A Walk Among the Tombstones: a Liam Neeson film with
a quality script. I enjoy Neeson’s acting but, generally speaking,
not the films he appears in. This time, however, Neeson is working
with a quality script and director, Scott Frank, who wrote the screenplay for Get
Shorty. The film is based on a novel by Lawrence Block and takes
place in 1999. Neeson’s character, Matt Scudder, is a former New
York city cop and a recovering alcoholic. Technically, Scudder is
not a private investigator because he never obtained a license. He
just does “favors” for people who, in turn, offer him “gifts”. In
the film, Scudder is approached by a prospective client, Kenny Kristo (Dan
Stevens), who asks that Scudder find the individual who kidnapped and killed
Kristo’s wife despite payment of the ransom. Because Kristo’s income
is related to drugs, he chooses not to go to the cops. Scudder discovers
that the kidnappers/killers have a prior history. Part of the drama
is finding out the killers’ connection to the DEA since it’s obvious they are
targeting drug dealers. Another
kidnapping occurs and the story’s details are further revealed along with the
reason why Scudder retired from the police force. Scudder does his
research at a library, a refreshing departure from today’s omnipresent
internet, and meets TJ (Brian Bradley), a teenager with artistic talents.
TJ provides a lightness to what is mostly a serious crime
story. Boyd Holbrook also gives a good performance as Kristo’s drug
addicted brother, Peter. There is onscreen violence. The
two bad dudes are truly evil, particularly Ray, played by David Harbour.
A lot happens during the film’s 113 minutes and, as with The Drop, if
you enjoy crime stories, you will be entertained.
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