A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) Directed by Scott Frank. Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. IMDB says: “Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.”
A Walk Among the Tombstones is the latest film starring Liam Neeson. The film is being considered by a lot of folks to essentially be Taken 3, but the reality is that it is a totally different. The film places Liam in the role of a skilled police detective who chooses to leave the force after a shooting in the line of duty. The retired cop begins doing odd-jobs as a private investigator when he is contacted by a friend of a friend. This man contracts Neeson’s character to investigate the kidnapping and death of his wife in order to lead him to the killers.
This may sound on the surface like a Taken clone but the reality is, this is a far deeper film. Neeson’s character isn’t a secret agent or the archetypal protagonist. He is a flawed hero. A man working through his own struggles and personal demons, led by a moral compass that isn’t entirely pointing in the right direction. This role really shows us a side of Liam Neeson we haven’t seen in quite some time; his ability to play a deep character with several layers and a storied past. The acting is really world class from all involved with Neeson being the shining star.
The plot is well developed but perhaps too much so. The film is interspersed with personal moments in the main character’s life, giving more color to his personal battle. This brilliant exposition does cause the film to feel slow or bogged down at times. There are several great action sequences but they are mostly drowned out by the vast chunks of drama-building cinema. On the whole, I think we are left with an enjoyable film but not the kind of hard-hitting action flick that some may have been expecting.
Thinking about the set design and the mise-en-scene aspects, a few things stood out. The biggest thing by far is that the film is set in the 1990s. It’s almost strange to view the 90s as such a distant time that it would need mentioning but such is the case. This is a world where cell phones are none too common and computers are large immobile devices commonly found only in libraries. The shooting style compliments this, looking, at times, as though it were actually shot in the 1990s on an old film camera instead of the super high quality we have today. I think all of this adds to the drama in this film, taking you back to a place you remember but at the same time seems distant.
This isn’t a film you can watch over and over again, although I do think a second viewing for me is in order. Where the Taken films are fun movies that require little thought, this is a much deeper picture. It really does take devotion to watching this because there are so many layers at work. I believe the characters are, for the most part, relatable and I think that goes a long way. This is the sort of film you can really empathize with the protagonist as well as those he interacts with. It is definitely a film worthy of a watch but I don’t know that you need to necessarily see it in theaters. I honestly think it is better served by a home viewing.
OVERALL SCORE: 71%