Although this might seem to be a bit different from other movies we've had from writer-director Paul Schrader, The Walker is ultimately very much in his wheelhouse. It might wear some smarter clothes, and there may be a greater age range in his main cast, but it certainly looks at things through that Schrader lens.
Woody Harrelson plays Carter, a "safe" gay man who works as an escort to some well-to-do ladies in Washington D.C. He accompanies them to various events, making himself the walker of the title, and also enjoys often playing cards with them. He is a trusted figure, which is why Lynn Lockner (Kristin Scott Thomas) turns to him when she discovers the corpse of a murdered man. Not just any murdered man, but someone she was close to. To save her from any potential embarrassment, tricky questions that could cause problems for her husband, Larry Lockner (Willem Dafoe), Carter decides to claim that he found the body. This makes things problematic when the investigation quickly turns more serious, and Carter realises he may have got himself mixed up in something quite dangerous.
A murder mystery where viewers won't really care about the mystery element, this is a film that I hadn't previously heard of, unusual for me when it comes to the filmography of Schrader. By the time the end credits rolled, I could understand why. There's nothing here that stands out, nothing here to make this memorable in any way. And the sad thing is that a SUPERB cast is largely wasted.
Harrelson is good fun in the lead role, better in the few quieter moments that he has, as opposed to the scenes with him being relentlessly cheery to those around him, and Thomas is effectively vulnerable and quiet during the times when events threaten to overwhelm her. Having kickstarted the chain of events for Carter, her character soon disappears for a while, but her presence continues to overshadow everything. The other main women are played by Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, and Mary Beth Hurt, all giving great performances, and all sorely underused. Dafoe is underused, Ned Beatty has a small role (underused), William Hope has a main scene or two (guess what . . . underused), and there's a solid turn from Geff Francis, playing a detective, that surprisingly gives him just enough screentime to make the best impact. Moritz Bleibtreu also gets a fair few scenes, but his character, and the performance, just doesn't work as well as the other people who should have been allowed to shine a bit brighter.
You should like The Walker, but only because it doesn't have much to actively dislike. There's enough here to enjoy, but it feels like a tray of samples, as opposed to a full, satisfying, meal. Schrader being a bit more restrained than usual ends up working against himself, especially when he is still keen to dissect guilt, the masks that people wear, and just how often no good deed goes unpunished.
5/10
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