Traveller (1997)

“Right now you have to take care of what you need to be taking care of and you may just find that the rest will take care of itself.” Directed by Jack N. Green (who has been a cinematographer on several Clint Eastwood movies such as Unforgiven), Traveller follows a tight-knit group of Irish grifters as they travel through rural North Carolina and rip people off with various cons along the way such as spraying “sealant” on driveways that washes off when it starts to rain. Bill Paxton portrays “Bokky,” an experienced con artist who takes young cocky upstart Pat (Mark Wahlberg) under his wing and shows him the ropes. Bokky’s dream is to make one last score and then retire from the gypsy life and settle down. The excellent supporting cast includes Julianna Margulies as Jean, Bokky’s love interest, a bartender who gets fired after falling victim to one of Bokky’s scams; James Gammon as Double D, a grizzled scam artist; Luke Askew as Boss Jack Costello, leader of the clan; and Nikki DeLoach as Costello’s daughter, Kate, who falls for Pat. Also look for Rance Howard (father of Ron and Clint) as a farmer who tries to seek vengeance for a previous con. Traveller boasts an intriguing plot and fine performances all around. Askew portrayed the hitchhiker who leads the bikers to a hippie commune in Easy Rider (1969).

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