Walker

Walker was both a box office and critical failure upon its initial release, and even though it's not hard to see why (viewers expecting a historic drama played straight, by Cox of all directors, will be sorely disappointed), it certainly deserves to be rediscovered by a whole new audience. OK maybe Cox tries to be "cult" a little too hard for his own good, but that aside he pulls it off surprisingly well. Ed Harris is OK in the leading role but I would have LOVED to see Gary Oldman portray the semi-insane William Walker. If any role called for scenery consumption, it's this one. Watch it for the great Peckinpah-esquire shooting in slow motion, the amusing anachronisms (choppers, computers, Newsweek magazines, Coca-Cola bottles, Marlboros), the general air of absurdity and psychotronic charm, the comedic touches, the political commentary and the great cinematography. Walker is good exactly because it refuses to take itself overly serious.

This is one of the greatest films i have ever seen. The only issue I have with it is that it is out of print. I'd do almost anything to find a copy. While not the most accurate account of LITERAL history, it still provides decent reference as long as it is taken in its intended symbolic context. It is a truly profound portrayal, a historical as well as a relevant political statement filled with striking imagery and an outstanding score. Possibly too abstract for some, but in all actuality a most outstanding movie. If anyone knows where i might be able to find a copy of this I would be most obliged. I recommend it to anyone interested in...well I recommend it to anyone really.

Visionary movie-making. I will not write any spoiler, so I can't describe the brilliant way Cox expresses his story with some mind-bending visual and verbal devices. Some might dismiss it as trickery, but I think of it as magical realism.

William Walker was a real person and his "liberation" of Nicaragua did take place, roughly as shown in this movie. Cox and Wurlitzer took some major liberties with historic details- perhaps for narrative pace, budget reasons, or whatever. I read quite a lot about Walker and Nicaragua after seeing this movie and there's no distortion for ideological reasons.

If you value originality, subtlety, honesty and an occasional slap in the face, see this movie. I envy first-time viewers.

In the 1850's an American soldier-of-fortune known as William Walker marches his army into Nicaragua to take control of the country for a wealthy and powerful capitalist, Cornelius Vanderbilt. Through time, Walker sets himself up as the ruler of the worn-torn country, but the power gets to his head when he bites off more than he can chew to keep it that way and hold onto those principles he believes in.

Cult director Alex Cox churns out one very peculiar, social minded and disjointed experience from his effort on "Walker (1987)". While, the film does contain bad aspects and goes about things rather forcefully. There's still entertainment within this spirited feature and Ed Harris kept me captivated with a truly intense and radiant performance as the black dressed William Walker. After a somewhat serious opening on the factual story, it eventually succumbs to surreal imagery and anachronistic details to get its loud and intrusive message across. Like many have mentioned in their comments it does have real visionary punch to it that resembles Sam Peckinpah's work. Just look at the brutal action and glamorous slow-mo interwoven into many scenes. Alex Cox's direction is quite staged and can get heavy-handed, but the many stylistic touches and eccentric moods do rub off. I loved the way he decided to shoot the flick. Rudy Wurlitzer's over-dramatic, but stirring screenplay is laced with pot shots and parallels on the political interference of the USA from 1850's to the most recent. There seems to be too much going on in the script and it felt like it was pushed along too quickly, which meant the diverse narration became choppy with some unclear details. It was actually hard during certain moments to take it seriously because of some odd and absurd comedic developments.

Joe Strummer provides the ever-changing carefree mixture in the music score with perfect results in capturing the tenor. The strong supporting cast with the likes of Richard Masur, Xander Berkeley, Rene Auberjonois, Sy Richardson, Marlee Matlin and so on… work very well and fed of Harris' egotistical character marvellously. The way Walkers' progressive power got to his head personally and finally backfires on him (and his followers) with many disillusions having a lasting affect on his judgement is portrayed beautifully and concisely.

It probably thinks it's more grandeur than it actually is, but this is one fascinating foray nonetheless.

Made during the mid-1980s struggles in Latin America, Walker is a scathing satire of American attempts to impose "democracy" on third world countries, while serving their own purposes in the process. Although it was made to critique Reagan era policy toward Nicaragua, it is all too relevant to our current efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The film focuses on the real life exploits of William Walker, an American in the nineteenth century who led an army of filibusters to conquer Nicaragua on behalf of American financial interests. Driven by a vision of Manifest Destiny, Walker ultimately established himself as a dictator in Nicaragua. This historical background makes for an interesting commentary on later American imperial adventures, suggesting that history repeats all too readily.

The film boasts an incredibly good cast for such an obscure piece. Aside from Ed Harris in the title role, we have Peter Boyle, Xander Berkeley, and, in a hilarious turn as a foul mouthed mute woman, Marlee Matlin.

The film's one weakness is that its satire is overly broad, with the introduction of obvious anachronisms to make concrete the parallels with contemporary events. Although these made the film's commentary more explicit, they come across as over bearing, and weaken the film's overall impact. Nevertheless, this is a provocative film that is far more interesting than director Alex Cox's more well known Sid and Nancy.