Post-credits, the action moves forward to 1999, which director Scott Frank signifies time and time again with reference to the Y2K millennium bug. He notes it so many times you end up convinced it must be a brilliant plot device. It isn’t. It’s a bludgeoning reminder of the year the film is set in, that underpins the many other efforts made to set the mood and tone of the piece. There are a couple of films in A Walk Among The Tombstones. It works best as a character study, with Neeson on screen for the vast bulk of the film’s running time, and carrying the wear and tear of his character broadly on his shoulders. He’s excellent in the role. Less successful, and you sense this worked a little better in the book the film is based on, is his unlikely teaming up with a youngster by the name of TJ (played by Brian “Astro” Bradley), with the two forming a bond that never really works, or feels right, on screen. Perhaps the biggest problem lies in the detective side itself, as Neeson gradually uncovers what’s been happening, and why people are disappearing. For the path leads to antagonists that leave you scratching your head at their sheer lack of intelligence. Notwithstanding the fact that it’s not really clear why they’re doing what they’re doing, the last third of the story takes logic jumps that go against the tone of the deathly serious drama up to that point. As a consequence, at the point the film should be building towards its big moments, you’re left stroking your chin and wondering why such an interesting concept took such daft turns. Still, you get decent quality time with Liam Neeson. And there are some pigeons as well. But there’s a real sense that, for all the qualities of A Walk Among The Tombstones, that there’s a missed opportunity here. A Walk Among The Tombstones is out in UK cinemas on the 19th September.
