THE WALKER

US, 2007, 117 minutes, Colour.
Woody Harrelson, Kristen Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu, Mary Beth Hurt, Lily Tomlin, Willem Dafoe, William Hope, Geff Francis.
Directed by Paul Schrader.

An immediate reason for seeing this film is that it is written and directed by Paul Schrader. Schrader, with his strict Calvinist upbringing, has spent decades observing US society and its moral and amoral stances. He is well-known as the writer of many of Martin Scorsese’s films (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Last Temptation, Bringing out the Dead). His own films have been varied: Blue Collar, Hardcore, Mishima. Schrader links the central character of The Walker to the disgruntled Taxi Driver and the amoral American Gigolo. What would this kind of character be like in his fifties and at the beginning of the 21st century?

Schrader’s answer is to create the walker, the homosexual man accepted in high society as a pleasant and unthreatening character who escorts wealthy wives to social functions.

Woody Harrelson plays Car, an estate agent with means, who lives in the shadow of his dead politician father, who is gay and a walker. We find him playing cards with a group of women, Lauren Bacall, Lilly Tomlin, Mary Beth Hurt (Schrader’s wife in fact) and Kristin Scott Thomas. They gossip, they plan dinners, they support their ambitious husbands. However, one of them has been having an affair with a financial adviser who is murdered.

The action of the film shows Car and his attempts to both investigate as well as protect the wife, finding himself caught, ridiculed and betrayed, finally coming up against the police and Washington money and power.

The film works well on the level of its portrait of society, the glamour, the glitter and the gossip. It is somewhat convoluted in its presentation of the crime and the detective work. It also complicates matters with glimpses of Car’s private life and his relationship with a photographer (Moritz Bleibtreu). However, the film does not quite communicate the oomph that plot and cast lead us to hope for.

The performances, especially of the women, are interesting and Woody Harrelson in quite a different role reminds us of how talented an actor he is.

1. The work of Paul Schrader over the decades, as writer, as director, themes of sin, guilt? As applied to society? Individuals? The influence of American Gigolo – twenty-five years later?

2. The Washington setting (and the UK location and studio work)? Washington society, affluence, politics, the police, real estate, art, the streets? 21st century Washington – and the Bush government? The background of Iraq? The musical score?

3. The political situation, the Bush administration, post-2001, issues of power, paranoia, the plots, the FBI and the war against terrorism, financial deals, inquiries, blackmail and cover-ups, murder?

4. The title and the role of the walker, with the elderly rich women? Car as a walker? Natalie, Abigail and Lyn? Talking with them, walking with them, playing canasta, gossiping, style and art, decoration? And theorising about politics, finance and crime?

5. The strong cast, Woody Harrelson playing against type? The grande dames? Willem Dafoe as the politician? Mauritz Bleibtreu as the Turkish German?

6. The opening, the canasta game, the swirling camera, introduction to the characters, their talk, manner? The atmosphere? Later returning to these card games? The end and Car being shut out? Lyn coming out to speak with him – but going back in?

7. Car as a person, the blend of Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote? The south, the good manners, a way of dealing with chaos, keeping calm? The family background, slave owners, tobacco growers, Car’s father and his reputation for exposing Watergate? Yet Car seeing him as getting financial gain, as a crook? His reputation, everybody referring and deferring to him? Car’s attitude, the portrait, the end – his assessment of his superficial life, enjoyment of art, fine things, camp style? But the reactions to his being implicated in the crime, doors opening and shutting? His final questions to himself about the meaning of his life, his own independence? Starting a new life?

8. The social background of Washington, Lyn’s place in it? Abigail and her marriage to Delorean? The senator and his leading the opposition? Robbie as a money dealer, his advice to Car, the money losses, the initial clash between them? The background of the company being investigated, Robbie’s connection, the intrigues? Lyn finding the body, Car deciding to help her by claiming to find the body?

9. Lyn, her husband, her having an affair with Robbie, her past attachment to Car, her relying on him, able to discuss with him, his help, her vanishing? Car and his talk with the senator – and the senator saying that he would stand by his wife, and that she was not so important politically? Car and his discussions with Natalie, her giving him the lead about Lyn’s whereabouts? The information, the photo, the irony of his recovering it from the dead killer? The photo at the end, giving it back to Lyn? Lyn and her character, hiding, discussions with Car, coming out of the card game, gratitude to get the photo? Staying with her husband?

10. Natalie and her type, the Lauren Bacall manner? Her comments on marrying money, merely looking at it? The card games, the social life, her liking Car, giving him the information – but ousting him at the end? Abigail, the frequent phone calls, Lily Tomlin’s style? The carpet advice? Her ousting him, doors closing against him? His ringing her to spread some scandal and see what happened? The other members of the group? Car’s decision to go to the Delorean house at the end?

11. Mungo Tate, the DA, people commenting on him as a small sleaze wanting to be a bigger sleaze? The information he got from the killer, the interrogation, Car and his lawyer, the discussions, the possibility of deals? His fall?

12. Delorean, his power, people commenting that he was not elected, otherwise he would lose his power? Social life, relationship with Abigal? Car’s visit, telling him the truth, the talk, patriotism, conservative values? Yet giving the word for Car to be arrested?

13. Emek, his background, his love for Car? Seen in the gay bars, his provocative art? His friends, getting information, internet information, the phone calls that Robbie made, working out Robbie was blackmailing the vice-president, the phone calls to Delorean? His being bashed in the bar? Wanting his own gallery? Pursuing the killer, photographing him? The arrest? Freed – and going to New York, with hope?

14. The killer, appearing in the gay bar, bashing Emek? His being hired, killing Robbie, taking the photo, the possibilities of blackmail? The bashing, the confronting Car, the chase, the car accident?

15. The role of the police, the inspector interrogating Car, the nature of the investigation, the limits of power with the FBI and the district attorney? Sympathetic towards Car?

16. Car’s lawyer, friendship, help, the caution – and his manifesting a sense of humour?

17. Car working as an estate agent, getting the information from his boss, his boss’s fears, giving him the sack, Car leaving?

18. The Washington, DC power play, world of intrigue (and the background of the Bush administration and Iraq and money deals)?