The Walker film review

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THE WALKER

It's a radically different Woody Harrelson who appears in Paul Schrader's latest film, although he is an actor who has consistently displayed an ability to perform chameleon-like duties in roles as diverse as Cheers' Woody, Natural Born Killers' Mickey, and the eponymous lead in The People vs Larry Flynt.

Here he stars as Carter Page III, a minor socialite on the Washington scene who earns a crust by escorting the finer ladies of the American political capital to events that their husbands can't make. He is the extra hand at the weekly canasta game, the companion to the opera, and more importantly the perfect cover for their extra-marital relationships, the latter especially significant considering that he would arguably win a competiton for the gayest man in DC.

Carter's world revolves around three ladies: Lauren Bacall's wise widower, Lily Tomlin's mover and shaker, and Kristin Scott Thomas' bored housewife whose husband is on the brink of senior office. When a murder drags all of them into a potential political and press quagmire, Carter finds himself as the scapegoat.

Schraders' films usually point at the dark underbelly of American life (from Travis Bickle's rage in Taxi Driver to Bob Crane's quirky sex life in Auto Focus and James Coburn's alcoholism in Affliction), and he isn't afraid to target the stifled and corrupt heart of American politics. These are characters whose role in polite society is on a knife-edge and they are unafraid to use any means possible to stay on the safe side.

The Walker may not be for everyone - it's dialogue-heavy and relies on one too many coincidence to be completely believable- but Harrelson and his accompanying cast members are highly convincing. Now into his 60s, Schrader remains an important figure in the unmasking of American life.

Paul Hurley