Review of The Walker (2007) by Karen S — 05 Mar 2008
Woody Harrelson is an actor that blows hot and cold . There is no doubting his ability as an actor , as his performances in The People v's Larry Flynt , Welcome to Sarajevo and Kingpin confirm. His recent role as Carson Wells in No Country for Old Men is a good one too if not a little brief .
There is no problem with his portrayal of Carter Page III in The Walker either , in fact I would go as far to say it is a great performance , it's just a shame the film itself is not great .Ffar from it.
"The Walker"is the story of Carter Page III, a society "walker" in Washington DC, a "job" which entails squiring the wives of the rich and powerful to the opera and such because their husbands couldn't't be bothered. He has three primary friends, all 'women of a certain age', Lynn, Abby and Natalie as well as a younger boyfriend, Emek. Carter and his women friends play canasta each Wednesday. Lynn, the wife of a liberal senator, contacts Carter when she finds her lover murdered. To save her and her husband political embarrassment, Carter agrees to say that he, not Lynn, discovered the body. Carter and Emek clear Lynn's name and solve the murder using their own connections but Carter pays the ultimate price â?? the cost of his reputation and he must leave Washington to start a new life in New York.
Coming from the man who wrote the screen play for Raging Bull , I'm surprised that Paul Schrader could not make The Walker a little more palatable .
Considering this film's genre is described as a Thriller it could not be further from the truth .
This film is so slow paced it could have been going backwards!
Believe me I tried to be interested but there was nothing happening of any significance to be interested about.
Yes , there is some good acting from Harrelson , Ned Beatty and Lauren Bacall but that's not enough .
The story is only midly interesting and the conclusion is tepid at best.
Apart from the the main character being gay this had the feel of a 1940's black and white crime movie that is crammed full of dialogue but lacks and real thrill or substance.
The Walker is a what I call a clock movie . A movie where you continually look at the clock on your DVD player wishing it to finish.
4 out of 10.
This review of The Walker (2007) was written by Karen S on 05 Mar 2008.
The Walker has generally received mixed reviews.
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