A Walk Among the Tombstones

This is a slow paced thriller, starring Liam Neeson who seems to be the new action star at the moment. An unlikely one and if you've seen Taken 3, you just hope they won't put him into to many foot chase scenes from here on out (or cut them better together). But it's not only about him, it's about other characters as well. Many on the wrong side of the law (obviously), but still not the real bad guys here.

The action scenes are little and come from time to time, this is more about telling a story (though there is not much to tell if you really think about it). There is tension and a lot of characters to keep track of on the other hand. It's nicely paced if you like your thrillers to take their time, if not you'll be bored from time to time.

A Walk Among the Tombstones tells a pretty basic detective story. It doesn't necessarily offer us anything new, and that truly is the case here: it's just another episode of a private detective. Even with all of the twisted scenarios, there isn't anything else big or even daring to the picture. While some might be bothered with its lack of innovation, fans of these types of mystery films would still have the pleasure. It has been kind of rare to have such crime thrillers like this in cinemas today, and by its simplicity in storytelling, it sure does deliver things right. What matters to the experience in the end is it's a finely crafted piece of noir that nearly glosses over to the fact that it's just a relic, but a pretty decent one.

The film follows the classic roots of the genre, you won't find any sort of uniqueness around the storyline, but how it constructed each of its sequences still manage to be charming at the beginning and gripping along the way. It just lets the detective walk from one place to another to find clues and unfold questions. But it never lacks the tension, the film places its coldness to buildup an atmosphere that brings uncertainty to the fate of the investigation. The best thing about it is it's simple. It doesn't bother adding some mind-blowing or ridiculous twists, it just digs within a world where some evil can be found in any street. Settling with the characters is as well one of its finest moments, they may not have the most original arcs, but it is undeniably entertaining when it lingers to them.

The direction is predictably slick, and it totally benefits by it for making every scene of bleakness and violence emotionally effective. People shouldn't take for granted its decent camera-work that sharply displays its vital points. It gets even better when explores around its main man: Liam Neeson is now commonly used as an action hero, but here the film rather uses the better side of that reputation which is keeping the audience feel that he is a dangerous man to deal with, even without revealing much of the fists and gunpoint, it's still a totally compelling depiction of his character's cold, brooding personality.

My personal enjoyment to the film is how refreshing to see a mystery film this straightforward and unpretentiously dark in modern cinema. I mean I might as well seen one in any crime television series running today, but it's a lot fascinating to witness it in this form, plus a tone this gritty, a style so clever, and a performance from its main star that makes it more interesting. Again, you won't find anything groundbreaking to the film, but leaving that thought behind would make you realize that it is still a terrifically put together, unpredictably told crime thriller. And I bet that's already enough for this sort of entertainment.

... is that, long before Neeson became Hollywood's most late-blooming action hero, he was an actor.

A-C-T-O-R

And a pretty good one at that.

And that is what makes this film a lot better than the other reviews would have you believe.

Yes, I confess, a guilty pleasure, I loved TAKEN. But movies like TAKEN are a crapshoot, a gamble, a party trick where you are constantly trying to find something new and different to resonate with the audience, to make up for the fact that there is little substance to the project. (As was proved by TAKEN 2, one of the worst movies I have ever seen, with some of the most glaring editing mistakes).

Here we go old school. Written by one of the best writers of the last century and directed by Scott Frank, a man who certainly knows how to frame a scene for mood and impact. (At the half way point, a girl in a red hood crosses the street in front of the villains. The scene should not have memorable, but Frank makes it so).

An "old school" classic. Three quarters of a century ago, even Bogey would have taken this part. And been the better for it.

Young "Astro" who plays the ghetto-smart TJ steals all his scenes and, for those with a good ear, even channels the speech patterns of Will Smith, from any movie Smith ever appeared in. This kid has a future.

