The Walker
A murder mystery that does not stop at being a thriller only, The Walker appears to be the window to director Paul Schrader’s perception of Washington DC and how he sees politics pervasive in its nooks and corners, plaguing it. The story centers on a well-off Carter Page, who is son of a senator and a convenient recipient of the business fortunes of his tobacco tycoon grandfather. Carter Page has been shown a contented person to be living comfortably on his inheritance. He is ever well-dressed, pleasant-mannered and enjoying the good company of his elite married women friends. He frequently accompanies them to rich society parties when their husbands cannot be by their side. He is their good gay friend who funds a canasta game for them on weekly basis and takes pleasure in participating in the non-stop gossiping sessions during the game.
Portrayed comfortably by Woody Harrelson, the character of Carter Page pleases his women with company and not physical gratification. He has steady friends in three girl friends that are not satisfied with their rich husbands and trust Carter with their safest of secrets. So much so that Lynn Lockner (Kristin Scott Thomas) who is married to a senator, goes to her weekly meetings with a paid male prostitute in the car of Carter, as his car would not be easily recognized.
Woody Harrelson in The Walker
The story picks up pace when one afternoon, Lynn discovers the male prostitute stabbed to death and returns to the car to Carter almost instantly. In her frightened and puzzled condition, Carter comes to her rescue and impulsively takes the initiative of informing the police himself about the dead body. Hence, he protects his friend Lynn and her senator husband from being dragged into the scandal helplessly. Now he becomes the prime suspect of the crime. The entire struggle of Carter to prove his innocence with the help of his youthful Turk lover, Emek Yoglu (Moritz Bleibtreu) unfolds the ugly head of crime and corruption in Washington DC.
The plain calm with which Carter handles the investigations of the crime and confronts the real face of his so-called society friends is beguiling. The film holds the audiences with anticipation, as they watch the friends of Carter turn their backs on him. Irony that he faces murder charges for being a good and sincere friend to them engages audience to the story easily.
Lauren Bacall, Woody Harrelson in The Walker
Like Schrader’s earlier films American Gigolo and Light Sleeper, The Walker also exhibits a typical pattern, comprising of a murder plot and the hero trapped under false charges as a parcel of occupational hazard, employed by wealthy older women, meticulous about their appearance.
The movie may have left a better impact had the script been more taut and the climax more apt. The excessive pick ups from Schrader’s earlier film American Gigolo also disappoint with an inescapable sense of repetitiveness during the movie. The finer point about the movie is that the politics and corruption depicted in the movie is very much identifiable. In fact, it seems to be a vivid reflection of the ongoing dirty play in the city thanks to the upcoming 2008 elections.
Rating: 2/5
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