A Walk Among The Tombstones ***

It’s Liam Neeson in his vigilante element again – for those who like him that way, tasked with saving the day and bringing rough justice to those who deserve it. Only this time, the lines of good and bad are very hazy indeed, designed to question our moral high ground. It’s a twisty, turny plot – possibly overdone – by Minority Report and The Wolverine writer Frank Scott who pens and directs here, based on a Lawrence Block novel of the same name.

Neeson is PI Matthew Scudder, a former NYPD cop since retired after a fatal shooting. Reluctantly, he is hired by drug kingpin Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) to find out who kidnapped and brutally murdered his wife. Scudder uncovers the culprits, as the two sides of the law blur unrecognisably.

It’s another Taken, basically, with Neeson the hired gun with a dubious past – something we are party to at the start, shot in a gritty 80s’ TV cop show style. However, just whom he has to align with to get justice for the innocent in this makes A Walk Among The Tombstones a little different from the shoot-em-up norm. It’s this that gives the film its unsettling feeling throughout. Indeed, our faith in Neeson in such a role gives us a little bit of an anchor and reassurance, as we know that whatever ugliness his character is exposed to, he’s not for changing. Neeson can do no wrong in such a role either, and as long as we never tired of him doing so, Tombstones ticks all the boxes.

However, it’s Downton Abbey’s Stevens who is quite captivating in their scenes together, initially because of the absence of an upper-class English twang (he’s American in this) and his steely, blue-eyed stare as the wounded drug lord. The actor totally plays against-type – even if you have seen the recent The Guest – which will surprise and excite fans of the actor’s full potential. The fact that this story goes a little bonkers at the end still doesn’t distract from a moody, menacing Stevens. It’s like watching the stiffness evaporate and a new actor being reborn. His performance is the only unique thing about Tombstones, though the rest is watchable enough with a decent amount of tension brewing at all times.

A Walk Among The Tombstones offers an intriguing, slow-burning crime mystery with a solid actor at the helm. Far darker in spirit that Neeson’s recent action roles, mindless violence is only used to enhance the nastiness of a situation – usually the serial killing moments. A good deal of the time, Neeson does his trademark, poker-faced pondering, with Scott devoting a little too much time to this when a slicker film could have been trimmed. Still, the film adequately plays with your mind and manages to keep your curiosity on track to deliver the final outcome.

3/5 stars

By @FilmGazer

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