Taser jolts hit a head and a crotch. 27 talking about this. Peter is killed, and Scudder wounds Ray. Ive been reading Lawrence Blocks New Yorkset Matthew Scudder detective novels for almost three decades and hoping that some filmmaker would finally nail their distinctive, highly influential vibe, in which the PI hero meets sadism with grim stoicism but goes all-out to get the bad guys anyway: If its in his control to do something, he will he must act. The suit alleges that producers offered no support for the crews anxiety and PTSD symptoms in the aftermath of the shooting. Frank and Block are obviously ripping-off the heinous. He likes sitting in bars drinking coffee alongside unsavory characters. Based on Lawrence Block's bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works a. He cries to Albert that he has never been wounded before. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. But the man later goes to see him and tells him how his wife was killed. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crimenor will it be the last. Albert suddenly tries to strangle him from behind with a metal wire. Hes centered sometimes to the point of being a little dull. He goes down the basement and sees Kenny's dead body on the stairs (implying that Albert killed Kenny). He goes up into the rooftop and finds a shed, where Loogan is living. murders Ray, he's captured by Matthew and tells him he was going to sit down to a meal before disposing of Ray's body. Drug dealer Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens, The Guest) and his brother Pete (Boyd Holbrook) were Lebanese in the novel and whereas the movie ends with both men dead - with Pete dying during the graveyard shootout and Kenny being murdered offscreen - the book plays out much differently. Set in 1999, the film follows a retired cop turned private investigator Matthew Scudder being dragged into a kidnapping/murder case. He did it as an unhinged dad in "Taken," as a surly air marshal in "Non-Stop" and now as a haunted ex-cop in "Tombstones.". Why did they do that lady wrong and steal her files? 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. It was a stray bullet in the midst of an unexpected shootout. Theyre not working for Pete, though: We see him stoned with a bag of drugs in his hand. A film adaptation of Blocks novel had been in development for several years with a script from Scott Frank. UK theatrical version was cut by the distributor to secure a "15" rating (a scene of sexual threat (including an aggressive use of the word 'cunt')). Neeson gives him the requisite weight along with that Hibernian sadness he carries in most of his roles. And there were other little strings, tiny bits and pieces of the story that pleaded to be pulled at and worried over. Hes fascinated by people who dont have control. Even though they live and kill together, they don't care for each other as shown when Albert murders the grievously wounded Ray, then calmly goes upstairs to eat dinner before cleaning up and moving on. Directed by Scott Frank. TJ voices a number of personal conspiratorial theories about how society is purposely pushing down black youths like himself, including the fact that people keep offering him sperm-killing soda. I agree with a lot of what you are saying, and the green screen was a little flat. Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. But now movies are about spectacle. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. I thought it was a good flick. Written & Directed by Scott Frank. He tells Scudder their address. Albert surrenders and Scudder cuffs him. Throughout the book series, including Tombstone, Scudder is hitting meetings almost on a daily basis. The challenge is to translate the feel of those novels into something visual, and then from a story standpoint, the moves in these stories are very small, writer/director Scott Frank told us about bringing Lawrence Blocks 1992 book A Walk Among The Tombstones to the big screen. Adam David Thompson (left) and David Harbour play gay serial killers in 'A Walk Among the Tombstones'. (Evoking hospital orderlies as well as morgue attendants, their clinical use of Cronenbergian surgical instruments carries AIDS panic.) Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. Scudder ultimately agrees to help him. Kenny asks Scudder to help him find his wifes killers. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Based on Lawrence Block's bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. Matt buys TJ some essentials and protects him. Scudder looks at one of TJ's drawings and we're then shown the skyline. Loogan arrives and admits that he helped kidnap Leila. There is also a four letter word hanging between them (starting with the letter l) that is beginning to gain some importance. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. He meets TJ, a homeless streetwise youth. Here are the main changes between A Walk Among The Tombstones' book and the Liam Neeson fronted movie. