Review of A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) by Matthew D — 04 Nov 2018

A hard to watch crime thriller that is as morbid and depressing as they come.

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) is an intriguing and gripping detective noir that is as gruesome as these type of investigative films get. I wish it were not as derivative of other better movies, but it is certainly suspenseful. I still feel that Zodiac (2007), The Lovely Bones (2009), and especially Prisoners (2013) are better detective investigative thrillers. I highly recommend those films, but if you want a solid outing from Liam Neeson, try this one if you can take disturbing situations and horrific crimes.

Director and writer Scott Frank takes his time building this character and style to allow the audience to get used to how dark A Walk Among the Tombstones delves into throughout its brief duration. The camera work is often nice to look at, but the occasional shaky camera work gets to be annoying after awhile. The atmospheric music helps build an uneasy vibe at least. The slower pace will get to be too meandering for some, but I found it a welcome change to the high speed thrillers Liam Neeson chooses to participate in recently. It burns into grim areas, but keeps you guessing what will happen next. I wish that some characters got more development, but it's an alright movie all the same.

Liam Neeson is the obvious highlight and main draw here. His dramatic weight and serious tone help contribute the ultra mature and unsettling tone A Walk Among the Tombstones takes. Dan Stevens gives a nice supporting role as the bereaved with a past. Boyd Holbrook delivers a brief, but often moving performance. Lastly, David Harbour absolutely destroys it as the creepy kidnapper and an unhinged sadist. Harbour is chilling akin to a great performance like Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones. Yes, he is that good.

Overall, this is a mostly forgettable thriller with the few standout roles and memorable horrors. The investigation feels like it comes to a head too quickly and the direction is questionable at times, but A Walk Among the Tombstones is far more watchable than many of Neeson's other contemporary appearances.