NateWatchesCoolMovies Films about con men can go a lot of ways. They can be intelligent with a worthwhile and earned payoff (2004's Criminal), they can be hollow, nonsensical, all flourish and no gravity (2003's Confidence) or deviate any which way from these examples. Traveller takes the quaint indie route, meaning I'm probably the sole person on the planet who has even heard of it, despite Marky Mark Whalberg appearing on one of the starring roles. It's a shame because this is a bona fide gem, a low key little charmer with a roguish lead performance from Bill Paxton, a plot that gets cleverer the more you ruminate on it afterwards, and an easygoing style to it. Marky Mark plays Pat, a young man descended from Irish 'travellers', who are essentially gypsy hustlers and live as such in a sleepy North Carolina community. Pat wants to reconnect with his roots, but his kinfolk are a tribal bunch who don't really fancy outsiders, however distantly related they may be. Cousin Bokky (Paxton) is the only one to take him under his wing, showing the ropes of a very specific, time honoured idiosyncratic lifestyle. Pat is young, cocky and sticks out like a sore thumb in Bokky's world, who himself is weathered and moves about with ease and experience, slowed down by the dynamic which his young prodigy presents, and also looking for a way out of this life, and even romance with gorgeous Julianna Margulies. As light as these proceedings are, the film doesn't fail to show the give dangers that being a con man puts them face to face with. It's all fun and games until... well until it isn't, and we get to see some of that ugliness rear it's head, for without it there would be no stakes. Joining them is grizzled and now deceased character actor James Gammon, playing a salty veteran grifter who crosses their paths more than a few times, causing as much trouble in the process. I've not a clue how close to real life fact and tradition this film gets, but I imagine fairly on the nose, as it just has that notion that it knows what it's doing, it's researched, capable, and does it all with ease and enjoyment.

Scott LeBrun Longtime Clint Eastwood cinematographer Jack N. Green made his directorial debut with this combination of character study and drama. It tells the story of modern day gypsy types (of Irish descent) such as "Bokky" (Bill Paxton). Guys like Bokky basically make their living by scamming people; in the films' opening minutes, Bokky is pretending to fix a homeowners' driveway. Into their lives comes Pat (Mark Wahlberg), whose father had left the clan to get married. Therefore, Pat's not exactly welcomed by these people, but Bokky decides to take Pat under his wing. Trouble brews for our unlikely hero when, after taking pity on and falling in love with a "mark" (Julianna Margulies), he starts developing a set of scruples.Some people might find the ugliness of the climax a little hard to take, but it doesn't exactly come out of left field. Bokky and company had to know that there would be repercussions for their actions. Still, this is a reasonably well made and reasonably well told story, written with heart by Jim McGlynn and directed with efficiency by Green. The filmmakers do keep you watching as things develop, even if, overall, there's a sense of predictability to the scenario. The soundtrack - both the score by Andy Paley and the selection of tunes - is pleasing to listen to. The pacing is generally adequate, with a fairly straightforward narrative.The acting is the most effective component. Paxton delivers a typically engaging performance, while Margulies is appealing as his love interest. Wahlberg is fine as the neophyte who takes a bit of time to ease into the art of scamming. Veterans like Rance Howard, Luke Askew, and Jo Ann Pflug are all solid in supporting roles. It's particularly amusing to see Rance and his late wife Jean, the parents of Ron H., both making appearances. But the person who walks away with the film is a very funny and lively James Gammon as "outlaw Gypsy" Double D, constantly popping up in Bokky's life and urging him to join in on a con job.Other than Gammons' performance, there's nothing really exceptional here, but "Traveller" does entertain for 100 minutes.Seven out of 10.

frznnrth The smooth scams and chemistry between the actors in this film work well. The rest, not so much. I'm a sucker for movies about con-men, and the tricks they pull in this movie seem both original and believable. But despite fine acting and an interesting backdrop, you just keep getting the feeling that a lot of stuff was thrown together while the script was being written. Both of the quasi-romances are hard to buy, and the ending seems like a scene from the "Death Wish" series tacked onto a character study. Probably worth checking out, but not a great movie.

MarkM-5 "Traveller" boasts nothing spectacular (unless you count James Gammons blowing everyone off the screen in every scene he's in), but is smart little movie and a fine choice for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Bill Paxton, taking a break from blockbusters like "Twister" and "Titanic," stars and executive produced this slice-of-life drama, and he's solid as a member of a quaint Irish, gypsy-like nomadic group that cheats people out of money. Mark Wahlberg, who is becoming one of the finest young actors working today, plays his protege, and Gammons comes along as an outsider who helps the pair out on a gig. Julianna Marguiles of "ER" also shows up as Paxton's love interest. The acting is uniformly fine, the cheating schemes are twisty and unpredictable, and the story is nicely touching. Though not without some ordinary moments (Wahlberg's romance wastes time, why the ultra-violent ending?), this is a fine sleeper of a film.