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers. Meanwhile, a despondent Pete is unable to stay sober, and commits suicide. Hmmm. And while Kenny/Kenan is left there to dispose of Ray, he doesnt wind up getting killed, which seems to be a major studio way of ensuring a drug dealer doesnt become the hero of the movie (while giving Neeson a badass line of dialogue as a result in the ensuing final battle with the villain). Liam Neeson stars in A Walk Among the Tombstones, an action-thriller based on Lawrence Block's bestselling series of mystery novels. Stream songs including "Main Title", "We Got Your Wife." and more. But its probably something expository dialogue couldve handled a bit more smoothly, without so obviously handholding the audience. The elements are the same, with the case revolving around Scudders investigation into the kidnapping and dismemberment of a drug traffickers wife. Hed rather recite AAs 12 steps and humbly ask God to remove his shortcomings than try to violently purge the defects from others. People are afraid of all the wrong things. The little girl that was accidentally hit with a bullet. Based on an article, Scudder goes to a cemetery and speaks with a groundskeeper, Jonas Loogan, upset that Scudder reminds him of finding trash bags with body parts of the dismembered Leila in the cemetery pond. Scudder returns home to find TJ sleeping on the couch and spots a drawing that TJ made of himself as a superhero, with a sickle on his costume representing his sickle cell anemia. Firstly, there is no shootout in the graveyard, a sequence which seems invented purely for the sake of putting action on the screen. The bad guys (David Harbour and Adam David Thompson) introduced at the outset are very bad, indeed. Lastly, New York City is also very present texture in Blocks book, and Frank replicates that in the film. Privacy Policy and On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. what do you guys think the quiet bad guy was about to say before he was interrupted by Liam Neeson at the end of the movie? Because this is actually more of a gumshoe investigators tale, a gritty cop-turned-unlicensed-detective story (based on a rough-and-tumble Lawrence Block novel). He reads about victims Marie Gotteskind and Leila Andresen. Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. He then enters a bar where cops don't have to pay for their drinks. By creating an account, you agree to the Another guy is plugged in the leg and torso. He is about to give up when they grab another girl and Scudder tries make sure she's returned alive. Hal Ashbys 8 Million Ways to Die missed the essentials (it was set in L.A.! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. And as the book closes, Kenan/Kenny leaves the country to start a new life abroad, in another segment of the familys illegal businesses around the world. This weekend, yet another story is told about our leading action actor, entitled A Walk Among The Tombstones. He also has a weekly dinner with his AA sponsor Jim Faber, who lends an ear and offers advice from time to time. Scudder initially refuses the case but then he accepts. But when he understands the depth of the murderers depravity and the inevitability that theyll kill again and again he knows he has no choice. Hes another of Gods Loneliest Men. The movie follows private investigator Matthew Scudder hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. The film's opening flashback sequence (borrowed from Block's first book in the Scudder series, 1976's " The Sins Of The Fathers ") with Liam Neeson 's alcoholic cop Matt Scudder taking down some. One man walks off an apartment building rooftop to crash to a bloody death on a car down below. Matt regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in an effort to stay liquor- and drug-free. Liam Neeson had a bizarre rebirth as an action star thanks to 2008's Taken, where he played a retired special forces operative who cuts a bloody path through Paris to rescue his kidnapped daughter. It's only to TJ that he confesses that one of his shots killed a young girl. [15], A Walk Among the Tombstones grossed $26 million in the United States and Canada, and $36.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total gross of $62.1 million, against its $28 million budget. Im glad they left T.J. out of the trailers, though. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Overall the book is the superior version and is far more fleshed out, though the movie did a decent job capturing its gritty tone. Scudder leaves Kenny alone with Albert while he puts TJ in a taxi to his apartment. See production, box office & company info, A Walk Among the Mystery, but lacking in some thrills, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Liam Neeson/Terry Gilliam/Tim McGraw. Parker Posey stars in this update of Chekhov, swapping familiar New York intelligentsia types for the Russian bourgeoisie. But this movie has a bit more to offer. Albert inspects the money and discovers some were counterfeit. The gay villains of A Walk Among the Tombstones are an effete duo who dress in Bobbsey Twin uniformity. Her husband coughed up a $400,000 ransom, but it didnt save her. Slim, blond types (one bland, the other goateed), they recall the gay Nazi-like killers in Michael Haneke's American remake of his sadistic art-movie Funny Games. A Walk Among the Tombstones opens in theaters Sept. 19. Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. So whether he wants to or not, Matts burning shoe leather on the grimy streets of New York. Scudder gives him a phone so that TJ can reach him if he needs anything. While Kenny is downstairs, Albert wakes up. Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson), formerly part of the NYPD, now works as an unlicensed private detective. A girl and her drug-dealing boyfriend snort coke. As the body count goes up, he must use unreliable witnesses and gut intuition to try to catch the murderers. they're forced by Matthew to return her alive. While the broad strokes of A Walk Among The Tombstones are taken right from the book, there are several key differences in the movie. My book's in good hands. But he knew straight away that this Kenny Kristo fella wasnt gonna call any cops. [18], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 165 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. "A Walk Among the Tombstones" starts out as another Film Noir-ish Liam Neeson action thriller. Yeah. He is asked by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped his wife. It was not a terrible movie overall, but it is one I wish I hadn't paid for. Boyd Holbrook is eloquently jittery as his addict brother, Olafur DarriOlafsson has two vivid scenes as a graveyard attendant, and what can you say about David Harbours tauntingly demonic Ray? 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. I think Kenny did them wrong by paying 400k and not 1mil. And so, with the official movie tie-in book landing on our doorstep, we figured it was a good opportunity to investigate how the source material and movie were aligned and where changes were made, and how these choices affected the movie. [21], Richard Roeper gave the film a B+ rating, calling the film "a stylish and smart thriller". And he remembers a young woman reading off each of AAs famous 12 steps, many of which talk of turning your weaknesses and flaws over to God and praying for the Lords power to remove those defects of character and carry an individual through. I also remember Ray saying that Kenny did him wrong somehow. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this . The thing to remember about Block and Scudder is that alcohol and Alcoholics Anonymous are central. And Blocks story is pre-internet/pre-cellphone too, which lends it a grittier feeling. 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. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Former cop Matt Scudder is now a private eye. Anytime, as a captain, you step onto someone elses crew, its never an easy dance.. But the way the movie stands, its as if a vital body part has been lopped off. However, they see his 14-year-old daughter, Lucia, and Ray decides to kidnap her. It contains a mix of suspense, thriller and neo-noir elements. We see the aforementioned girl after she gets hit in the eye by a careening slug. Its tense, its moody and prickly, and its ultimately bloody and grim and deadly. Matt Scudder used to be a cop. Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. Nothing more, nothing less. Ray is a smug sadist while Albert is an emotionless sociopath. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Liam Neeson then became the go-to leading man for action thrillers for a period, leading toThe A-Team, Run All Night and several others. with updates on movies, TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes podcast and more. Instead, in Blocks book, the finale is much more gruesome. PREVIEW. While the film is more of a thriller than an action movie, a few setpieces were added like the graveyard shootout and the final fight to beef up the action quota. A Walk Among the Tombstones isn't a kill-'em-all Taken-style actioner. It stars Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, and Boyd Holbrook. Demme's films are proof that the best movies--and real works of art--don't simplify life to heroes and villains. And theyd probably keep doing this. But after that, the movie settles into a more adult drama groove. We see their body parts, wrapped in plastic and paper, in the back of a car, in a dumpster, on the grounds of a graveyard and floating in a pond. Ray And Albert. After realizing Landau's wife is bedridden, they prepare to leave for a new target. Trang ch Tips #1 Tm kim link Fshare nhanh chng, chnh xc - game chay vuot chuong ngai vat There was a pattern here. Indeed, the bad guys display all manner of bloody tools and blades that they use to maim, torture and kill. In 'The Grey', a movie completely steered away from the idea of crime, he was still a pretty knowledgeable badass who could kill if he needed. A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games; he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. In the end, Matthew has Albert subdued on the floor with a gun pointed at his head. Liam Neeson, astute gentleman, legendary Jedi, and assassin who can hunt anyone down who takes his family. The rape stuff made me want to throw up, and I usually don't flinch at that kind of stuff. How viewers can change the meaning of a great artists work. Kennys brother Peter is a drug addict who attends AA