REVIEW - A Walk Among The Tombstones

Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray is A Walk Among The Tombstones, a gritty yet stylish thriller that delivers thrills and spills by the bucketload.



The film begins with a flashback to 1991 and alcoholic detective Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) drinking in a bar. His afternoon tipple is soon disturbed by a murder-robbery and Scudder, quick to react, ends up killing two criminals and injuring another. This action-packed opening sequence sets the tone for the entire film, although certain details of this episode are left out until much later on.

Back in the present day (well, 1999), Scudder is now completely sober and retired. He still fights crime - just not officially and certainly not by the book. Attending regular therapy groups with heroin addict Peter Kristo (Boyd Holbrook), he is soon introduced to the latter’s brother who (rather ironically) is powerful drug lord, Kenny (Dan Stevens). Kenny’s wife was kidnapped and murdered and now he wants Scudder’s expertise to help him track down and get revenge on whoever did it. Initially reluctant, our protagonist eventually agrees after learning of all the grisly details.

Kenny Kristo: The drug lord widower pleads for Scudder's help

The film then takes off on a gripping rollercoaster of a ride, Scudder revisiting past cases and unearthing clues as to the identity of the culprits. Everything comes to a head in an exhilarating graveyard showdown that really is worth the wait.

Taking a quick glance over the synopsis could lead you to believe that this might be nothing more than a Taken re-hash. And, whilst it does have all of the classic Neeson ingredients (mainly a kidnapping of some description), this certainly isn’t the case. Where the Taken franchise has become clichéd and predictable, Tombstones does well to just about avoid straying down that path. Whilst the storyline isn’t exactly ground-breaking, there are enough twists and turns here to prevent it from becoming boring.

And, speaking of Neeson, he really is the star of this particular show. He plays the troubled “law enforcer” role down to a tee, his gruff style and delivery adding substance to a complex character, albeit one that we’ve seen a hundred times before. And, as always with Mr. Neeson, he seriously kicks ass too.

A shout-out is also necessary for Brian “Astro” Bradley, the young rapper (of American Idol fame) who plays the part of homeless boy, TJ. At times, his character does threaten to turn the film into a horrible buddy/odd-couple comedy as TJ persists in trying to be Scudder’s sidekick. However, the kid has a strong backstory and plenty of charisma, reining it all in just when it reaches the point of annoyance.

Scudder & TJ: New York's most formidable detective duo

 My main gripe with Tombstones are the bad guys themselves. Ray and Albert (David Harbour and Adam David Thompson) are suitably creepy as the murderous duo but, in the end, they’re both criminally underutilised. Ray plays the sadistic mouthpiece of the two and I would have appreciated more chilling dialogue from the pair, especially on his part. Ray and Scudder also have great chemistry together through a series of tense phone call stand-offs and a few more such scenes as they negotiated the release of the victims wouldn't have gone amiss.

 Albert & Ray: Taking a break from laundry to talk kidnapping

On top of this, the criminal partners are also revealed very early on, taking away all mystery and intrigue before it really gets going. We are given one promising red herring prior to their reveal but, unfortunately, that line ends almost as abruptly as it began.
It would have also been nice to investigate the thinking behind their serial kidnapping, perhaps delving into their history and piecing together the reasons as to why they do what they do. Sadly, the film goes no further than to suggest sexual gratification and, to be perfectly honest, it feels really, really lazy.

Despite this, “A Walk Among The Tombstones” is a solid Noir thriller that I would firmly recommend as a purchase or rental. It doesn’t exactly pull up any trees but there’s enough action and suspense here to keep the majority entertained.

4 stars out of 5