A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES
DIRECTOR: Scott Frank
CAST: Liam Neeson (Matt Scudder), Sebastian Roché, Dan Stevens, Adam David Thompson, David Harbour and Boyd Holbrook
CLASSIFICATION: 16 LV
RUNNING TIME: 114 minutes
RATING: ****
LIAM Neeson continues with his re-invention as the slightly scruffy but dignified, unlikely action anti-hero, with a compelling performance in this melancholic 1990s period piece.
While the plot is obvious and even a bit clichéd, Neeson’s assured and, above all, understated interpretation of the character Matt Scudder, plus the Y2K paranoia of the 1999 setting and some good supporting characters, turn this into an intriguing watch.
Scudder is the creation of novelist Lawrence Block and this is actually the second time he reaches the big screen – when Jeff Bridges played him in 8 Million Ways to Die the story was set in California. This time he is back in the original Brooklyn, NY, and there is an undeniable sense of place at work – it is a bleak place filled with people with dodgy motives.
Through it all, with a quiet air of competence, Scudder walks unnoticed, but noticing everything happening around him.
Director Scott Frank (The Lookout) takes his time to set up the main character as more than just the action-hero who knows what to do with a gun. He is a recovering alcoholic who is also a former NYPD detective turned private eye, albeit one without a licence. He operates in a shady grey area of “doing favours” for people.
The opening sequence introduces the character in an unhurried fashion, presenting a man who seems unfazed by the ugly things that happen around him, emotionally detached almost. A thinker who prefers the old- fashioned route of plodding the pavements to do his investigating, but not a slouch when it comes to using a bit of menace to get his way either. He understands violence, but it is not his first port of call.
Scudder is, surprisingly, not a total cynic, or at least not about other people. He judges himself very harshly though, and as the film progresses you learn more about why he seems so haunted, through his growing friendship with a homeless streetkid called TJ (Brian Astro Bradley).
He is hired by a drug dealer, Kenny Kristo (Stevens), to find out who killed his wife. At first, the PI is reluctant to get involved because he knows Kristo simply wants revenge rather than justice, but he is drawn into the investigation despite his better judgement.
As Scudder quietly investigates he realises that there are multiple killers and multiple victims and it becomes a suspenseful movie as the director manages to ratchet up your sense of dread.
Mihai Malaimare jr’s (The Master) cinematography heightens the suspense, creating the feeling that the audience is a voyeur, watching people through windows and past doors as Scudder haunts the shadows. The contrast between shadows and light is harsh, which is reminiscent of 1970s crime thrillers.
More and more characters are introduced as the story progresses, but there are a few that stand out. Bradley is a sparky foil to Neeson’s broody adult.
The eventual bad guys (played by Harbour and Thompson) are introduced early on, but it takes a while before we see their faces and, as characters go, they are chilling. Then there is also a creepy cemetery groundskeeper named James (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), who clearly spends too much time thinking about work.
Ultimately, the director has managed to create a gritty take on a familiar story, giving Neeson a chance to work his way through the moral ambiguity of doing something illegal in the name of helping someone, without necessarily having to bulldoze his way violently through the story.
If you liked Contraband or The Lookout, you will enjoy this one.