Hes another of Gods Loneliest Men. ", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Off To Good Start With $1.1M, 'Tombstones' Takes In $480K Late Night Numbers", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Sprints To $11.25M, 30+ Weekend", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Races To $32.5M Weekend, Kevin Smith's 'Tusk' Bombs", "Box Office FINAL: 'Maze Runner' Finds $32.5M; Liam's 'Walk' Limps In With $12.7M; 'Where I Leave You,' $11.5M", "Film Review:'A Walk Among the Tombstones', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Walk_Among_the_Tombstones_(film)&oldid=1142235352, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 07:11. A Walk Among The Tombstones' movie finale sees Scudder and Kenny tracking down kidnapper Albert after the gunfight, with the latter having killed wounded partner Ray. This password will be used to sign into all, Okay, TikTok, You Can Calm Down About Aubrey Plaza at the SAG Awards Now, Shakira Takes Some Pointers From Taylor Swift, The Surprisingly Contrarian Case Against Lying About Science, Ed Sheeran Completes His PEMDAS Era With New Album, ASTROs Rocky Leaves the Group After Ending Contract. This version was also released on DVD/Blu-ray. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Scudder isnt a reckless vigilante eaten up with rage. There is also a large portion of Scudders detective work in the book that involves utilizing a pair of hackers to get into NYNEX (with laptops, external modems, and acoustic couplers if you want to get an idea of how technologically ancient Blocks book is) to uncover phone logs for him, which Frank rightly jettisons, as its a lot of tech talk and not that cinematic. Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. Liam Neeson, astute gentleman, legendary Jedi, and assassin who can hunt anyone down who takes his family. Despite a screenplay by Oliver Stone and a great supporting cast, it was a critical and financial bomb. The films opening flashback sequence (borrowed from Blocks first book in the Scudder series, 1976s The Sins Of The Fathers) with Liam Neesons alcoholic cop Matt Scudder taking down some very bad dudes, complete with slow motion sequences, very much feels like an audience concession (though it provides backstory as well). The haunted title of A Walk Among the Tombstones suggests that one's bigoted reflexes are common, lying just beneath the surface. Its stated that the men rape their victims; we hear a tape recording of a cruelly chuckling man and a crying woman. Most dates on his world tour have been canceled. Is Neeson acting out the Twelve Steps in ways other than drinking by helping these people? As for the killers turning on each other, that shift doesnt need the excuse of the gunshot wound. Set in 1999, the film follows a retired cop turned private investigator Matthew Scudder being dragged into a kidnapping/murder case. The site's critical consensus reads, "A Walk Among the Tombstones doesn't entirely transcend its genre clichs, but it does offer Liam Neeson one of his more compelling roles in recent memory, and that's often enough. A guy gets his brains blown out later on. A Walk Among the Tombstones is a 2014 crime thrillerabout a private investigator who is hired by a drug kingpin to uncover the identities of two sadistic kidnappers who target criminals. Stevens evokes every shade of the self-made drug kingpins thoughts: His hands are tied, but he visibly hungers to wrap them around the killers necks. In the book, Scudder leaves and Kenny enacts his revenge alone, blinding and dismembering Ray - who killed Albert in this version - but leaving him alive, though he later dies in hospital. He tells Scudder that he should be scared of the other two men because theyre not human. He feeds his pigeons, gives Scudder one name, "Ray," and then he jumps off the roof to his death. In the book, this particular investigation leads him to seriously think about what Elaine means to him and whether not hes still comfortable with her seeing clients, something he didnt mind before. I think the one who said ''I just wanted'' was doing it for the money and the other guy really took pleasure in it. Albert betrays the wounded Ray by strangling him to death with a metal wire while in the basement. And all this without any action sequences other than mutilations. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Related: Taken 4 Updates: Will The Liam Neeson Sequel Happen? The two kidnappers, Ray and Albert, surveil the home of Yuri Landau, another drug trafficker. Boys beat up TJ in an alley, giving him a black eye and a cut on his forehead. The only surprise is that this most primitive kind of homophobia now occurs in the context of a big budget movie geared to mainstream tastes--such as pressing the usual race/feminist buttons same as formulaic TV shows. Lastly, New York City is also very present texture in Blocks book, and Frank replicates that in the film. There is also a four letter word hanging between them (starting with the letter l) that is beginning to gain some importance. Scudder researches similar killings at a public library. Now the talented writer-director Scott Frank comes awfully close in his adaptation of one of Blocks better novels, A Walk Among the Tombstones. During a gunfight, Matthew's shooting caused a stray bullet to hit a 7-year-old straight in the eye, instantly killing her. A Walk Among The Tombstones is in theaters now. Albert inspects the money and discovers some were counterfeit. The killers buy a guy drinks to better pump him for information. [16][17] It debuted at number two at the box office on its opening weekend earning $13.1 million behind The Maze Runner ($32.5 million). They probably were going to kill the last girl as well, but decided to go for the ransom instead. Meanwhile, Scudder grows closer to TJ, encouraging the boy to study and avoid a life of crime. They seized her files as well, which included information on his brother and his wife. Its that earnest effort to save, to beat time, to help the desperate and to make amends for past wrongs that turns a few steps in this long walk in the right direction. So whether he wants to or not, Matts burning shoe leather on the grimy streets of New York. getting a commendation for his actions in stopping three criminals, drug dealers who won't go to the police for help. Running over 400 pages long, Blocks book obvoiusly has a lot more plot, and for the most part, Frank does a pretty good job of streamlining the story. Drake, Usher, and Burna Boy to Headline J. Coles Dreamville Festival. However, in Blocks book, Petes pain comes simply from his heroin and alcohol addiction, one that finds him routinely on and off the wagon. I enjoyed it, but the ending felt a little flat. He is asked by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped his wife. Kenny knocks Albert