Key to the closet

Washington is quite possibly the perfect setting for a tale of pretense and murder. By Michael Cieply

Paul Schrader is a maverick who left an indelible imprint on Hollywood in the ’70s and ’80s with his scripts for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ. He also wrote and directed American Gigolo, a movie that shares a similar theme to his latest offering, The Walker.

It’s an intriguing murder thriller in which sexual and political hypocrisy are key factors.

“A walker” is insider slang for an attractive, affluent gay man who is always available to walk the rich and famous women of Washington down the red carpets.

Because he is known to be gay there can be no scandal, but as an intimate friend of all these influential women, he knows all the secrets of the rich and politically powerful.

Woody Harrelson plays Carter Page, a minor celebrity, who is targeted as a suspect in a murder case because he is shielding the reputation of a politician’s wife.

 Key to the closet
The Times, South Africa