A well produced film about an ex-drunk Investigator callled Scudder : Liam Neeson , who becomes involved into a twisted criminal case while he is going to discover the killers . Liam Neeson plays an ex-cop with alcohol problems and dark past who has to confront dangerous enemies to save himself and his young friend , a fourteen year-old street kid . As he's hired by a drug lord : Dan Stevens , that's why he's initially reluctant to investigate the assigned case , but then he changes the mind and carries out the hard investigation. He discovers several pieces of a puzzle and Scudder has to solve who is the killer and whom goes to murder . Soon after, he finds that the murderers have killed other women connected to drug dealers and they get their files from the DEA. Lives are on the line ! . People are afraid of all the wrong things . His life on the line ! .

Thrilling and nail-biting movie with noisy action , shootouts , spectacular scenes , fights , violence and amazing finale . From start to finish the fractic action , twists and turns are continuous . As always , Liam Neeson is very good as the ex-cop and private eye who is caught-up in a risked investigation with fateful consequences . Liam playing in his usual style as Private investigator Matthew Scudder who is hired by a drug kingpin well played by Dan Stevens to find out who abducted and killed his wife. Neeson at his best , returning to high-profile roles in 2010 with big-budget films with plenty of action and violence such as : Team A (2010), Unknown (2011), The Grey (2011), Battleship (2012) and Taken I and Taken 2 (2012) , Cold Pursuit (2019) and fiinally The Marksman (2021) . Liam is well accompanied by attractive secondaries , such as as Dan Stevens , Sebastian Roche , Boyd Holbrook , Brian Bradley, David Harbour , among others.

It packs atmospheric and some dark cinematography by Mihai Malaimare shot in New York , using steadicam, at times . The musician Rafael Rivera composes a moving and rousing musical score fitting perfectly to the frenetic action . The motion picture was well directed by Scott Frank. He's a notorious writer and director who has made some nice films . As his first feature directed Josph Gordon Levitt in The Lookout (2007). Scott Frank was nominated for the 2018 Emmy Award in the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special category for Godless (2017), but lost to William Bridges & Charlie Brooker for Black Mirror: USS Callister (2017). He wrote prestigious scripts as noir anthology, Fallen Angels (1993) and Frank also wrote the screenplay for Joanou's 1996 feature , Heaven's Prisoners(1996) . Rating : 7/10. Notable thriller , well worth watching . The flick will appeal to thriller enthusiasts . Essential and indispensable watching for Liam Neeson fans.

Greetings again from the darkness. Welcome to the annual off-season gift from Liam Neeson. Seemingly every year, he provides us with a February or September release that requires his particular set of tough guy skills. This time, he plays Matthew Scudder - of the popular Lawrence Block crime novel series (17 books).

Director Scott Frank (The Lookout) works to create a 1970's feel, although the film opens up as a flashback to 1991, and quickly fast forwards to 1999 NYC. There are no shortage of clichés here, but nothing is over the top; and the bleak, somber, usually rainy setting establishes the tone that fits with "unlicensed" private detective Scudder's preferred method of living and detecting.

Of course, Scudder is a recovering alcoholic and former cop, with a tragic, careless incident on his record and conscience. The film is so ever-bleak, that the moments of humor ... though often awkward and out of place ... are quite welcome. The only shining light of innocence comes courtesy of a sharp homeless kid named TJ, played by Brian "Astro" Bradley. TJ is a Philip Marlowe wannabe, and quickly assumes the role of Scudder's partner/intern/IT Department.

Bad guys are everywhere. Even the serial killers (David Harbour, Adam David Thompson) target the family members of criminals, so as to minimize the involvement of the proper authorities. As an improper authority, we can't ask for better than Liam Neeson. He works for "favors", not a paycheck.

Other support work comes courtesy of Dan Stephens ("Downton Abbey"), Boyd Holbrook, and creepy cemetery groundskeeper (is there another type?) Olafur Darri Olafsson, who creates yet another memorable character with limited screen time (see "True Detective").

Mr. Neeson gets plenty of telephone action, which plays right into the strength of Taken, and it's pretty amazing how much WALKING he does throughout the story. He looks great walking in his duster, but it seems a bicycle would be more efficient ... though admittedly, much less daunting. As a whole, though the movie is probably a bit familiar, it's the little details and the powerful Liam Neeson that makes it a welcome late summer release.