HIDE AND SEEK - A FILM REVIEW OF "A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES"
It’s almost hard now to remember the Liam Neeson who existed before Taken, the 2008 Luc Besson scripted action thriller that rebooted a new career for the towering actor. Remember when he was a sweet, mourning father who wanted nothing best but the best for his son in Love, Actually? Or when he stepped into the shoes of “Prisoner 24601” sixteen years before Hugh Jackman did in Billie August’s non musical adaptation of Les Miserables? Or his powerful portrayals of Oskar Schindler or Michael Collins, or as a Delta Force member next to Chuck Norris in The Delta Force (okay, that last one is a joke, but you get the point)? Those days are behind us now, and now the Neeson that stands quite literally over us is the action hero we can all find comfort in. He’s a thinking man’s hero. And though many may miss the man of yesterday, I do love seeing Neeson crack some skulls like it’s his job. And it is. Here he is again in what they hope will be the beginning of a new franchise, A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES.
Neeson stars as Matthew Schudder, an NYPD detective with a penchant for multiple drinks, shaggy hair, and lethal force whenever necessary. At the beginning of the film we see Schudder trying to have a drink in a local hole in the wall when a man opens fire on the bartender. Schudder chases each of the kids down, both sides blindly gunning at each other down the street. He succeeds in taking down the bad guys, but something happened to him that day and we “flash forward” to 1999 (oh, Y2K references, how I’ve missed you) where he’s no longer a detective but a private investigator no longer in the mood for a drink. He’s often hired to do the things a man of the badge can’t do, and a drug dealer has now hired him to find the men responsible for his wife’s brutal kidnapping and death.
Director Scott Frank (The Lookout) skillfully slows down the action and lets the creepy story, well, creep along, keeping you hooked in from the very violent and bloody beginning. It may be a familiar story but it’s one told with a strong leading hand and great cinematography. Neeson is a rough and powerful figure here, quietly unspooling the mystery with each step. The strong supporting cast is led by the fantastic David Harbour as the creepiest of creeps and his silent, scheming partner Adam David Thompson. Brian “Astro” Bradley takes the role of a streetwise teen/sidekick and has a blast next to his towering co-star. Also very good is Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens (in a drastically different kind of role we’re used to seeing him in) and Boyd Holbrook as the junkie brother of the junkie dealer. The adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel may stir some fans up (bits of the plot are moved around and changed, even points from another novel is inserted here) but it’s a fine adaptation and one worthy of a new series of action films. We could do a lot worse than having Matthew Schudder as our new tormented action hero.
GRADE: B
Based on the novel by Lawrence Block Screenplay by Scott Frank Directed by Scott Frank Starring Liam Nieeson, David Harbour, Dan Stevens, Adam David Thompson, Brian “Astro” Bradley, Boyd Holbrook. Rated: R (Adult Language, Adult Situations, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity)
BOTTOM LINE: A strong start to a hopeful franchise. It’s a road many have traveled before, but does it here with style and grace.