A Walk Among the Tombstones

A Walk Among the Tombstones - Dir. Scott Frank (2014)

The first few months of the year are generally a cinematic wasteland, a time when the studios dump their more forgettable fare into theaters. One of the few bright spots over the last couple years during these doldrums has been Liam Neeson's renaissance as an action hero. Okay, so they aren't exactly high art, but they have been enjoyable popcorn movies. If theatrical releases like Taken 3 and Run All Night weren't enough to whet your Neeson appetite, then you're in luck because A Walk Among the Tombstones is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

While most of Neeson's action flicks are variations on the same theme, Tombstones is slightly different. Although, you do get the requisite scene in which Neeson warns the villains over the phone about his particular set of skills. This isn't the standard shoot 'em up where Neeson dispatches an army of anonymous henchmen with lethal precision. In fact, the opening sequence refutes that sort of myopic mayhem by showing its ugly consequences.

The film begins in 1991 with NYPD Detective Matt Scudder stopping off at his favorite dive bar for his usual coffee and two shots of hard alcohol. When a trio of thugs robs the place and murders the bartender, Scudder chases them into the streets and guns them down one by one. Tragically, one of his stray bullets strikes a 7-year old girl, killing her instantly.

Flash forward to 1999 and Scudder is now a recovering alcoholic who earns a living as an unlicensed private investigator. He reluctantly accepts a case from drug dealer, Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens), whose wife was abducted, murdered, and brutally dismembered even after the ransom was paid. As Scudder digs deeper, he discovers the kidnappers have killed before and are targeting criminals knowing they won't contact the police.

Director Scott Frank has a notable resume with writing credits on Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Minority Report along with an impressive directorial debut with The Lookout. Frank does an admirable job setting the mood for Tombstones with a dour look at the Big Apple. This is a time when New Yorkers were worried about Y2K, unaware that 9/11 would forever change their lives in less than two years. Death and violence are omnipresent. Tombstones may not be gratuitously gory; it can be gruesome, especially for those of female persuasion. This is a movie where women exist as little more than meat to be butchered. Another misstep on Frank's part is a muddled climax that is clumsily cut together and made more awkward by the inclusion of Neeson reading each step of Alcoholics Anonymous.

At least Neeson's presence is more than enough to keep you enthralled. He can do stoic and tortured in his sleep. Plus, it's nice to see Neeson do actual detective work rather than hooking them up to a car battery. And Tombstones isn't relentlessly macabre due to Scudder's budding friendship with a street-wise kid named T.J. (Brian "Astro" Bradley).

A Walk Among the Tombstones is about as involving and richly woven as a typical episode of Law & Order: SVU. Still, it's serviceable enough as a modern noir and a vehicle for Liam Neeson's brand of vengeance.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

The Guest

The Guest - Dir. Adam Wingard (2014)

Director Adam Wingard has been making a name for himself on the horror scene with segments in the anthology films V/H/S and V/H/S/2. However, it was You're Next, a unique take on the home invasion thriller, that earned Wingard rave reviews. The majority of critics responded positively to its mixture of scares, dark humor, and over-the-top kills.

Wingard is back with The Guest, another genre bending film that's part-action, part-thriller, and an homage to the cult classics of the 1980's. The movie announces its intentions right off the bat with a synth-pop soundtrack (tunes by Sisters of Mercy, Front 242 & Clan of Xymox) and an opening title font straight out of a John Carpenter picture.

The Guest opens with a lone figure jogging in the middle of nowhere. This is David (Dan Stevens), a soldier recently released from a military hospital after serving in Afghanistan. He is paying respect to the family of Caleb Peterson, a deceased comrade from his tour in the Middle East. Before Caleb died, he made David promise to check in on his family. Although Anna (Maika Monroe) is a bit wary, the rest of the Peterson clan is more than welcoming to the handsome and humble young man. David becomes a surrogate son to Mrs. Peterson (Sheila Kelley), a drinking buddy to Mr. Peterson (Leland Orser), and a protector to little brother Luke (Brendan Meyer). When he sees Luke has been bullied, David quickly dispatches the tormentors with Jason Bourne-style efficiency.

In spite of David's good looks and quiet charm, Anna remains suspicious, especially when details from his back story don't check out. Then, there's the private security firm who are alerted when Anna pokes around too closely.

The Guest posits a scenario where the Terminator and Michael Myers aren't inhuman monsters, but an exceedingly handsome Adonis with a sympathetic story. The Petersons don't think twice about letting in someone with his All-American good looks into their home. Ironic since Dan Stevens is British. For those only familiar with Stevens as the pale and gaunt Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey, his appearance in The Guest will be quite the surprise. Just as it is to Anna when a buff and toned David emerges from a steamy bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He's Captain America from the dark side. There's a sinister aura to David, but you don't want it to be true. He beats up bullies, dispenses sage advice, and provides Mrs. Peterson a shoulder to cry on. Surely, he's the hero of the film.

Wingard starts things off with a slow burn until the third act when the story goes completely off the rails and becomes an old school action flick. In fact, Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett toyed with the idea of including the Cannon Group logo much like Tarantino attaching the Shaw Brothers' logo to Kill Bill. The plot twists in The Guest are the type of absurd contrivances that might have popped up in the works of schlockmeisters such as Albert Pyun or Renny Harlin. The final act only gets better with the addition of Lance Reddick as a hardass military officer on the hunt for David.

This is when Wingard takes a page from the John Woo playbook as armed men storm the Peterson home. The troops unload their machine guns without ever reloading while Reddick's long, flowing trenchcoat ruffles against the wind in slow motion. David even draws a pair of automatic handguns as he's framed by laundry blowing back and forth. You half expect a flock of doves to glide into frame. Wingard puts a cherry on top with a climax set inside a hall of mirrors ala Lady from Shanghai and Enter the Dragon.

The Guest might stretch the boundaries of believability, but damned if it isn't a good time. Wingard has crafted an enjoyable blend of black comedy, action, and horror.

Rating: *** (*****)