A Walk in the Woods review: Robert Redford's pleasant ramble through Bill Bryson's book

Perhaps not surprisingly for a man of advanced years, Robert Redford takes a leisurely approach to portraying Bill Bryson, the renowned travel writer whose same-titled book details his attempt to conquer the Appalachian Trail, 2,180 miles from Georgia to Maine along the east coast of America.

It's worth noting that Redford is almost twice the age Bryson was when he set off on the hiking trail, but joined by a grizzled Nick Nolte, the spectre of infirmity closing in upon the both of them adds another layer of humour and tension.

Emma Thompson has a small role as Bryson's better half who can sense his feet beginning to itch after they attend the funeral of a friend. It isn't a midlife crisis looming but a late-life one that director Ken Kwapis only hints at to keep the mood light.

Nolte plays Bryson's old travelling buddy, Katz, who has fought a lifelong battle with the demon drink and is the last person Bryson thinks to ask when his wife insists he take someone along with him on the trail. In fact, Katz invites himself and has a few digs at Bryson for not keeping in touch. Again, Kwapis doesn't deal too much with the friction, or dwell on the reasons Bryson hasn't called.

The banter between Redford and Nolte makes the journey over rough terrain go by a little quicker and when they get themselves into a couple of tight spots, the chat inevitably becomes a little more intimate. Tellingly, Redford had envisioned Paul Newman as Katz when he first bought the rights to the book and a scene that finds them trapped on a ledge above a fast-moving river is strongly reminiscent of a classic moment in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Of course, these two old geezers don't risk jumping, and although they muse on the possibility of dying in the woods, there's never a thick sense of peril. In this context - with the whimsy of Bryson's writing setting the tone - the only danger is that a revived friendship might falter once again.

Kwapis only takes small dramatic licence - renaming Bryson's wife for instance - because, presumably, inserting scenes of heightened peril would be a dishonest reflection of Bryson's work. Similarly, Mary Steenburgen pops up briefly but Kwapis resists the obvious cues for romance, staying true to the man who inspired the film.

However, that means drama is harder to come by and there is a question left hanging about Bryson's reasons for wanting to be away from civilisation (except for a few stops in small towns) and separated from the woman he loves for months on end.

Katz pokes at Bryson for an answer to this but it never comes and if Bryson comes to a realisation about what (and who) really matters at this stage in his life, it doesn't come across with any lasting impact. What you're left with, instead, is a quite pleasant ramble with lovely scenery and some good company - and sometimes, maybe that's all the tonic a person needs.

Director: Ken Kwapis; Screenwriter: Rick Kerb, Bill Holderman; Starring: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, Mary Steenburgen, Nick Offerman; Running time: 104 mins; Certificate: 15