meetings with Matt. Scudder takes the job. One thing I am glad they didn't spoil was that the movie is set in 1999. Mystery & thriller, The trailers did kind of spoil a bit. One of his stray bullets "took a bad hop" and hit a 7-year-old girl in the eye, instantly killing her. [20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Leave it to the real cops, he told the guy. He also comes to care for a homeless kid named TJ, who he meets during his investigation. Which, of course, finally leads us right up to those tombstones. I was so uncertain of what his arc would be that I even wondered briefly if he was going to end up shooting Liam Neeson in the end of the movie, right when you think the action is over. Conclusion Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. This version was also released on DVD/Blu-ray. Liam Neesons Matt Scudder is primarily interested in seeking out clues to a crime. He finds him in a hospital one day after a street gang beat down and learns that TJ has sickle cell anemia. Later he discovers one of their victims was an undercover DEA agent who had the files on her. Scudder orders TJ to stay in the car. Now I know what it is. PREVIEW. And in both the book and movie, their crimes are stomach churning, possibly even moreso in Blocks novel which describes in detail some things you dont see on the screen, particularly when it comes to their previous victims. Matt Scudder: I do favors for people, and in return, they give me gifts. Purchase A Walk Among the Tombstones on digital and stream instantly or download offline. PREVIEW. Former cop Matt Scudder is now a private eye. We see a thug rip open a womans shirt, baring her breast. A day later, an anonymous tip was called in and the cops brought Ray to the hospital where he lived for two more days, before dying. 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. He only half-succeeds it is sentimental but it helps that Bradley has a hard, unbeatific face, and that the movie needs his bopping energy. He goes into the basement where he finds Rays body and tools used for dismembering bodies. He looks terrific in his heavy coat with the collar turned up as he walks around Green-Wood Cemetery, where pieces of a body turned up its as if his whole life is lived among tombstones. Scudder leaves to send TJ away while Kenny plans a gruesome fate, only for Albert to kill him and Scudder - who's returned - to face him in a final battle. Its stated that the men rape their victims; we hear a tape recording of a cruelly chuckling man and a crying woman. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. A Walk Among the Tombstones. All but one of the kidnapped women are killed. getting a commendation for his actions in stopping three criminals, drug dealers who won't go to the police for help. Maybe it even starts to feel good for Matt to stretch those police muscles again. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. Albert (like Ray) is a sociopathic serial killer with a complete. And the camera looks down the gunsight as Matt takes aim and blows a third man off his feet. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. He had conspired to take Leila away from Reuben, who is a drug dealer, and help her stop using drugs. Portraits of Kennys wife show her naked in several poses, some of them revealing full-frontal nudity. After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. Ah thank you! Albert simply kills him instead. A while later, police arrive at the crime scene with Scudder observing from afar. The performances go a long way, too. He hits his AA meetings on a regular basis. Drama, 'A Walk Among the Tombstones' is a 2014 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and written by Scott Frank, and based on the 1992 novel of the same title by Lawrence Block. Taken 4 Updates: Will The Liam Neeson Sequel Happen? He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU - where Hawkeye is clearly the best character - to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle. His transformation throughout the movie was cool, too. (Wong Kar-wai was generally taken as the auteur behind the barroom drama My Blueberry Nights, but Block co-wrote the screenplay, and the film had as much to do with his worldview.). I think you're talking about when Ray claimed he killed the wife because Kenny negotiated on the price. Really was a bit of a shock and even then they didn't milk it for all its worth (a few Y2K references here, a subtle WTC in the final pan out.). Scudder isnt a reckless vigilante eaten up with rage. The killersyeah, there were definitely two of themdidnt just pull Kennys name out of the phone book. And we see them use some of them. Two armed men come in and kill the bartender. 