This was one of the movies that I made time for, and I actually moved around some stuff in my calendar just so I could see it on a weekday (movie days are usually on weekends).  That’s how much I love watching Liam Neeson kick ass, no matter how unrealistic or unlikely the plot is.  It’s just believable when he’s the one doing the ass-kicking and I for one am all for him milking this particular genre for all it’s worth.  You go, Liam Neeson!

Here’s the round-up of Scott Frank (The Lookout and screenplay writer for The Wolverine, Marley & Me, among other things)’s adaptation of Lawrence Block’s A Walk Among the Tombstones.

Please note that there may be spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

THE STORY:

The world is at the cusps of entering the new millenium but ex-cop Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson – The Lego Movie) is not the least bit excited.  In between leading an alcohol-free life, attending AA meetings, doing shady private investigator work on the side and getting over some major guilt over a little girl he accidentally killed while drunk on the job almost a decade ago, he finds very little to celebrate.  When Howie Kristo (Eric Nelsen – Epic), a junkie from one of his meetings offer him a job to find the killers of his brother Kenny (Dan Stevens – The Fifth Estate)’s wife, Scudder refuses because Kenny is a drug pusher.  It isn’t until Kenny tells him that he paid four hundred thousand dollars to get his wife back only to be given the run around and the remains of his wife butchered to pieces in an abandoned car.  Scudder takes on the job out of pity and, with the help of a street urchin he met in the library named TJ (Astro – Earth to Echo), he uncovers a pattern of violent hate crimes committed to the significant women of the drug dealers in town.  When the daughter of a pimp, mini-mafia mobster becomes the next target, Scudder scrambles to find and catch the crazy fucks before it’s too late.

THE GOOD:

1. Liam Neeson.  Duh.  I probably will never get tired of watching him in these type of roles because even though he’s obviously being grossly underused, it is glaringly obvious as well that he’s having fun.  The role is a bit two-dimensional, with the whole guilt back story but damned if there were scenes that only Liam Neeson can make believable.  Okay, so there’s this one scene in the movie where the phone rings and the father of the kidnapped girl answers it, immediately begging the kidnappers to let his daughter go.  But Liam Neeson’s Scudder grabs the phone and tells the kidnapper to give them proof that the girl is still alive or there’s no deal.  Then he hangs up.  He fucking hangs up.  How bad ass was that?  I don’t think any other actor can pull that off.
   
2. The movie very much felt like a novel.  From the way the characters were introduced, to how the clues were unfurled, to the very culmination of the mystery.  It was almost as if I was reading the book myself.  Kudos to the screenplay writer for translating the story so well.
   
3. Dan Stevens.  It’s very difficult to go toe-to-toe with and actor like Liam Neeson’s caliber but Dan Stevens was able to pull it off.  One can probably even say that this was his movie as much as Liam Neeson’s.
   
4. David Harbour as Ray.  Because of this role, he probably will be typecast as one creepy motherfucker forever.  There is a charm about him though, that makes everything he’s done almost palatable.
   
5. The violence and gore.  I liked that while there weren’t a lot of blood onscreen, it’s very clear that the violence was still there.  There were close-ups of the torture instruments that lingered long enough for it to click inside your head what exactly they were for and body parts that peeked out of the plastic bags they were wrapped in to tickle your imagination.

THE BAD:

1. That ugly coat.  What is that even made of?  Curdoroy?  I get that it’s pre-Y2K chic but come on.  Also for some reason the length is offending to me.  Had that thing gone down to the knees then maybe it’s would’ve been a smidge more acceptable.
   
2. The relative lack of action.  Liam Neeson still kicked some ass, don’t get me wrong, but he didn’t do it for at least eighty percent of this movie.  If you’re looking for a flick where he just racks on the body count, this isn’t the one to see.

THE UGLY:

1. The anti-climactic climax.  It probably was how it went down in the novel, but wouldn’t it have been better to end it in the cemetery?  The whole giving Kenny the choice thing could’ve still worked in the setting, I think.

All in all A Walk Among the Tombstones was an enjoyable movie.  I certainly was surprised that they were able to roll out a story that smoothly; it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie that felt like reading a crime thriller, you know?  It also doesn’t hurt that the film makers got fantastic actors and were  able to get strong performances out of them.  Although, if you’re looking to watch a Liam Neeson rampage ala-Taken, you’d probably be disappointed.

THE VERDICT: 7/10.

*All photos are lifted from the film’s IMDB page.