• New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Alex Cox
• Audio commentary by Cox and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer
• Dispatches from Nicaragua, an original documentary about the filming of Walker
• On Moviemaking and the Revolution, reminiscences twenty years later from an extra on the film
• The Immortals: behind-the-scenes photos
• PLUS: A booklet featuring writings by film critic Graham Fuller, Wurlitzer, and Linda Sandoval

About the Transfer: Walker is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. Approved by director Alex Cox, this new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2k from a 35 mm interpositive, made from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 was encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included.

Sound: A fancier soundtrack than the basic mono could have probably added even more depth to the audio, but as it is, it still sounds really good. Joe Strummer's music has a lot of nuance to it, and as it plays through most of the movie, the balance between the score, the dialogue, and the sound effects is spot-on.

Subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired are also available.

Extras: Walker is packaged in the new Criterion standard of a clear plastic case, with a cover printed on both sides. There is a 44-page booklet included, full of awesome behind-the-scenes photographs, chapter listings, credits, supplemental essays by Graham Fuller and Linda Sandoval, and a reprint of Rudy Wurlitzer's original introduction to the printed screenplay, a collage of his own thoughts alongside musings by other members of the production and excerpts from historical records. The whole design of this release is fantastic.

Two supplemental galleries on the DVD show the more standard behind-the-scenes photographs and also continuity Polaroids, many of which are also featured in the interior booklet.

Of the handful of extras, there are two substantial features and a few shorter selections. The first of the longer ones is the full-length audio commentary with director Alex Cox and writer Rudy Wurlitzer. It's a captivating conversation between two very opinionated people who are on the same page and excited by their ideas. The genesis of the project, the intentions of the creators, and the way things take on a life of their own once cameras roll all get coverage, as does the hindsight of current events that lends credence to their central thesis that history is a cycle of repeated mistakes.

The second longer feature is "Dispatches from Nicaragua," just over fifty minutes of documentary footage shot by Terry Schwartz during the making of Walker that has been edited together for the first time. The comprehensive documentary covers all aspects of production, has interviews from on-set in Nicaragua, and also gives some historical perspective for the both the time period of the film's story and the time period in which it was made. It's quite good, and even features footage of scenes being shot that didn't make the final cut of the movie. The sequences away from the film set, showing the local political protest against the American invasion, are particularly poignant, as is the final scene of a man who lost his son to the war appealing to the camera. More amusing is the Nicaraguan Minster of the Interior hijacking a second-unit to interject his own direction. Also, fans of Joe Strummer will enjoy his colorful commentary and hamming for the camera.

"On Moviemaking and the Revolution" is a short (about fifteen minutes) audio monologue of an extra on the film reminiscing about being a part of shooting Walker. It's odd that this was presented without any video to go with it, as the speaker is watching the movie and referring to specific things that we can't see, including pointing out where he is in the crowd. It's entertaining, though his manner of speaking is a bit showy.

Though listed on the back cover, the six-minute "Cox on Walker's Reviews" is set-up like an Easter Egg. Keep moving your arrow key down on the main menu until the "A" in Walker is illuminated. Hit "OK" for a new film of Alex Cox reading through the clip file and dismissing the vitriol leveled at his movie in 1987.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The release of the Walker - Criterion Collection DVD is a chance to fix the maligned reputation of a dangerously funny, violent political satire that didn't get its due in 1987. Alex Cox's anarchic portrayal of the cyclical nature of America's aggressive policies in Nicaragua is a blistering indictment of our country's lingering sense of Manifest Destiny. Watching it brings some laughs, a few shudders, and more than one "what the--?" moment. It's not perfect, but its heart is in the right place, and the constant forward movement of the story means you don't really have time to get bored with it. Recommended. An excellent package that builds on the original intent of a rebellious movie.