0:57. It should have been avoided in A Walk Among the Tombstones, in which a pair of gay serial killers are hunted down by Liam Neeson playing Matthew Scudder, an ex-cop turned private investigator. Rounding up our favorite funny videos of the month. There was something else involved. If you know me by now though, there is always the skepticism of being let down by the actual film. It takes the eccentricity of diverse ethnic and sexual types in the urban jungle and uses them cynically--first in Lawrence Block's 1992 crime thriller novel and now in director Scott Frank's own kind of Hollywood film noir pornography. A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Morning Shootout, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - A Sudden Strangling, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Kenny's Story, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Your Choice, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Silent Kill, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - The Exchange, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Setting Up the Meeting, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Don't Feel Sorry for Me, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - Shoot Yourself in the Head, A Walk Among the Tombstones: Official Clip - The Kidnapping. Block has talked openly about his decades-long attendance, and Scudder is always taking breaks from detective work to pop into meetings. I heard the trailers spoiled a bit much, good thing I didn't seem 'em. Matt Scudder. Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. The movie's lean plot, a wealth of action and Neeson's commanding presence made it a surprise hit and it received two sequels. Instead, the other two tortured and killed her. Next: The Grey Ending Explained: Who Wins Liam Neeson's Wolf Fight. The movie ends on a more hopeful note than the novel, with Matt coming back from killing Albert to see TJ asleep and having drawn a version of himself as a superhero with a sickle emblem on his outfit - a reference to his sickle cell anemia. Matt Follows Loogan. Press J to jump to the feed. Kenny knocks Albert unconscious with a bottle. I enjoyed it, but the ending felt a little flat. Meanwhile, when it comes to drug trafficker Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) and his brother Pete (Boyd Holbrook), the wedge between them that ones successful, while the other is a junkie is the same, but changed for the film in a key way. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. Maybe Jennifer would have more support if she werent wrong so often. Copyright Fandango. Boys beat up TJ in an alley, giving him a black eye and a cut on his forehead. The bartender is killed by two armed men who enter the room. That was pretty cool. Their crimes - which include kidnapping and dismembering women - are described in more brutal detail in the book too. Scudder's attendance at AA meetings was a bigger part of the novel, while the movie shows the first meeting between the ex-cop and his young friend/assistant TJ, but in the novels, he was introduced in an earlier book. As presented in the film, Scudder is an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic. I just wished they showed more of the villain's backstory. 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 . Sexual backlash was the real point of Steve McQueen's so-called "sex addiction" film Shame where a joint-swinging Michael Fassbender proved his decadence by visiting a gay sex club--referenced here in a similarly red-tinted all-male porn shop sequence where Ray and Albert attempt to lure a sad-sack henchman into a threesome. The pair of villains are mostly the same too, but given a more pronounced presence in the film, to probably set up a better dynamic between them and anti-hero Scudder. A bit of a homage (in a good way) to noir as Neeson fleshes out a husk of a man playing at being a private detective on a case he doesn't want, for people he doesn't like. His latest client is a drug trafficker (Dan Stevens) whose wife was kidnapped and brutally murdered, and as Scudder delves deeper, he finds that the crime's sequence is the modus operandi of the perpetrators. It stars Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, and Boyd Holbrook. Matt Follows Loogan. 2014 | Maturity Rating: R | 1h 54m | Mysteries. R (Disturbing Images|Brief Nudity|Language|Strong Violence), Crime, Meanwhile, Scudder grows closer to TJ, encouraging the boy to study and avoid a life of crime. Given the legal and cultural advances pertaining to gay rights and marriage equality, it was likely that some form of backlash would erupt. Coming Soon, Regal He eventually kills him with a gunshot to the head. The expanded two-day event includes Ari Lennox and GloRilla. Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. With Jude Law and Jim Gaffigan as Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Based on Lawrence Block's bestselling series of mystery novels, A Walk among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private. Jonas. And he used to be a drunk. Ray And Albert. IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Theyd been watching the house. One of the key relationships Scudder has is with Elaine Mardell, a professional working girl for over two decades, who he met on the job. Actress Ruth Wilson (Luther) filmed a major supporting role that was later cut as it was felt Scudder needed to be alone. The first big-screen adaptation of these novels was 1986's 8 Million Ways To Die, which cast Jeff Bridges as Scudder. It's a better film than the other reviews here would indicate, and a damn sight better than those Taken films.