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

Meanwhile, the remains of another female victim are found in the park in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery. It is through the cemetery's creepy ground-keeper (Olafur Darri Olafsson) that Scudder learns the identity of the serial killers.

But it's the kidnapping of Lucia, the young daughter of a Russian drug dealer (Sebastian Roche) that brings him in a direct face-off with the serial psychopaths.

It is the tense negotiations and the violent set-pieces in the gory atmospheric climax that give the film its memorable moments.

With good production values, the visuals of Scudder's world is impressively captured, with long, sharply composed, static shots by cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. And the viewing is enhanced by composer Carlos Rafael Rivera's unexpectedly melodic background score.

It is an out-and-out Liam Neeson film and the actor plays the glum ageing ex-cop to near perfection. He is assisted by TJ (Brian "Astro" Bradley), a homeless teenager who aspires to become an investigator one day. Their interaction in the library or on the streets seems strained, forced and obligatory for the script to proceed.

There are no strong female characters in the film.

The psychopaths posing as DEA agents, played by David Harbour and Adam David Thompson, are marginally developed as characters. Their motive remains consistently vague and comes to nothing during the finale, which ends up diluting the menacing effect they were supposed to exude.

The uncalled for elaborate back-stories with emotional drama along with sporadic bouts of pulpy dialogues, which include the Y2K compliance and dark humour, break the severity of the plot progression.

Similarly, the interpolation of the Alcoholic Anonymous' 12 steps in the final showdown fails to create an emotional impact.

Overall, the elaborate plot with thematic concerns, from alcoholism and gun control to the nature of vengeance and jealousy, are nothing more than window dressing for this detective story.