A Walk Among the Tombstones *** (2014, Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens) – Movie Review

Liam Neeson (aged 62) may be too Irish, and perhaps a shade too old too, to play Philip Marlowe, which he’d otherwise be ideal for. But he’s found a decent substitute in private investigator Matthew ‘Matt’ Scudder, who here in a classic detective fiction scenario, is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.

Murder and mayhem follow in classic hardboiled style, as fans of this kind of neo-noir movie are well taken care of. Writer-director Scott Frank makes a capable job of the directing and a decent job of drafting the screenplay, adapting Lawrence Block‘s novel.

Britain’s Dan Stevens (as Kenny Kristo), Eric Nelsen and David Harbour co-star, but it’s Neeson’s show all the way, and he’s in best Taken mode, brilliantly credible as a strong, tough, stalwart hero. He must get up every morning  really be thanking that 2008 movie for regenerating his career.

Brisk, fast-moving and without frills, surprises or pretentions, A Walk Among the Tombstones has B-movie film noir written all over it, but that’s a good thing. Taken was the same. As you’d expect withy this title, it’s a tough thriller, with strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity. It takes itself plenty seriously, but that’s a good thing, too. If Neeson wants to start a Matt Scudder franchise, that would be very welcome.

Scott Frank is a writer, known for Malice (1993), Minority Report (2002), Marley & Me (2008) and The Wolverine (2013). This is his second movie as director after the excellent The Lookout in 2007.

This marks the second movie appearance of Matt Scudder, who was first played by Jeff Bridges in the flop 1986 thriller 8 Million Ways to Die.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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