Walker

In 1855 the American adventurer William Walker sailed to Nicaragua with a band of mercenaries and within two years declared himself president. That much is real; Alex Cox, rather than narrating history, mounts a display of anger. Anachronisms are deliberately placed in the scenes: a Zippo, a computer, a Time magazine cover, and finally a helicopter. The purpose is plain, since the film was made in 1987 and meant the American intervention in Nicaragua then under way. It was in fact shot in Nicaragua, under the Sandinista government. Ed Harris plays Walker without a trace of sympathy. Joe Strummer wrote the score. On release it was harshly rejected in the United States and ended Cox's studio career. Who it is for: viewers who like political cinema and films that break the rules formally. Who it is not for: anyone after historical accuracy, which the film deliberately wrecks.