DVD Movie Review - A Walk Among the Tombstones

A Walk Among the Tombstones releases Neeson from his shoehorned character of Taken and allows the story to become first priority, instead of whose face is getting punched next.

STORY:

Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) is an unlicensed private eye that is currently having a tough time eating as no one will ever leave him alone while he's ingesting food.  During a nice quiet meal, Peter (Boyd Holbrook), a fellow Alcoholics Anonymous member, talks Scudder into meeting his brother, Kenny.  Kenny (Dan Stevens) needs Scudder to find out who kidnapped his wife.  After some debating, Scudder finally agrees and what seemed like a small case turns into a massive search for mystery killers.  Muted rape scenes, crime procedures, pigeons, phone threats (yes, just like Taken), numerous questions, and a Dexter-lookalike ensue.

"So I was wondering if--"

"Shhh...do you not see the plate of food sitting in front of me?"

"Yeah, I--"

"Shhh...one more word and I'll beat you to death with this salt shaker." 

THOUGHTS:

If you see A Walk Among the Tombstones and are renting it because you're looking forward to watching Neeson break arms, stab baddies in the face, deliver death threats over a phone, and rescue his wife or daughter, you're going to have a bad time.  Only one of those things actually happens in the film.  See Matt Scudder is just a regular Joe who knows a little bit about tracking down killers because he used to be a cop.  He knows a tiny bit about punching guys in the face and he knows a smidgen about shooting a gun.  Matt is definitely not a one man wrecking ball with revenge on his mind.  He's a broken man (ex-alcoholic) looking for a slice of redemption.  On the flip side, if you're tired of watching Neeson play the same role from Taken 1 through 15, plus Non-Stop, then you'll be pleasantly surprised by this film.

"Are you saying there's no action?"  Not at all.  It's there…but only as bookends to the two hour movie.  You'll get a little in the beginning and a little more at the climax.  So A Walk Among the Tombstones is exactly that: a walk among dead bodies.  There's no running away from angry bullets or speeding car chases to catch the bad guys.  Matt Scudder walks.  He walks to get food.  He walks to witnesses to ask questions.  He walks to AA meetings.  It's what he does.  And along the way is a fantastic story involving drugs, money, and psychotic killers.

"Shhh...you've seen Taken, right?"

"Yeah, everyone's seen--"

"Good, then you know I'm capable of picking up that tombstone, right there, and beating you to death with it?"

"I thought you just wanted the time?"

"So what's the film's true genre?"  The genre of the film lies more in suspense and mystery than in action.  If you've seen any of the numerous cop dramas on TV, where the protagonist walks into a crime scene and then attempts to solve the murder by outwitting the antagonist, then you almost know the plot layout of the film.  But don't let that dissuade you from watching the movie.  The storyline has some twists and turns along the way and some truly great acting by Liam.  You'll slowly walk through the film with Matt Scudder as he systematically finds more and more clues to a case that ultimately ends up becoming too much for him to handle.  If you're a fan of any old hard-boiled novels by Dashiell Hammet or Raymond Chandler (which are referenced in the movie), then you'll be right at home with A Walk Among the Tombstones.  Matt Scudder is a smug private eye that uses his wits more than his brawn to get what he needs.  But if circumstances call for it, he will punch out someone's lights.

"...and there will be a reward for--"

"Shhh...sometimes I enjoy a little air-piano before I break someone's nose."

"Have you been listening to a word--"

"Shhh...watch this solo."

THE ACTING:

Liam Neeson has had plenty of practice as the rough rogue type, looking to do things his way, instead of abiding by the laws.  So the role of Matt Scudder comes effortlessly for him.  Neeson comfortably switches between the intelligent, tough, or arrogant private eye throughout the entire movie.  In fact, Neeson is absolutely perfect for the role.  It's just too bad that can't be said about everyone.  Dan Stevens plays Kenny Kristo, the man that hires Scudder to find his wife's kidnappers.  Throughout the movie, his emotions should be all over the map: anger, sad, scared, nervous, and upset.  Instead, there must have been something exquisite on the floor, because Stevens spends most of his time holding the same confused squint, while avoiding eye contact with anyone.  Boyd Holbrook plays the drugged-out Peter Kristo accurately, and Brian Bradley fills the humorous support role of TJ when the story calls for it.  Now, all the women in the film, including Laura Birn and Razane Jammal (girlfriend and wife respectively) spend their time as victims, either getting tied up or thrown into vans.  And that leaves our kidnappers.  David Harbour creeps in every scene as the quiet but deadly, Ray, while Adam David Thompson plays Albert, the talkative Dexter lookalike…except he has no redeeming qualities like the famous Michael C. Hall character.  Unfortunately though, the kidnappers end up a little one dimensional and become nothing but a roadblock for Scudder, but that's alright because the film is more about one man's redemption, than about kidnappers.

"Please!  You need to help me!  I've run out of facial expressions and I 

need--hello...hello...Liam are you still there?"

CONCLUSION:

A Walk Among the Tombstones maintains an old hard-boiled feel while building suspense and mystery up until the end.  Liam Neeson delivers a fresh character, purposely brushing the Taken stereotype aside.  The antagonists are paper thin and seem more of a side note in the film's overall plot, but with fantastic acting from the leading man, an excellent mystery, and a story that touches on redemption and friendship, A Walk Among the Tombstones will still make any crime noir movie-lover happy.  If you're looking for more brutal killing and action-packed scenes with broken noses and twisted necks, this is not your movie.  But if you like Liam Neeson and need something fresh and removed from the action stereotype, then A Walk Among the Tombstones should definitely be on your watch list.

4 out of 5 Stars (minus a star for slightly weak antagonists)