REVIEW: A Walk Among the Tombstones

Courtesy of Universal

Few actors have been able to change course in their careers as dramatically (and effectively, I should add) as Liam Neeson. The towering Irishman once known for his sobering work in films like Schindler’s List, Rob Roy and Michael Collins caught most moviegoers off guard when he suddenly became a badass action hero in 2008’s Taken. It’s not like starring in popcorn fare was unheard of for Neeson – he was in the wonderfully cheesy Darkman, after all – but most viewers have short attention spans.

For a while, the actor seemed to subscribe to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy of choosing roles. And who could blame him? If I was in my 50s and studios kept sending me armored trucks full of money to shoot guns and beat up bad guys, I’d probably star in Taken, The A-Team, Unknown, Taken 2 and Non-Stop as well.

Last weekend, however, we got the first hint that these roles might be having an adverse effect on Neeson’s career. The actor cashed in his box office clout to make the grim private investigation thriller A Walk Among the Tombstones, a throwback to his more serious work, only to see it perform sluggishly at the box office.

My guess is the film’s trailers, which made it look like yet another version of Neeson’s action star incarnation, sent a signal to viewers that it was more of the same. In actuality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The bleak thriller (based on a bestselling series of mystery novels by Lawrence Block) is about an unlicensed detective tracking down a pair of murderous kidnappers, and it’s distinctly different from Neeson’s recent output.

First, the main character mostly uses his brain instead of his fists, which is a nice change of pace. Second, and not nearly as welcome, is that almost every ounce of light and hope has been extinguished from the proceedings, replaced by a disturbing focus on sadistic violence – primarily against women.

The film opens with a quick prologue in 1991, when New York cop Matt Scudder (Neeson, sporting a hilariously bad wig and fake goatee) drunkenly dispatches a trio of robbers who murder the bartender at his favorite watering hole. Fast-forward to 1999 and Scudder is now a clean shaven P.I. who regularly attends AA meetings. He tells his fellow attendees that he got sober immediately after the robbery incident, but only the most gullible viewer will believe he’s sharing the whole story.

While eating at his favorite diner after a meeting, a junkie (Eric Nelsen) interrupts Scudder’s meal to ask for help. His brother, a drug trafficker named Kenny (Dan Stevens), is grieving because his wife was murdered by kidnappers (David Harbour and Adam David Thompson) who held her for ransom. After Kenny paid the money, they returned his wife in tiny pieces. Now Kenny and his junkie brother want Scudder to track down the kidnappers so they can exact revenge without getting the cops involved.

The former cop reluctantly takes the case, only to discover that Kenny’s wife isn’t the merciless killers’ first victim – they’ve executed this scheme several times before. Along the way, Scudder runs into a homeless teen (Brian “Astro” Bradley) who proves to be a big help with the case, teaching the P.I. how new technology can enhance classic gumshoe tricks.

Neeson is – by far – what makes A Walk Among the Tombstones worth a watch. It’s refreshing to see him put the “unstoppable force of destruction” persona on hold to play a flawed character who mostly wants to be left alone. It’s just that his conscience won’t let him shut out the tiny glimpses of goodness he infrequently encounters – as evidenced by his warm camaraderie with Bradley, a talented young actor with a promising future – while navigating a world of sickening brutality.

The film’s violence is what keeps me from giving it a wholehearted recommendation. It’s so disturbing that even a jaded critic like me found it unsettling. To be honest, it’s not even that graphic; it’s just that until the final 15 minutes or so, it’s directed solely at women. Every single female character is depicted as a victim, and it’s a trope I’ve grown tired of.

There is a multitude of other ways to prove how twisted the villains are, but writer-director Scott Frank goes straight for the torturing women angle. Heck, in one scene the bad guys even let a family’s dog live, when logic would suggest they’d need to kill it to get away with a particular kidnapping. To me, this proves that Frank believed moviegoers wouldn’t bat an eye at men who rape, torture, mutilate and murder a series of women, but killing a dog is crossing some kind of line.

The overall nastiness didn’t make A Walk Among the Tombstones unwatchable for me, but it could certainly have unpleasant effects on more squeamish viewers who walk into the theater unprepared. Do your research on this one before you buy a ticket, folks.

A Walk Among the Tombstones is rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.

Grade: B-