The Walker (2007)

 Compelling
I found this compelling to watch as the performances of Bacall, Harrelson, and others successfully pulled me into what was a deliberately slow-paced film. Harrelson is impressive as he appears in virtually every scene and does a great job as the gay "Walker" caught up in a murder. It's been some time since I saw a movie that had to be carried more on plot and acting and less on car chases and special effects. But keep the pause button handy as you will need to stop the action and ask others in the room for clarification on what is being said and done - I say that in a good way in that the viewer will second-guess the anticipated outcome. March 16, 2008

 From Paul Shrader, Hollywood's bad boy
From the film maker of such hits as American Gigolo and Hardcore...
When a major renegade Hollywood film maker plays his new film in the gay and lesbian film festivals, I don't think it means that his career is soaring in wuthering heights...I saw this film in the Chicago Gay and Lesbian film Festival. A stylish noirish very slow thriller with Woody Harrelson "fagging it up" into a very different persona then you have ever seen him before. Sort of like if Clint Eastwood would decide to walk across a room in a crowded saloon on stiletto heels and his trademark poncho. If a term can be applied to describe this film, it would be "interestingly boring". A melancholic Bryan Ferry song montage adds to the jaded sense of ennui is the actual highlight of this off-beat independent film you might watch as an oddity, I would recommend smoking a joint while watching, a mild freak out might be just what the doctor ordered on a lonely cold winter night, you'll never feel lonelier. March 7, 2008

 Great Performances
"The Walker"

Great Performances

Amos Lassen

There has been a great deal said about Paul Schrader's ("Affliction", "American Gigolo") new film "The Walker", a contemporary drama set in Washington, D.C. It centers on Carter Page (Woody Harrelson), a popular socialite who is the confidant, companion, and sometimes card player to some of the leading ladies in the nation's capital. These women are the wives of the powerful who turn to their gay friend for wisdom, warmth and wit but Carter's loyalty is tested when his closest friend finds out that she is involved in a scandal that could destroy not only her reputation but her husband's career as well. Carter tries to cover for her and in suppressing incriminating information finds he to be the chief suspect in a criminal investigation. He then becomes regarded as a pariah and is forced to find the true culprit so that he can clear his own name and even more than that, he must re-examine whether it is important to be accepted to a society which is based upon corruption, hypocrisy and betrayal.
Woody Harrelson gives quite an amazing performance as Carter as he exhibits the superficiality which we often associate with campy characters (Truman Capote, for one). We first encounter him as he examines the fabrics in a room as we hear several voices in the background. Carter is at home in this visceral world and we are made aware of his eye for detail.
Schrader says he picked Washington as the scene for the film because the town is famous for its hypocrisy and Schrader has written a fine screenplay. The photography is beautiful and the music by Brian Ferry is ideal. The dialog is wonderful with great one liners and the tension is constant. "The Walker" is a well staged thriller that has been highly underrated by critics and public. It is not often that we get to see a performance of the caliber of Harrelson's and the supporting class is excellent as well, especially Lauren Bacall. The development may be slow and boring at times but the strong performances easily overshadow that.
March 4, 2008

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