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Woody Harrelson as Carter Page III prepares for action (above right) with Kristin Scott Thomas |
Bored escort struggles to get out of first gear
THE WALKER
Directed by Paul Schrader
Certificate 15
HANDSOME, erudite Carter Page III is an urbane society “walker” in Washington whose job is to squire women of a certain age to charity functions and glitzy parties because their wealthy husbands can’t be bothered.
Like most walkers (we are informed) he is gay, no threat to the marriages – and he knows all the gossip in town.
“I’m the gay weather-vane,” he confirms, sniffing the breeze of delicious scandal. Sample: “I gather she’s marrying a prince – well, she’s kissed a lot of frogs!”
We first meet Carter (Woody Harrelson) playing bridge with three of the ladies on his personal leash (Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin) at a private club, indulging in bitchy conversation, and generally proving himself as indispensable to their lives as they are to his. But when he gets home alone, the flowing hair turns out to be a wig, as artificial as the rest of his life.
His social career takes a turn for the worse when one of the husbands, a senator, is found murdered – and he is in the frame as chief suspect. As the net closes, he becomes ever more desperate to prove his innocence, while protecting the victim’s wife – who happens to be one of his personal “ladies”.
Writer-director Paul Schrader starts off confidently, but the film eventually slows down to sleep-walking pace, reflected by one character who says: “I’m so bored I can feel my hair growing.”
You said it, friend! |
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