unconscious with a bottle. In fact, at first it's hard to see where tombstones fit in at all. Rounding up our favorite funny videos of the month. But its probably something expository dialogue couldve handled a bit more smoothly, without so obviously handholding the audience. The performances go a long way, too. Matthew Scudder The film was released on September 19, 2014. TJ helps with the research. All rights reserved. Didn't see one posted, so I figured I'd make one. . Cinemark Steve McQueen has created a new genre: Hate Noir. Deadpan Snarker: When Scudder remarks that the duo cut Yuri's daughter's fingers, he dryly and mockingly responds they did so before a deal had . These perverse goblins represent the return of the socially repressed. As the body count goes up, he must use unreliable witnesses and gut intuition to try to catch the murderers. Movies don't need villains even though the thriller genre, as seen in A Walk Among the Tombstones, makes it seem like they do. Albert suddenly tries to strangle him from behind with a metal wire. Kenny drinks hard liquor as well. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Theyd been watching the house. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again. The film is largely faithful to the core story of the novel, while cutting several subplots and supporting characters. Coming Soon. Dont worry, it wont take long. A Walk Among the Tombstones received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Now that's out of the way, a brief introduction. And the challenge is to make those little moves feel big enough that they warrant a movie. He had his problems, and when they showed how the little girl died, that made it seem more real. Jonas. And in watching the film this past weekend, you can clearly see Franks moves to make Tombstones an action movie, while keeping the thematic texture and pulp grit of Blocks source material. Even with Liam Neeson in the lead, its not the most likely project to get a greenlight (and indeed Frank said that without Neeson, this movie would never have happened). Scudder gives him a phone so that TJ can reach him if he needs anything. That's the problem with A Walk Among the Tombstones: Ray and Albert are gay bogeymen who can be hissed and booed without thinking. That was pretty cool. I think he does what he can with what he's got, but this is yet another two hours of Liam Neeson psyching out the baddies over the phone and then ultimately solving problems with his gun. He eventually kills him with a gunshot to the head. Albert surrenders and Scudder cuffs him. Its brutal stuff. Still, he thinks about what might have happened if hed not been drinking just before. Scudder reminds Kenny that there is enough evidence to put Albert behind bars for the rest of his life. He had conspired to take Leila away from Reuben, who is a drug dealer, and help her stop using drugs. In 2014 he played ex-cop Matt Scudder in A Walk Among The Tombstones, and thischaracter comes from a series of neo-noir books from author Lawrence Block. Her body was found chopped into neatly wrapped pieces in the back of an abandoned car. After Albert and Ray arrive at their place, TJ sneaks out of the van. Ray is a smug sadist while Albert is an emotionless sociopath. The movie's lean plot, a wealth of action and Neeson's commanding presence made it a surprise hit and it received two sequels. and the Its easy to see why a major studio wouldnt necessarily get behind a movie about a former alcoholic ex-cop turned private investigator, whose girlfriend is a prostitute, who helps a drug dealer find the men who killed his wife, and then has the dealer gruesomely kill the criminal. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! A Walk Among the Tombstones Plot. Both of these things are true to the source material, but in the books by Lawrence Block, he has a much more interesting intersection of people in his life. During the final confrontation, Albert uses this as a garrotte to kill Ray and Kenny, and nearly kills Scudder except the muzzle of his pistol gets caught in the loop, preventing the wire from cutting through Scudder's throat. People are afraid of all the wrong things. After a desperate struggle, Scudder shoots Albert in the head without trying to take him prisoner. Yet Hollywood seems to focus on the latter, not deviating from the stoic man who can rip armies of murderers asunder and come out swinging. The expanded two-day event includes Ari Lennox and GloRilla. Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. The 12 steps during the gunfight was especially neat. For our money, wed say for the full Scudder experience youll want the book, but as an abridged version, the film does an adequate if not wholly satisfying job. He tells Scudder their address. I think I might have to tell Adam Scott that hes a really big influence to me, as a caterer., Toni Collette Is a Mob Boss Dressed Like a Librarian. Hal Ashbys 8 Million Ways to Die missed the essentials (it was set in L.A.! A Walk Among the Tombstones kept me invested throughout the entire run time of the film, featuring Liam Neeson who is great as usual, very dark tone and a well written script. Jenna Ortega Will Dance, Dance, Dance With the Weeknd. Truth be told, Matt didnt want anything to do with this mess. [13] On October 18, 2013, Block tweeted that he had seen the film and revealed producers were aiming for a September 2014 release. "[12], The film was completed on October 8, 2013 and classified by the MPAA as rated R for "strong violence, disturbing images, language, and brief nudity". Even though he received a commendation, he quit his job as a cop and he gave up alcohol. [21], Richard Roeper gave the film a B+ rating, calling the film "a stylish and smart thriller". Given the legal and cultural advances pertaining to gay rights and marriage equality, it was likely that some form of backlash would erupt. For while this R-rated and often dour flick doesnt applaud violence, it certainly crams lots of it in. The haunted title of A Walk Among the Tombstones suggests that one's bigoted reflexes are common, lying just beneath the surface. the movie should rated R+ cause it has some pretty seriously gross topics. Frank and Block are obviously ripping-off the heinous. Hes a trudger. I also remember Ray saying that Kenny did him wrong somehow. Cinemark An unlicensed PI who lives in a bare, cheerless apartment, Scudder (Liam Neeson) doesnt want the job of hunting them down when he realizes that the latest victims husband (Dan Stevens, of Downton Abbey) made his money as a drug kingpin. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. He sees polaroid photos of Reuben and Leila having sex. (He also tithes a percentage of his fees to various churches.) 15 Warm-Weather Movies to Stream While Youre Snowed In. 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