'A Walk Among The Tombstones': An Over Embellished Detective Thriller

FILM: "A Walk Among The Tombstones"; Cast: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, David Harbour, Adam David Thompson, Brian "Astro" Bradley, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Sebastian Roche, Mark Consuelos, and Danielle Rose Russell; Director: Scott Frank; Rating: ***

An adaptation of Lawrence Block's novel, director Scott Frank's "A Walk Among The Tombstones" is a conventional detective thriller that is stylishly put together in a carelessly ensemble fashion.

Embellished with sub-plots that form back-stories to practically every character, overeggs the story, making the jig-saw conundrum stand out in parts.

The tense opening scene set in 1991 provides the back-story of the unlicensed private investigator, Matthew Scudder (Liam Neeson) who gave up drinks and his career when his shootout with some gun wielding thugs on the streets of New York City went tragically awry.

The narration shifts to 1999. Scudder is enrolled in the Alcoholics Anonymous. A fellow addict Peter Kristo (Boyd Holbrook) introduces Scudder to his drug trafficker brother, Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) whose wife was kidnapped and killed in spite of him having paid $400,000 as ransom.

Now, seething with vengeance and without any legal involvement, Kenny is keen that Scudder helps him identify the culprits. It is after much reluctance that Scudder accepts the assignment.