Traveller stars Bill Paxton as a charmingly amoral drifter who belongs to the Travellers, a tightly knit group of Irish con men with a fierce hatred of outsiders. When neophyte hustler Mark Wahlberg—whose father was a Traveller who left to marry an outsider—shows up at his father's funeral and demands entry back into the family, Paxton takes him under his wing and shows him the ropes of the con game. Together they scam a succession of rural hicks before running into wizened fellow Traveller James Gammon, who lures them into bigger and more dangerous schemes. Complicating things further is Paxton's growing involvement with Julianna Margulies, a fetching outsider who makes him consider leaving the hustling life for the proverbial straight-and-narrow path. Star/producer Paxton gives a winningly low-key performance in the lead role, while Wahlberg continues his steady ascent from national joke to one of America's finer young actors. Margulies is fantastic as well, working wonders in a seriously underwritten role. Hokey and sentimental, yet brimming with subtle charm and gentle humor, Traveller is an excellent little film.
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