Liam Neeson is 62 years old, the same age than my dad. After the tragic and untimely death of his wife Natasha Richardson in 2009, he reinvested himself into a Clint Eastwood-like action hero revival spearheaded by the now iconic part of Bryan Mills, the righteous CIA dad with ubiquitous enemies. Since the runaway success of TAKEN, the Liam Neeson-kills-everyone movies have become a subgenre of exploitation in themselves and one could dismiss A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES too quickly, but it would be a mistake. It's a far more subtle, layered a complex movie that does justice to the Lawrence Block novels they're inspired from.
Matthew Scudder (Liam Neeson) is an ex-cop turned unlicensed private detective in New York, which means he's not actively looking for cases yet sometimes he helps people and gets compensated for his trouble (great tax scam). When a drug dealer named Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) contacts him through his deadbeat veteran brother (Boyd Holdbrook) in order to find the kidnappers and murderers of his late wife, Scudder finds himself facing a dilemma: will he help a scumbag exert vengeance on possible enemies pulling a ruthless power move, or is he actually helping clearing the streets of bigger scumbags?
Let's make this review an ''everything you wanted to know about A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES but were afraid to ask.''
Q1. Is Liam Neeson a good Scudder?
Yes, he's actually a great one. I've always pictured Matthew Scudder as this disincarnate voice, kind of like the spirit of the streets watching over the citizens of New York and going into the tiny, filthy cracks that the legal system can't reach.
Neeson gives him a human shape. Yeah, his iconic voice gets in the way sometimes, but it's all about the physical imperfections, the wear and tear of the cases, the weight of Scudder's silences and the aura of loneliness around him. Neeson gives a distinct shape to what's often found in between the lines.
Pictured above : iconic Scudder moment played beyond perfection.
Q2. Is it a Liam-Neeson-kills-everyone movie?
No, it's not. It's a full-fledged mystery, featuring a detective investigation, just like in the Lawrence Block novels. It's brutal at times and Neeson looks right at home when the bullets are flying and the faces are bleeding, but unlike gimmicky TAKEN, it's only one variable in a much bigger portrait. If you're a fan of the Matthew Scudder novels like I am, you'll appreciate how well A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES captures the atmosphere of solitude and alienation of the novels. I haven't read this particular one, but I could easily relate to the ones I read.
Q3. Should I go see it in theaters or should I wait for VOD?
That's a much more difficult question to answer. If you're a detective fiction nut and a Lawrence Block fan like me, absolutely. Nothing beats seeing tormented Matthew Scudder sort out another impossible mess on the big screen. A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES is a serious pulp boner alter in that regard.
If you're not already fighting the good fight, the stern realism of the movie might turn you off. Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant, cerebral movie that'll get your brain firing on all cylinders, but if you're not aware of the inherent detective novel tradition here, you might get as much stimulation watching it at home.
I know it's difficult to wrap your head around the fact that a mainstream commodity such as Liam Neeson knocked it out of the park as Matthew Scudder, but he did and A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES is not only a tremendous mystery, it's also an appropriate love song to the genuis of Lawrence Block. I don't think I know of a more realistic badass, of a more tormented and morally shaded character than Mattew Scudder and seeing him in the flesh transcends just about every minor issue this movie could have. I'm aware that I'm doing sort of an A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES review for Matthew Scudder fans only, but it's what I am and what I am was delighted by this movie.