English and Spanish subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD picture is one of the best of the year so far. Every frame is full of life and texture. A huge bulk of the movie is close-ups on Cranston’s face, and every bump and piece of facial hair can be seen as he descends into a homeless man. The black levels are smooth and there’s no digital noise.

Extras (1/5)

Extras are limited to a trailer.

Overall (4/5)

Without spoiling too much, WAKEFIELD is an unexpected journey that goes to some extreme ends. Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner both give excellent performances, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it to the Oscars. Highly recommended.