‘A Walk Among The Tombstones’ Review

By Josef Rodriguez.

Approaching Liam Neeson’s recent body of work requires a suspension of disbelief and willingness to “go with the flow” that seems to have lost a place in our era of self-serious action epics. From “Taken” to this year’s “Non-Stop,” Neeson has proved himself a capable, middle-aged bad ass with admittedly mixed results, ranging from the unbearably hammy “Taken 2” to the stunningly introspective and thoughtful “The Grey.” In “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” Neeson takes on what may be his grittiest role yet as a hard-drinking, trigger-happy cop who decides to sober up and quit the force after an encounter with three robbers in Washington Heights.

Eight years later, retired detective Matt Scudder (Neeson) works as a PI, attending weekly AA meetings with a host of other recovering addicts, including Howie (Eric Nelsen), who requires Scudder’s services to help his brother Kenny (Dan Stevens), a drug trafficker whose wife has been murdered by two unknown assailants. Reluctantly, Scudder agrees, investigating the areas where Kenny’s wife, as well as two other women who met a similar fate, was last seen. Along the way, Scudder meets TJ (Brian Bradley), a homeless teen and aspiring detective who begs Scudder for the chance to do some real police work.

“Tombstones” director Scott Frank has spent the last two decades writing for some of the most acclaimed directors in Hollywood, so it makes sense that his sophomore feature, which he also wrote, is, in spirit, very similar to a classic Hollywood detective story. For better or worse, “A Walk Among the Tombstones” is an effective throwback to the gritty detective novels and films of yesteryear; it’s the kind of film that just isn’t made anymore, and it’s all the more effective due to affecting performances from Liam Neeson and a nearly unrecognizable Dan Stevens, who’s been absolutely dominating the screen on PBS’ “Downton Abbey” and Adam Wingard’s “The Guest.”

Frank’s film benefits from its gritty aesthetic, but the characterization and plotting are where the film impresses most. Drafting a cast of characters you wouldn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole, “Tombstones” is a true underworld story, pitting a drug trafficker against a pair of psychopathic murderers, both doing their bidding through a disgraced cop. The story in “Tombstones” is not one of good vs. evil, but bad vs. worse, and Frank does right by not attempting to unnecessarily moralize his characters. The film features some agreeably hammy dialogue, and the combination of its morose tone with some truly ridiculous lines works way more than it probably should.

“Tombstones” is also unique in that it seems to replace seemingly requisite action sequences with some inventive, dialogue-driven scenes that end up being far more powerful than pulling a trigger. Even the film’s action-oriented third act is constantly interrupted by narration, a suitable amount of character work, and some necessarily gruesome imagery. Director Scott Frank has a firm grasp on the saying, “there are no clean getaways,” and it couldn’t be more true here. When Frank offers insights into the minds of the film’s two killers, which prove to be the most compelling scenes in the entire film, one gets the sense that he has no interest in admonishing his characters, only in exposing them.

Unfortunately, “Tombstones” does succumb to the 2nd act slump that plagues many mainstream Hollywood films. The obligatory investigatory scenes are poorly staged, poorly acted, and entirely unnecessary, especially when they’re held up against the undeniably superior bookends that are the first and final thirds. However, once Scudder begins tracking his first lead, the film re-establishes the pace that made its first 30 minutes so good.

“A Walk Among the Tombstones” should be the origin film for a new detective franchise, and Neeson is more than capable of doing the job, but there’s probably a reason Hollywood isn’t churning out these types of films left and right. Audiences aren’t craving the thrills that films like this are offering, and, unfortunately, that means we probably won’t get to see another Scudder film for quite a while.

“A Walk Among The Tombstones” is now playing in theaters nationwide.