Walker is a film based on some true historical context as well as retelling the rise and fall of one of America’s first military fillibuster; William Walker. Before writing this blog I was curious about the history behind William Walker and from what I read it seemed the real Walker was a very well-educated man studying medicine and law in various institutions and then working as a newspaper editor and journalist. Walker was also advent duelist but it seemed he had no prior military education or experience in war. It regards to Walker’s belief in ‘Manifest destiny’ Walker already had goals and visions of establishing slave states and colonies in Latin America. Unlike the movie which suggests Walker was some virtue-driven hero who is out for adventure and saving the world. Also it seemed Walker acted on his own will to conquer Nicaragua rather then being asked by Cornelius Vanderbilt (as the movie suggests). Comparing to the real William Walker (who looked more of a gentleman/businessman type) to the action-hero Walker played by Ed Harris (known for playing strong serious masculine archetypes), its obvious the film ignores half the truth of historical accuracy and rather portrays Walker as a heroic character who falls from grace. The progression and the story of the film seems to focus more on Walker’s actions and connecting this with modern political events rather than exploring more on historical context and accuracy.

The anachronisms in the film such as the Newsweek magazines, cars, coke, and the helicopters all seem to try to convey and connect the events of Walker’s filibusting campaign to the American involvement of Nicaragua during the Contra Wars. It can’t be any more obvious the film is criticizing American interventionism and the concept of Manifest Destiny as a destructive idea. What was more interesting about this film was that it was filmed exactly in Nicaragua during the Contra Wars so the topic and the theme of the film was really in depth and I could guess that this brought a lot of shock and awe to the audiences. I think the direction and the idea of making a movie based on old history connecting to the current events of Nicaragua at that time was brilliant and well-thought of.

Overall the film conveys a strong political message in a creative and surrealistic manner. The mix of historical storyline with anachronisms and tying in modern events is what really made this film unique and enjoyable.