A Walk Among the Tombstones (R) *** Liam Neeson is back in another relatively quiet action-adventure gig. This time, he’s not a former spy saving his own family. He’s a tough New York City cop who drank himself out of a career, getting by as an unlicensed private eye, hired to find the sadists who kidnap and brutally murder women despite collecting their ransoms. Greed is only one of the motivating forces for that pair. Our hero is not a happy guy in any respect, but, as usual, Neeson’s integrity shines through the flaws of his character.
The action is low-key, but suspenseful, with several supporting players and plot twists to make this an above-average entry into the genre. Director Scott Frank brings Lawrence Block’s crime novel to the screen without unduly sacrificing the author’s nuance and complexity. Some might find the Alcohol Anonymous aspects of the script a bit overbearing, but that part does make sense in context. This one is less glamorous than Neeson’s last two successful globe-trotting rescue outings (the Taken pix; a third is on the way), but it suits the mean streets of Manhattan and its star just fine. (9/19/14)
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