A Walk Among the Tombstones

Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.

A mixed-to-decent neo-noir that lands somewhere between a generic Liam Neeson action vehicle and something more genuinely atmospheric. Critics who warmed to it pointed to its deliberate, literary tone and Neeson's unusually grounded performance, while those less convinced found it too beholden to worn genre conventions. The film's unflinching depiction of violence against women drew specific notice as a source of discomfort that some felt undercut the pulpy pleasures.