The Traveler (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
The Traveler is a horror film released in 2010, starring Val Kilmer
and Dylan Neal
. Val Kilmer plays a stranger ("Mr. Nobody"), who is interrogated
for murder
at a small town's police station
by Dylan Neal, who plays a police
detective Alexander Black.
. He tells the desk sergeant that he wishes to confess to murder, after which the desk sergeant points a handgun
at him, and calls for his police colleagues to restrain him with handcuffs
.
The stranger refuses to reveal his name, preferring to be known as "Mr. Nobody", while the officers start freaking out and almost assault
ing him just as detective Alexander Black walks in. The stranger states that he will confess to six murders, and when he starts describing each murder, the officers start dying in the same way he explains, while the stranger himself is incarcerated. While the officers continue to panic
, the stranger notices a dedicated text on the detective Black's golden-metal pen
, and finds out the pen was a gift from Black's daughter, Mary Black, who was abducted.
The officers think that the stranger could be a suspect whom they illegally torture
d a year ago when they were investigating the disappearance of Mary Black, yet were unable to disprove the suspect's innocence. However, they realize that the victim of their violence should still be in a coma that resulted from their brutal torture, stationed at a medical facility
. The officers then telephone the facility to discover that the victim had died earlier that evening, at the same time as the stranger entered the police station, proving that the stranger is in fact not who they thought he is.
Despite this new evidence, the officers believe that the stranger is a vengeful spirit
of the previously tortured man. Detective Black starts talking about superstition
and his experiences in Gulf War
, while the remaining officers continue to die in ways that mirror the acts they committed against the now-dead suspect a year earlier, until only detective Black remains.
Detective Black starts apologizing to the stranger for killing an innocent suspect, after which the stranger says that he was the one who murdered his daughter. Detective Black then stabs his daughter's golden-metal pen inside his own ear
s, causing himself to become deaf in order to stop hearing what the stranger says, being convinced that the stranger's stories will kill him like he thought they killed his fellow officers.
Black's dead daughter then appears to the detective under his desk. She tells him the stranger is a ghost and cannot be killed unless one utters his name: Stanley Harpenden. Detective Black does this, profundly shocking the stranger who at the same time is shot, making him fall through a window of the police station, land outside on the street and turn into ash.
, Canada
. The film was first shown at the Aruba
International Film Festival in June 2010 before its release in the United States in October 2010 by Paramount Pictures
. The film is scheduled for release in Australia
in 2010 on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
, and for theatrical release in Germany
in 2011 via the distributor Splendid Film.
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
and Dylan Neal
Dylan Neal
Dylan J. Neal is a Canadian actor who has appeared in a large number of television shows and in feature films. He is best known for role as Dylan Shaw on The Bold and The Beautiful from 1994 to 1997 and his supporting role as Pacey Witter's older brother, Doug on the American television drama...
. Val Kilmer plays a stranger ("Mr. Nobody"), who is interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
at a small town's police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
by Dylan Neal, who plays a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
detective Alexander Black.
Plot
A stranger walks into a small town's police station during a rainstorm on Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
. He tells the desk sergeant that he wishes to confess to murder, after which the desk sergeant points a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
at him, and calls for his police colleagues to restrain him with handcuffs
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
.
The stranger refuses to reveal his name, preferring to be known as "Mr. Nobody", while the officers start freaking out and almost assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ing him just as detective Alexander Black walks in. The stranger states that he will confess to six murders, and when he starts describing each murder, the officers start dying in the same way he explains, while the stranger himself is incarcerated. While the officers continue to panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
, the stranger notices a dedicated text on the detective Black's golden-metal pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
, and finds out the pen was a gift from Black's daughter, Mary Black, who was abducted.
The officers think that the stranger could be a suspect whom they illegally torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d a year ago when they were investigating the disappearance of Mary Black, yet were unable to disprove the suspect's innocence. However, they realize that the victim of their violence should still be in a coma that resulted from their brutal torture, stationed at a medical facility
Medical facility
A medical facility is, in general, any location at which medicine is practiced regularly. Medical facilities range from small clinics and doctor's offices to urgent care centers and large hospitals with elaborate emergency rooms and trauma centers. The number and quality of medical facilities in a...
. The officers then telephone the facility to discover that the victim had died earlier that evening, at the same time as the stranger entered the police station, proving that the stranger is in fact not who they thought he is.
Despite this new evidence, the officers believe that the stranger is a vengeful spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
of the previously tortured man. Detective Black starts talking about superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
and his experiences in Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, while the remaining officers continue to die in ways that mirror the acts they committed against the now-dead suspect a year earlier, until only detective Black remains.
Detective Black starts apologizing to the stranger for killing an innocent suspect, after which the stranger says that he was the one who murdered his daughter. Detective Black then stabs his daughter's golden-metal pen inside his own ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....
s, causing himself to become deaf in order to stop hearing what the stranger says, being convinced that the stranger's stories will kill him like he thought they killed his fellow officers.
Black's dead daughter then appears to the detective under his desk. She tells him the stranger is a ghost and cannot be killed unless one utters his name: Stanley Harpenden. Detective Black does this, profundly shocking the stranger who at the same time is shot, making him fall through a window of the police station, land outside on the street and turn into ash.
Cast
- Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as Mr. Nobody / Stanley Harpenden - Dylan NealDylan NealDylan J. Neal is a Canadian actor who has appeared in a large number of television shows and in feature films. He is best known for role as Dylan Shaw on The Bold and The Beautiful from 1994 to 1997 and his supporting role as Pacey Witter's older brother, Doug on the American television drama...
as Detective Alexander Black - Paul McGillionPaul McGillionPaul McGillion is a Vancouver-based actor who has worked in television, film and theatre since 1990. He is best known for his role on the television series Stargate Atlantis as Dr. Carson Beckett.-Early life:...
as Deputy Jerry Pine - Camille SullivanCamille SullivanCamille Sullivan is a Canadian actress. She has starred in various films and TV series. Among her notable TV appearances are Da Vinci's Inquest, Intelligence and Shattered. She won a Leo Award for her role in Normal...
as Deputy Jane Hollow - Nels Lennarson as Deputy Toby Sherwood
- Chris GauthierChris GauthierChristopher Gauthier is an English born Canadian actor. He is married with two children and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
as Desk Sergeant Gulloy - John CassiniJohn CassiniJohn Cassini is a Canadian actor who played the role of Officer Davis in the 1995 Brad Pitt film, Se7en. He also starred in the 2005 film Cool Money. Cassini starred as Ronnie Delmarco on the CBC series, Intelligence...
as Deputy Jack Hawkins - Sierra Pitkin as Mary Black
- PanouPanouPanou is a Canadian actor.His birth-name translates to 'God Among Us' in his native Creole. He is 5'11". His first feature film was Trial of a Serial Killer in 1997; he has since had roles in such film projects as Steal This Movie! , the independent feature Fizzy Bizness, and the feature film The...
as Trooper Vitelli - Denyc as Trooper Velasquez
Release
The film was shot on location in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The film was first shown at the Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
International Film Festival in June 2010 before its release in the United States in October 2010 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. The film is scheduled for release in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2010 on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
, and for theatrical release in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2011 via the distributor Splendid Film.