A Walk Among the Tombstones

Starring: Liam Neeson, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Stevens, Brian "Astro" Bradley, Mark Consuelos
Directed by: Scott Frank
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A private investigator (Liam Neeson) reluctantly investigates the murder of a drug dealer's wife and soon discovers the murderers have killed many others in a similar fashion.

Review:

Tim: I'm scratching my head a bit on why I didn't enjoy A Walk Among the Tombstones more. It's certainly a decent movie and has some real strengths, but it just felt like it was never as effective as it could have been. It was fine, it held my attention for just under two hours, but it was never truly compelling. There might not have been any blatant flaws, but it's the subtle ones that ultimately prevent this film from getting close to its potential.

Liam Neeson has made a ton of movies in recent years and this one fits perfectly into his wheelhouse. That honestly might be some of the reason this film doesn't connect- it just feels like we've seen this so many times recently. Neeson plays a good guy with deadly skills who's moved on from his previous life, but gets pulled back in reluctantly. That describes quite a few of his recent efforts and there wasn't enough here to differentiate this one from the others. It just felt like we'd seen this movie before. His character is certainly cool on screen, but there's not enough character development to feel like we're really connected with him. He is a recovering alcoholic, a former cop, and is good with kids. However, the film never dives under the outer layers. I never felt like I truly understood his character. I liked him intellectually but never felt anything for him. I do give Neeson credit, even without much development for his character, Neeson is so good that you just love to watch him on screen. That is a major strength of this film.

The story is interesting, but not particularly original or memorable. You have two killers (I'm still not 100% clear on their background) who are killing women associated with drug dealers. Watching Neeson track them down is fairly entertaining, and there's some gritty, gruesome scenes to convey how sick and twisted these two are. As the movie progresses, you really hope justice is served. While interesting, though, it didn't pack as big of a punch as was needed. David Harbour did a very good job of being frightening in a psychopathic way, but his strong performance isn't quite enough. You really wanted more intense thrills.

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about the character of TJ. It did provide a nice change of pace to see Neeson befriend and mentor this down-on-his-luck teen, but his storyline never completely gelled with the rest of the film. It always felt out of place. The scenes with them together were very strong individually, but in the context of the rest of the film, didn't quite film. I give Brian 'Astro' Bradley credit for giving a good performance, but that subplot just felt off. It especially didn't make sense to involve some kid to the extent they do towards the end of the film. Maybe it made more sense in the novel, but it didn't quite work on screen.

Now, while these flaws are present, the movie moves along at a good pace and does hold your attention. I was never bored. The film is interesting and entertaining, but it just doesn't connect as strongly as it should have. Everything on screen is fine, but very little is truly great. I wasn't sorry I watched A Walk Among the Tombstones, but I'd hesitate before recommending it to others. If you like these kinds of movies, definitely check it out. I just hoped I would have liked it more than I did.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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