The Walker

To be a walker is to be something if not someone or, if you prefer, a walker is someone without being something. Whatever way you look at it, there is something that it's desperately not there. Woody Harrelson and his character, act. Acting as a way of life. Trying to be trivial all the time runs the risk of making triviality something truly important. We're standing on the sidelines looking in without seeing because if we saw, well, if we saw, things may be dramatically different. This is a film by Paul Schrader - a master in getting into the hearts and souls of the outsiders - and Harrelson is an outsider living in, with a very specific awareness. Great! A film to savor and listen to, attentively. Not very often one can actually say that. Other than Harrelson, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily Tomlin shine.

A rather forgettable mystery bolstered by a remarkable lead performance and some good supporting performances, as well. The lead is played by Woody Harrelson, in my mind one of the most undervalued actors of his generation. He plays Carter Page III, a dandy fop in Washington D.C. who spends his life escorting the wives of politicians to parties and functions that their husbands don't wish to attend. He accompanies Kristin Scott Thomas to her lover's apartment one day, and she finds him there dead. Harrelson protects Thomas from getting involved, but entangles himself in the investigation. And when he and his lover (Moritz Bleibteu) begin investigating on their own, they open a whole new can of worms. To me, the mystery seems pretty half-baked. I think, even at the end, I only kind of understood why the man was murdered. Director Schraeder is far more interested in the character of Carter Page III, but even when he dives headlong into character development, it can feel forced. It's mostly only because of Harrelson that the film works at all. I'd recommend the film solely for his performance. Also in the cast are Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin and Ned Beatty, but none of them are given all that much to do. Besides Harrelson, Thomas and Bleibtreu provide fine work.

Harrelson is Carter Page III. Unfortunate son of a great man, fortunate son of a dynasty of plantation owners; what does he do? He spends a day a week as a real estate agent and fails to chase up a gallery opening for his lover's photography. What he really does is move with grace through the social circles of the Washington wives. All is well, passing off lines of Tennessee Williams and playing canasta, until by chance he is dragged into a murder investigation. Forced, in his own words, into a choice between "being disloyal and being dishonest" the film follows Carter's progress as events take him into murkier waters where it is no longer enough just to smile at the chaos and hope that it will pass.

In Schrader's script the dialogue crackles, for the most part, and the narrative is traced out with skill. The film does not aspire to the pace of a thriller but achieves a constant tension. Harrelson's performance is magnificent and he is ably supported by Bacall, Scott-Thomas and a sphinx like Geff Francis as the detective on the case.

'The Walker' is not a genre film and may disappoint those looking for a ripping yarn about a murder, but judged on its own terms it is a success. There are off notes; moments of dialogue strike as contrived and some imagery is unsubtle, but all said it is engrossing and like all really good cinema there can be no doubt that it is about something important.

THE WALKER is an extremely biting, well written, dark suspense thriller by Paul Schrader with a knock out cast of actors that blend right into their nasty characters with humor and a killing sense of themselves and their self worth. As one character points out, "it's always about the money", and in THE WALKER, I would say that it is ALWAYS about POWER and the perception of what people think of you and the power you hold.

Woody Harrelson is simply terrific in his role of "Walker", and you are reminded of Truman Capote and the attention he gave to society women to propel his importance of being a "gossip monger". The film also brings to the surface the superficiality of "nail a star, be a star", and the underlying elements of what it takes to make it in Washington politics. THE WALKER, like CAPOTE and INFAMOUS, leaves you with a desire to find a life built on something more than being famous and well known and for Woody Harrelson, to create a relationship built upon the honesty of his sexuality.

Great script, direction and acting.

The pacing is deliberate as character development (and exposition) is so key to the story. On the other hand, the last few scenes of the film seem a bit rushed as the main source of dramatic tension is resolved somewhat abruptly.

Overall a strong film, with standout performances from Harrelson, Bacall, Scott-Thomas, and Bleibtreu.

On a more personal note ...

I screened this at the Toronto International Film Festival as it premiered at Roy Thomson Hall. There was a projection problem midway into the film, caused by a bad splice. An intermission was announced to give the technical team sufficient time to re-splice the film.

During this intermission, which ended up stretching to nearly 45 minutes, Mr. Schrader and Ms. Bacall took the stage and entertained the audience with a far-ranging and candid Q & A session. This was a very generous and gracious gesture, and very much appreciated.

It was a real treat to see Ms. Bacall in this film and at the premiere. She is a legend many times over, and 60+ years into her storied career, she continues to exude class, strength and glamour. They don't make stars like this anymore, and we are the poorer for it.