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WSR Detailed DVD Review
Walker, The


Genre: Thriller

Reviewed In Issue 133 (Jul/Aug 2008) Of Widescreen Review®

Stars:
Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Mortitz Bleibtreu, Mary Beth Hur & Lily Tomlin

WSR Review Scores
WSR Picture Rating: 3
DD Sound Rating: 3.5
DTS Sound Rating: NR
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score: 3
Internet Links


Special Features
Special features include the four-minute The Making Of The Walker featurette, the original theatrical trailer, and additional previews.


 DVD General Information

(Studio/Distributor): TH!NKFilm
(Catalog Number): TF-55725
(MPAA Rating): R
(Rating Reason):

Language, some violent materialn and nude images
(Retail Price): $27.98
(DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
(Widescreen Edition): Yes
(Full Screen Edition): No
(Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
(Running Time In Minutes): 108
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Regional Coding): 1
(Theatrical Year): 2006
(Theatrical Release): Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release): No
(DVD Release Date): 05/27/08
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

 Credits Information

(Director): Paul Schrader
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  DVD Picture Information

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  DVD Sound Information

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  WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Carter Page III (Harrelson) is the overtly gay son of a Virginia Senator who moves through the elite social circles of Washington D.C. as a paid escort to the middle-aged wives of the nation's political movers and shakers. Also known as The Walker for the practice of walking the well-connected ladies to social events, Carter escorts his favorite client, Lynn (Scott Thomas), to her weekly trysts with a powerful political lobbyist. When Lynn finds her lover dead in his apartment, Carter attempts to shield Lynn from the media intrusion that is sure to ensue, by informing the police that it is he that discovered the body. Now implicated in the murder, Carter becomes a social outcast and must find a way to clear his name without implicating one of his dearest friends and closest confidant.(Stacey Pendry)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD shows solid resolution, with compression artifacts rarely noticeable. The color scheme favors earthy tones of brown and red. The dim, washedout contrast and elevated black levels, combined with the desaturated color balance, delivers a flatter-than-normal sense of depth, but shadows are delineated well. Fleshtone definition is less than average, and edge enhancement can be recognized on high-contrast transitions. (Danny Richelieu)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack features dialogue that fits the sound design well, which is always audible and natural sounding. The low noise floor helps set the mood of the more quiescent scenes, and while deep bass is not a large part of the mix, bass definition is pleasant. The front stage is nicely mixed, with a good sense of phantom imaging, and while the surrounds are used sparingly, they occasionally are used to create a nice sense of dimensionality. But, the surrounds are used sparingly, which creates a distractingly dimensionless experience. The soundtrack does have its moments. (Danny Richelieu)