Carter Page III(Woody Harrelson,out of his ordinary element and better than I think he believed he was),a product of Southern noblesse and high politics,has been living a comfortable,if perhaps lackluster and even(to greater or lesser degrees)disappointing lifestyle. Openly gay and a known quantity perhaps more for his famous name(his father was a governor;older generations were Virginia movers and shakers,slavers and whatnot)than for anything he's done or become,he glides through Washington D.C. society with relative ease,friendly with a number of senator's wives. He "walks" them to society benefits and social events,hence the title of the film.
When one of his friends(Kristin Scott-Thomas,icily cool as ever)leaves the scene of a murder,Car(as he's called)decides to cover for her. That turns out to be a mistake,as he instead attracts a loudly public investigation by a one-time family rival. Soon,the crime,no matter how much it seems to have nothing to do with him,still sucks him in,as he finds himself trying to cover for his lady friend AND cover his own behind,as well as protecting his boyfriend(Moritz Bliebtreu).
Some pretty notable supporting cast-mates(Lauren Bacall,Lily Tomlin,Ned Beatty and Willem DaFoe,in an inspired cameo)flesh out the rest of this story,which clocks about an hour forty but moves at a steady,unhurried pace. Writer-director Paul Schraeder purposefully makes this movie ENTIRELY a character sketch and builds story around that character,which is almost entirely Car Page. Harrelson's performance may look a little ill-fitting for a guy more known for more athletic,bravura roles(White men Can't Jump,Natural Born Killers,Kingpin,People vs. Larry Flynt,Zombieland come immediately to mind),but I think he still carries this off with remarkable poise and intelligence. The plot seems to dawdle some for something that is ostensibly pushed as a "thriller" or "suspense",but given the pedigree of this film and the material of the story,it's really neither incongruous nor disengaging.
Another film that went VERY quietly from theatrical to DVD shelf,people who don't care to know anything detail about or get involved in their movie's stories can stay away from this. For anyone else,this is worth a look.
When one of his friends(Kristin Scott-Thomas,icily cool as ever)leaves the scene of a murder,Car(as he's called)decides to cover for her. That turns out to be a mistake,as he instead attracts a loudly public investigation by a one-time family rival. Soon,the crime,no matter how much it seems to have nothing to do with him,still sucks him in,as he finds himself trying to cover for his lady friend AND cover his own behind,as well as protecting his boyfriend(Moritz Bliebtreu).
Some pretty notable supporting cast-mates(Lauren Bacall,Lily Tomlin,Ned Beatty and Willem DaFoe,in an inspired cameo)flesh out the rest of this story,which clocks about an hour forty but moves at a steady,unhurried pace. Writer-director Paul Schraeder purposefully makes this movie ENTIRELY a character sketch and builds story around that character,which is almost entirely Car Page. Harrelson's performance may look a little ill-fitting for a guy more known for more athletic,bravura roles(White men Can't Jump,Natural Born Killers,Kingpin,People vs. Larry Flynt,Zombieland come immediately to mind),but I think he still carries this off with remarkable poise and intelligence. The plot seems to dawdle some for something that is ostensibly pushed as a "thriller" or "suspense",but given the pedigree of this film and the material of the story,it's really neither incongruous nor disengaging.
Another film that went VERY quietly from theatrical to DVD shelf,people who don't care to know anything detail about or get involved in their movie's stories can stay away from this. For anyone else,this is worth a look.