Walker: The Criterion Collection (DVD)

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This rhetoric should sound all-too familiar to you by now. There are scenes in "Walker" that play out so similarly to events in the Iraq war, they seem downright prescient. Walker explains that he is bringing democracy to the Nicaraguan people, and that he expects to march into Granada where he and his people will be greeted as liberators. Later, when his advisors tell him the country is falling apart around him, he accuses them of being traitors to freedom. It´s enough to send a shudder down your spine. It´s also a depressing reminder that there´s really nothing special about George W. Bush and his illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq. He is simply extending an imperialist policy that has formed the backbone of American foreign relations for more than a century. Today´s neo-cons are only the inbred descendents of William Walker with manifest destiny merely being repackaged as a fight against global terror.

A ferociously funny tale of megalomania and nation-building gone horribly wrong, "Walker" seems even fresher now than when it was released twenty years ago. The eclectic, driving score by the late, great Joe Strummer is just the cherry on top of the sundae. This is good stuff.

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This is yet another great digitally restored transfer from Criterion. What else is there to say?

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the English audio. Forced English subtitles support the Spanish audio.

Extras

For a single DVD, this Criterion release has some pretty good extras.

The digitally restored film is accompanied by a full-length commentary track with Alex Cox and Rudy Wurlitzer.

"Dispatches from Nicaragua" is a documentary (50 min) by Terry Schwartz. Schwartz shot over 30 hours of film on location in 1987, and just recently cut this documentary. The doc is heavy on behind-the-scenes footage, with a heavy dose of Joe Strummer. Shot on location in Nicaragua with the assistance of the Sandanistas, the production was quite a chaotic undertaking.

"On Moviemaking and the Revolution" is an audio monologue (12 min) by an extra in the film who provides his thoughts on Hollywood, the revolution, and everything. Or at least as much as you can fit into 12 minutes.

"The Immortals" section allows viewers to page through behind-the-scene stills and Polaroid photos from the set.

In what might be a Criterion first, an Easter egg provides access to a short feature (6 min) in which Cox discusses and dismisses the reviews "Walker" received in 1987. Just navigate down to the "A" in WALKER on the Main Menu to play this.

The insert booklet features pieces by critic Graham Fuller, actor and writer Linda Sandoval, and Rudy Wurlitzer.

Film Value

"Walker" provides a much-needed sense of perspective on the current administration. Though the war in Iraq may have been fought with an unprecedented degree of incompetence and lack of planning, it is merely a continuation of decades of American foreign policy. Bush-haters won´t want to believe this, but the new boss is pretty much the same as the old boss. "Walker" was crafted as a stinging rebuke to Reagan and his cronies, but Alex Cox´s film has accumulated a depressing sense of timelessness. Put "Walker" into whatever version of a DVD player you have twenty years from now, and it will probably seem just as spot-on then. Ah well, at least it´s a damned funny movie too.

Though "Walker" was made in 1987, it feels very much of a piece with the new documentary "War Made Easy, which I have also reviewed. I hope you will check that out too.