Plot
In 1853, soldier-of-fortune William Walker (Ed Harris) flees Mexico after a failed attempt to incite an armed insurrection. He is placed on trial by US officials, but wins acquittal on breaking the neutrality act. Walker believes in Manifest Destiny and has plans to marry and start a newspaper until his fianceé Ellen Martin (Marlee Matlin) dies of cholera. Financed by American multimillionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt (Peter Boyle), Walker and 60 mercenaries embark on a mission to overthrow Nicaragua, to secure Vanderbilt's rights over an overland shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific.
Walker and his corps score a bloody victory in Nicaragua and when the capital falls, Walker allows the president to stay in charge, but takes his mistress, Doña Yrena (Blanca Guerra). With increasing disruption in the country, Walker orders the president shot and assumes the presidency. From 1855 to 1857, his actions as president are manic and delusional with Walker antagonizing his financial backer, by revoking Vanderbilt's license to the overland trade route.
Nicaragua and its neighbors unite to rid themselves of the unwelcome dictator and they drive the despot out. Eventually his further forays into Central America lead to his capture and execution.
Read more about this topic: Walker (film)
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