A Walk Among the Tombstones Movie Review 345

A Walk Among the Tombstones is a 2014 thriller directed by Scott Frank and starring Liam Neeson. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Lawrence Block. Beware that there are spoilers ahead!

                                           

Liam Neeson plays Matthew Scudder, a cop turned private investigator. He left the police force after a young girl got shot by him as he was taking out the bad guys. He turned to drink and he goes to AA. He is approached by a guy called Kenny(Dan Stevens) who wants him to find out who killed his wife. She was kidnapped for ransom. He paid the ransom but the kidnappers killed her anyway. Kenny is not a clean cut guy and he is mixed up in drugs etc. Scudder decides to take the case anyway. He digs around and finds out that there are more cases of women being kidnapped and then killed. He talks to a caretaker in a graveyard and he discovers that there are two men. They are turned on by the killing. He admits to Matthew that he was present for one of the murders but he is not like them. He feels bad over it and throws himself off a building after telling Matthew where he met them- a video store and that they have some connection with the DEA.

Matthew digs around and he finds out that they are after drug dealers and he is being helped by a little kid called TJ. Another person is kidnapped by the two killers and Matthew warns the victim to make sure that the girl is alive or there is no ransom. He knows that the two will not return her safely. Matthew also makes sure that the two have to collect the ransom in person with the girl still alive. They turn up and Matthew is there. There is a shoot out and one of the bad guys gets shot. They jump into the van and drive away, but TJ sneaks into the back.

The two killers go to their house and TJ tells Matthew where it is. Matthew arrives, prepared for a fight and he has some back up with him. He tells TJ to go to his place away from the scene. One of the baddies shoots the other so there is just one left. Matthew and co go inside and they manage to capture the remaining baddie and hold him. Kenny comes and Matthew asks him what he wants to do. Kenny wants to kill him himself so Matthew leaves him to it. Of course, the baddie gets free and kills Kenny! So, there is one last fight with Matthew and the baddie and Matthew manages to shoot the creep dead. The cops come and Matthew goes home to find TJ asleep in his house.

This was entertaining and there were a lot of twists and turns which was good. Neeson is very good in the role as the tired, grizzled detective with demons. I would recommend this as it is a solid thriller with lots of action. I am giving it a 7/10.