Review of A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) by Patrick C — 11 Jun 2015

With any film boasting a lead performance from Liam Neeson intruiging me, A Walk Among the Tombstones caught my interest for the fact that it was one of his more critically acclaimed performances of recent times.

As much as I hate to say it, Liam Neeson films have been reduced to essentially a series of generic action thrillers in recent years to the point where it isn't out of line to say that he has become a bit of a sellout. A Walk Among the Tombstones makes an effort to be more than that for the first time in a while, yet even though the film attempts to take a change of pace from the overblown and underthought action vehicles of recent years, it still ends up being somewhat unsatisfying.

Even then, the film has quite a few cliches about it. You can tell this from the start of the film when the story goes through the typical narrative ploy of characterizing the protagonist through a violent incident which became the plaguing wreckage of his past before he gets dragged back into things years later. After that, the film turns into an investigation which shows the protagonist of the story going through every character linked to kidnapping and murder of Carrie. This process is a very familiar one, but it is also very slow and because of that the intensity feels a little too gradual. The film is clearly a very character oriented one since the story is not the most original, but the characters are not really that interesting as the focus of the film proves to be more about the subject matter they are involved in instead of who they are, meaning that the focus is ultimately unbalanced. Because of this, A Walk Among the Tombstones became boring to me pretty quickly and failed to honestly bring enough character depth into the narrative for me to really consider it that compelling at all. It's a shame really because Liam Neeson makes an earnest effort this time around and the restrained nature of the narrative gives him more room to breathe with the character, and yet the film does not capitalise on his efforts and instead drags him through a repetitive and familiar plot which drags on at a slow pace with few memorable moments. This is also a shame because there are some scenes of true potential in the film, scenes where the character interactions provide insight into their lives and we gain the possibility of connecting to them. Ultimately, these scenes get turned into more narrative cliches which fail to elevate the story beyond its overly familiar roots.

But I will admit that despite the dull nature of the story, there are some stylish moments in the film. Due to being focused on going for intensity rather than a PG-13 audience, A Walk Among the Tombstones is not afraid to hide the realistic blood that comes with the violent situations faced by the characters. But more importantly, the cinematography is really good. With a slow pace to the film, the cinematography remains consistently steady and fails to shake around like it does in the dreadful sequels to Liam Neeson's action movie Taken. This adds a greater sense of realism to the film, and the steady editing of the experience allows the slow building tension to remain consistent with the visual style and actually prove effective on the basis of its technical virtues. The steady cinematography brings out the natural beauty of the world around in A Walk Among the Tombstones while the colour scheme has a certain sense of shadow in it which adds a darker feeling to the narrative. Though director Scott Frank has a bit to learn about crafting an entertaining story and pacing the narrative properly, his sense of style is effective and understated. Plus, he manages to work with Liam Neeson very impressively.

Liam Neeson's leading performance is the best thing in the film. Unlike the generic action thrillers that have turned Liam Neeson into an honourary member of The Expendables in recent years, A Walk Among the Tombstones challenges him to be working with a genuine character for once. The character isn't as much of one as he could be, but Liam Neeson's natural charms in the part elevate him beyond the potential for him to be even less. He doesn't have to disguise his nativity in A Walk Among the Tombtones which allows him to exercise his natural charm into the role instead of burying it beneath an American patrior archetype this time around. Though Liam Neeson grasps his weaponry with tension, there is a sense of human frailty and vulnerability that comes with it which makes him more believable and encouraging the notion that he could die at any moment. Liam Neeson brings his instinctively gritty charism over to A Walk Among the Tombstones and stays consistently dedicated to his role through restrained emotional tension which does actually convey a sense of being numbed by the wreckage of the past while his stiff physicality promotes the.

Brian "Astro" Bradley also delivers a memorable performance. His screen time is relatively small, but the strength of his chemistry with Liam Neeson and his determination to really make a point about his superiority to the stereotype he has been confined to is powerful. Je speaks the words with a true passion for them and is strong in his ambition to take a stand, rising above the stereotype and depicting a genuinely intelligent character with a sense of reluctance to the position he has been confined to in life. Brian "Astro" Bradley makes a strong supporting presence in A Walk Among the Tombstones and holds his own against Liam Neeson very well.

So the natural charms of Liam Neeson and the occasional sense of style prove valuable to A Walk Among the Tombstones, but it proves ultimately undone by the repetitive and slow nature of the already familiar narrative which is in need of characters.