Liam Neeson Stands Tall in “Walk Among Tombstones”
By Skip Sheffield
There are two R-rated rock ‘em sock ‘em, shoot ‘em, stab
‘em, ultra-violent crime thrillers out this weekend. “A Walk Among the Tombstones” is the better
of two, largely because of its star, Liam Neeson.
The hulking Irish actor has a powerful onscreen presence,
but he also has an undercurrent of sorrow and regret, which serves his
conflicted characters well.
Neeson is Matthew Scudder, a former cop-turned unlicensed
private investigator in stories by novelist Lawrence Block. There is a whole
series of Matt Scudder adventures, some of which have already been made into
movies.
The character of Matt Scudder is a recovering alcoholic. The
story is prefaced by a flashback to Scudder’s drinking days in 1991. Matt is in
his favorite bar, starting off the day with two shots of whisky and a black
coffee. Suddenly two thugs burst on the scene, waving guns and demanding money
from the bartender. When they wantonly shoot the proprietor dead, Scudder springs
into action, chasing them out the down with pistol drawn. With deadly aim
Scudder kills two of the hoodlums and wounds an accomplice.
We learn later Scudder was given a commendation for his
bravery, but knowing he was already drunk, the incident has shaken himself so
badly he decides to quit the force and take the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step
pledge.
The action shifts to the present and a murder most foul. A
pretty young woman has been abducted and held for ransom. Despite the fact her
husband paid the ransom, the woman known as Leila (Laura Birn) is murdered
anyway and dismembered, with body parts stuffed into plastic bags.
Scudder has seen and done everything, but something this
senseless and vile really gets his goat. When a young girl is threatened,
Scudder grudgingly goes on the offensive, aided by a young but brainy homeless
kid known as T.J. (Brian “Astro” Bradley) and a not very stable Army veteran
known as Kenny (Dan Stevens).
There are interesting characters in the mix, such as Loogan
(Olafur Darri Olafsson), who was involved with the killers but not an active
participant. Then there is Ray (David Harbour) a murderous flat-out psycho, and
Yuri (Sebastian Roche) as his more rational but no less deadly co-conspirator.
Despite the blood, bullets and gore this violent romp is
anchored by the strong, silent serenity of Liam Neeson. I suspect we may be
seeing his Matthew Scudder again.
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