Walker

A compelling and original biopic/character study that gets dragged down by some major flaws.  Primarily the kooky self-awareness, especially in the deliberate anachronisms (see also: Marie Antoinette).  A clever idea for the time, perhaps, but too much of a “look at me!” move.  Secondly, the heavy-handedness of its political message is too much to swallow.  And I was disappointed by Ed Harris.  At first he does an excellent job, but at some point it just switches into this blank-eyed madman stare.  Yeah, I get it, he got delusional and drunk with power.  Some modulation in the performance would still be nice.  On the plus side, it IS a unique film, never boring and even has some funny moments (and a couple of failed attempts at humor).  Joe Strummer’s score is superb.  Most exciting for me was an itsy-bitsy role for Richard Edlund, an overlooked character actor who I always find fascinating.  It actually made me want to watch Strangers in Paradise again, something I never thought would happen.  Rating: 6

IMDb