The Walker

Some films arrive in December with a big stick marketing campaign while others, like The Walker, quietly stroll onto select screens. The Walker returns to familiar Paul Schrader territory, examining why a man (Woody Harrelson in gay mode) sets himself up for a fall by protecting a lady friend. Schrader bills it as the third part of a trilogy of loner movies that began with American Gigolo and Light Sleeper. Like Gigolo and also like in Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket the protagonist finds himself a suspect for a crime he didn’t commit.
Unlike some other Schrader films (directed or scripted) the finale doesn’t end in a bloodbath (think Light Sleeper whose star Willem Dafoe makes a brief appearance), but rather a series of demands and hoops to jump through that regular people undergo in their dealing with upper crust society. Carter (Harrelson) watches his friends start to avoid him as he moves from a trusted confidant and companion to a kind of Washington D.C. pariah.
A mood of mystery dominates after Kristin Scott Thomas finds a friend dead. She gets Carter to mop up the scene further eroding their relation. The Walker reminds one of a Claude Chabrol film where the circumstances of a crime eat away at the characters. Some really convincing support from Lauren Bacall, Thomas and Lily Tomlin give The Walker an ensemble of strength while Schrader’s methodical approach reveals the solitude of people with supposed friends in high places. The Walker is currently playing exclusively at the downtown Angelika.