So after our fast and frenetic excursion into actionville, we hit something a lot more calmer but engrossing nonetheless.
This was I felt Liam Neeson's big comeback after making a ton of action dreck since 'Taken'. Sure we all loved Taken, doing the ol' 'Special Skills, I will find you' quote but what had often been forgotten is that the sequels were abysmal, 'Taken 2' still ranking as one of the worst movies I have seen in my life. Other forgettable fares such as 'Non-Stop' & 'Unknown' provided mild entertainment but was just as quickly forgotten as it was watched.
No, for Liam to get back in the saddle was this moody solemn Neo Noir thriller that I vividly remembered from my Cineworld days and have held in high regard ever since. Today we turn the clock back to 2014 and watch:
A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (2014 dir. Scott Frank)
Why I watched it/Why I liked it:
As I recall 'Tombstones' didn't actually hit UK shores until late 2014/early 2015. I still had carte blanche to watch any movie I wanted as an employee of Cineworld at the time and have vague recollections of watching this in early 2015 in my remaining days of working there with the odd trio of 'Paddington' and 'Foxcatcher'.
As an employee of Cineworld, you would often be subjected to the various trailers before films and there was something about 'Tombstones' that caught my eye. Its moody atmosphere, the fact that Liam Neeson was playing a gritty Private Eye, this was well within my wheelhouse and decided I would give it a go provided the reviews were decent.
As reviews started trickling in, this indeed got good reviews so making my mind up, I went to see it and was rather glad I did. Neeson seemed to sink his teeth into this role and showed enthusiasm for it, something he hadn't done in some time. I loved the classic trope of a P.I. getting in over his head but struggling on as it was the right thing to do and there's just this tinge of dark humour that strings throughout.
I resolved that when it was a good price in CEX, I'd pick it up on the cheap and did so as sadly despite the good reviews it got, enthusiasm for the film dropped just as quickly as its asking price. That didn't detract it from being a little gem in my eyes though.
If I think it'll stay in the collection:
I'm pretty confident that it will. 'A Walk Among The Tombstones' isn't the type of leave your brain at the door fare that you can just stick on at any given moment. It's dark, grim and moody for most of the time but it's rewarding and that's why I think it'll stay.
The review:
I came into 'Tombstones' knowing what to expect and honestly I still wasn't disappointed. Neeson slowly and deliberately growls his lines but each one of them carries a punch to them. The New York setting is bleak, heavy rain falls continuously and private eye Matt Scudder is just trying to do the right thing, even if his 'clients' aren't exactly the right people.
The atmosphere just sucks you in, almost every shot is gritty and realistic, imagining that you're there with every tread of the foot. I love how Scudder is essentially agreeing to help grieved drug dealers because there's a greater evil kidnapping their loved ones and because deep down, it's the right thing to do.
Dot Cotton's replacements at Albert Square were a tad intimidating...
I remember vividly this was one of my first introductions to David Harbour as he looked to be permanently cast as 'movie bad guy'. Now he tends to play nice guys which is a nice change of pace for him but there's no denying he plays a really nasty piece of work here, alongside Adam David Thompson. These are men beyond redemption and unlike other pieces where at times, you enjoy the hamminess or performance of the actor portraying the bad guy, these guys do their job so well that you want them to get their comeuppance.
So praise indeed to Liam Neeson and our bad guys and indeed a solid performance by X Factor USA contestant of all things Brian 'Astro' Bradley. His performance of TJ skirts the rim of playing annoying teen sidekick to Neeson's Scudder but they reign it in and he delivers a respectable performance too. If anything it's his parts that slightly but not noticeably let the film down if at all.
'A Walk Among The Tombstones' is a drenched, cold and grim detective piece but if you find enjoyment in such things, as I do, you'll be left satisfied.
Should it stay or should it go?
I believe this is my third viewing of said film after watching it in the cinema and watching it with my dad. I can honestly say I was as gripped upon this viewing as I had the previous viewings. There's something sobering about the piece, like a shot of espresso that just perks up the senses. This certainly won't be to eveybody's tastes but it works just fine for me. I'll give it an 8 out of 10 rating here.
Well, next time we'll see if Ryan Reynold's delightful charm can keep an old movie on the shelf and we'll see a familiar face along the way.
Until next time, I remain,
Matt Major.
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