A rather forgettable mystery bolstered by a remarkable lead performance and some good supporting performances, as well. The lead is played by Woody Harrelson, in my mind one of the most undervalued actors of his generation. He plays Carter Page III, a dandy fop in Washington D.C. who spends his life escorting the wives of politicians to parties and functions that their husbands don't wish to attend. He accompanies Kristin Scott Thomas to her lover's apartment one day, and she finds him there dead. Harrelson protects Thomas from getting involved, but entangles himself in the investigation. And when he and his lover (Moritz Bleibteu) begin investigating on their own, they open a whole new can of worms. To me, the mystery seems pretty half-baked. I think, even at the end, I only kind of understood why the man was murdered. Director Schraeder is far more interested in the character of Carter Page III, but even when he dives headlong into character development, it can feel forced. It's mostly only because of Harrelson that the film works at all. I'd recommend the film solely for his performance. Also in the cast are Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin and Ned Beatty, but none of them are given all that much to do. Besides Harrelson, Thomas and Bleibtreu provide fine work.

After hearing about her for years,I have this year being pleased to finally see Kristin Scott Thomas (KST!) in the stylish Neo-Noir Love Crime and the earthy Drama Leaving.Shortly after watching Leaving,I was intrigued to find that the BBC were going to show one of KST's English language movies,which led to me walking on by.

The plot:

As a photo of his tobacco farming granddaddy hangs above him, Carter Page III finds the only way that he can get near the power player in Washington is to be an escort to their wives.One of Page's main clients is Lynn Lockner,who has been having an affair with lobbyist Robbie Kononsberg (who gave Page bad advice on the stock market.) Going to pay him a visit,Lockner finds Kononsberg murdered. As Page tries to help Lockner keep the affair hidden,he begins to walk out of step with the elite.

View on the film:

Continuing on the major theme of his work,the screenplay by writer/director Paul Schrader walks with a Neo-Noir of the outsider looking in. Surrounded by the elite, Schrader makes Page a loner whose every feature from his hair to psychological intimacy is part of a façade for the client. Finding Kononsberg dead, Schrader splinters the Neo-Noir with cynical political shots over what power players will do to keep their piece of the pie.Keeping Page as an outsider, Schrader aims for a cerebral Noir.Whilst this approach does lead to the viewer feeling as detached from the high-life as Page,it causes the title itself to be caved in a blank,strung-out atmosphere,where the murder charge and the characters themselves are emotionless and paper thin.

Entering to the wonderful synch-Blues (!) score from Anne Dudley, Schrader and cinematographer Chris Seager swagger with a Neo-Noir style,lining Page's house in deep neon blue,and the crawling camera moves giving the film a dry Erotic Thriller mood.Burning up the riches of the elite, Schrader soaks the movie in a peculiar lime green that subtly expresses how rotten and mouldy the power they hold onto is. Refusing to do press for the flick due to hating his own performance, Woody Harrelson does lay on the Southern Charm a bit too thick,but does capture Page being a completely detached Noir loner on the scene.Adding a touch of Film Noir and Neo-Noir class, Lauren Bacall and Willem Dafoe give terrific, greasy performances as Natalie Van Miter and Larry Lockner,whilst the elegant KST smoothly threads the films cold pessimism with Lynn Lockner concern about becoming an outsider,as the walker walks away.

Carter Page III is charming, witty, and very gay. As such, he has become indispensable for a group of idle society ladies in Washington. Carter is descendant of an aristocratic Southern family, whose lineage goes way back in time, giving him the right to be among the rich and powerful in the nation's capital. He dabbles in fashion and gossip; he is the owner of an establishment where all the well connected ladies must go for their redecorating plans. They rely on Carter Page III for all the right chintz to cover their mansions.

When we first meet him, he is playing cards with three of his closest friends, Lynn, his favorite, Natalie, an older lady, and Abigail. All these women love Carter's repartee. After all, Carter is famous for his connections as well as his epigrams and wit. Lynn, in particular, seems to rely on Carter to be with her when she goes to her trysts. Carter loves the idea of being of service to such an important woman, who also happens to be a U.S. senator's wife.

The problem is the lover is dead in his apartment. Lynn, who has a lot at stake, must not be connected in any way to a scandal, let alone one in which sex is involved. Lynn realizes what she stands to lose right away; she never took into consideration the consequence of what she was doing. It is at this particular moment that she decides to drop Carter like a hot potato.

Carter, who had nothing to do with the murder, is a suspect. Never mind he is having an affair with a Turkish photographer and has nothing to do with Lynn's problem. Since his name circulates with the slaying, all the society friends avoid him like the plague. Let's face it, he was good while he was not connected in any way with the crime, but now, everyone turns his back on him.

Paul Schrader, who wrote and directed "The Walker", is a man with an uncanny gift for setting up a definite style in the movies. Proof of this was his "American Gigolo", which hasn't got anything to do with this film, but the viewer can finds traces of the former picture in this one in unexpected places.

Woody Harrelson's Carter is an amazing characterization for an actor that tends to select other kinds of roles for his movie appearances. He is the embodiment of a fastidious gay man about town that loves to escort the right kind of woman to all those opera galas and dinners which are avoided by the husband like the plague. He is perfect for the part.

Kristin Scott Thomas, an elegant actress, is also at her best in her take of Lynn, a politician's wife who cares more about her reputation in society at whatever expense. Lauren Bacall plays Natalie, a wise old woman who has seen too much of the behind scenes situations in Washington and the only one that shows sympathy toward Carter. Lily Tomlin is the last one of the initial group, a woman married to a powerful man who also abandons her friend. Ned Beatty plays Abigail's husband and William Dafoe is totally wasted as Lynn's husband.

The costumes by Nic Ede give the idea of the elegant world these people move in. James Merifield's production design gives us a taste for those places one rarely gets a chance to see. The cinematography is by Chris Seager who captures that world of opulence well.

Paul Schrader shows a talent for glorifying the banalities in that rarefied world of politics and money.