Is Taken 3's January 2015 release date too far away for ya?? Fret not, get your Liam Neeson fix here with this solid thriller!!!
Taken, Unknown, Non Stop and
now with A Walk Among the Tombstones, it looks almost as if Liam Neeson can do
no wrong these days.
Neeson plays recovering
alcoholic and private investigator Matthew Scudder. From the long running series of stories by
celebrated American Grand Master crime author Lawrence Block, this is the
second time Scudder has been brought to the big screen. The first time was in the 1986 vehicle, 8
Million Ways to Die starring Jeff Bridges in the title role. Although I’m not personally familiar with the
books or the 1986 movie, fans seem to agree that this newer movie is much more
faithful to the source material.
A Walk Among the Tombstones
was originally due to go into production with Harrison Ford as Scudder in 2002
but the plans fell through.
Finally the project started
to move forward again in 2012-2013 with Neeson in the title role. Block himself gave his approval and has been
quoted as saying Neeson would probably be his top choice to play Scudder. After watching the movie, it’s easy to see
why.
This is a solid thriller from
start to finish and serves to remind us that Neeson is a damn fine actor. Though there are shades of Bill Marks (Non
Stop), however, Scudder is indeed a much more compelling and nuanced character.
Scudder reluctantly accepts
the call to investigate a grizzly murder, evidently feeling out of his
depth. We follow him as he pieces
together the details and figures out whodunit all the while conscious that he
must be quick before anyone else falls victim to our bad guys.
This is a well-crafted and
pretty gruesome crime thriller. The
subject matter of women being murdered is undeniably pretty heavy but it’s done
very stylistically so that the dread and gruesome acts are more implied than
actually shown on screen.
Performances are solid and
although this may not have the replay value of Neeson’s other recent efforts,
it makes for excellent Sunday evening viewing and is comparable to classics
such as Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.
My only caveat may be that if
you’re expecting an all out action flick like Taken, then you may be
disappointed. A Walk Among the
Tombstones is firmly a crime detective thriller first and foremost and action
movie second.
It’s great to see Nesson in a
more cerebral role. Here’s hoping Neeson
will be returning as Scudder (and hopefully Bill Marks) soon.
Check it out!
Rating 4 out of 5
Bobby
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