Walker

William Walker was a real guy in the mid 1800’s who believed strongly in forcing white (specifically American) values on people around the world.  He eventually came to Nicaragua where he took the damn place over by force and established himself as president in a rigged election.  But that only lasted a few years until he was ousted and brought back to the US.  He kept trying to go back to South America to establish these white colonies (called filibustering) but after a few more years shit finally caught up with him and he was executed in Honduras.

This picture focuses on the Nicaragua debacle where Walker seemed to have the most success, no matter how short lived.  Now while the plot is important this is all about just how the story is told.  Director Alex Cox (Sid and Nancy) went for an absurdist approach by turning the movie into a quasi-spoof.  This doesn’t really become apparent though until about half way when Walker commands his tiny army to sack a small Nicaraguan town.  He simply walks through all of the gunfire and chaos while not a spec of dirt or shrapnel touches him.  He even seems oblivious to what’s happening around him.  His men are being torn to shreds while he sits at a broken down piano singing a song.  But if anyone dares to run away Walker shoots him dead so he’s not completely in la la land.

Later in the movie anachronisms like a car, a Coke bottle, a computer and a helicopter show up.  I’m not sure if this shit has meaning.  Either way I think it’s supposed to be played for laughs because Cox claims he originally had a Blazing Saddles type picture in mind.  But what’s strange is the tone is pretty serious overall.  No one acknowledges the out of time items and they aren’t presented in funny ways generally.  So it only feels like the filmmakers are winking at the camera a few odd times rather than all the time.  And I think this confused most folks who saw it so the movie flopped.

But I have to say Ed Harris (The Abyss, Knightriders) plays the lead role in a superbly devious and committed manner.  He does such a good job of believing all of the seemingly high minded, but in actuality iron fisted, shit that he spews.  He plays it mostly straight never batting an eye at any of the strange shit that doesn’t really belong like handheld tape recorders.  But I also love his weird subtle comedy in this like when he giggles after eating some raw human flesh or his semi-goofy smile when he shows off that he made the cover of Time magazine.  Harris tends to go for leadership roles so this one fits very well where he needs to take over an entire country.  When it comes to Ed it all works.  It’s the stuff around him that needed to be a lot sillier in my opinion.

As a whole the experience is mixed.  There are flashes of brilliance like the siege on the small town and the film looks great visually.  But most of the anachronistic and crazier stuff happens in the last third of the film which throws the balance off a bit too much. 

Then there’s the message, ‘cause you better believe this is a message movie.  It’s unmistakable that this piece is strongly against imperialism and everything Walker stood for.  He was a destructive, hypocritical, egotistical and contentious figure that did a lot of harm to a lot of people.  So message received loud and clear. 

But what’s cool is the filmmakers had a pretty fascinating approach to the material by choosing to tell Walker’s most despicably infamous undertaking in not a straight up way.  I applaud them for that.  They did whatever the fuck they felt like doing and hoped for the best.  There aren’t enough mainstream movies like that.  This one’s not totally successful but I would recommend it if you’re looking for something with a helluva sideways bent to it.

(The trailer below does not represent the movie faithfully, it makes the thing seem deadly serious by not including any humorous bits whatsoever)