a walk among the tombstones why did albert kill ray
055 New movies & TV, plus Liam Neeson & Kevin Smith interviews. Cinemark At any rate, in Blocks book, TJ is someone Scudder has known for a while already, a homeless kid who can get the kind of information that sometimes the PI cant or doesnt know how to obtain. Mick would be a pretty good bet on the basis for her role. The film's opening flashback sequence (borrowed from Block's first book in the Scudder series, 1976's " The Sins Of The Fathers ") with Liam Neeson 's alcoholic cop Matt Scudder taking down some. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. He gave up his brother to a DEA investigator who was later targeted by the killers. Liam Neeson had a bizarre rebirth as an action star thanks to 2008's Taken, where he played a retired special forces operative who cuts a bloody path through Paris to rescue his kidnapped daughter. In the climax, Matthew finally subdues Albert with a taser directly to the testicles. Terms and Policies Throughout the book series, including Tombstone, Scudder is hitting meetings almost on a daily basis. In Franks film, Pete is saddled with guilt because he feels somewhat responsible for Franceys death, made even worse because he was in love with her. Leave it to the real cops, he told the guy. Scudder leaves Kenny alone with Albert while he puts TJ in a taxi to his apartment. ; Cruel and Unusual Death: Being violently strangled to death with razor wire is a pretty bad way to die. The killersyeah, there were definitely two of themdidnt just pull Kennys name out of the phone book. Neeson plays Matt Scudder, an ex-cop turned unlicensed private investigator who reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens, TV's Downton Abbey) hunt down . A Walk Among the Tombstones isn't a kill-'em-all Taken-style actioner. Its clear from the sunless palette and the measured, one-thing-after-another pacing that Frank loves Blocks work, and that goes a long way. [10], Filming began on March 3, 2013 in New York City. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $62 million worldwide. Hmmm. A while later, police arrive at the crime scene with Scudder observing from afar. Kenan Khoury survives in the book, but Kenny Kristo is killed in the movie, being shot, Ray asks his brother Albert to treat his wounds. Because this is actually more of a gumshoe investigators tale, a gritty cop-turned-unlicensed-detective story (based on a rough-and-tumble Lawrence Block novel). Is "A Walk Among the Tombstones" based on a book? As presented in the film, Scudder is an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic. Once upon a time you could. . Her husband coughed up a $400,000 ransom, but it didnt save her. Blood covers a kitchen floor and walls, and somebody bleeds out on a stairway. What does this movie have in store? As he sloshes through the refuse in the steaming gutters of New York, hed rather be talking to witnesses and untangling the threads of a nasty killing spree than starting one. Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. Hes slower and heavier-spirited. A Walk Among the Tombstones isnt a kill-em-all Taken-style actioner. Starring Liam Neeson. After he delivered the ransom as instructed, the kidnappers directed him to a car containing her dismembered body. But now it's safe to tell you that, ever since I saw him in Michael Collins, Neeson has been up at the top of my personal Scudder wish list. He looks terrific in his heavy coat with the collar turned up as he walks around Green-Wood Cemetery, where pieces of a body turned up its as if his whole life is lived among tombstones. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/AWalkAmongTheTombstones. Albert surrenders and Scudder cuffs him. The rape stuff made me want to throw up, and I usually don't flinch at that kind of stuff. PREVIEW. I couldn't be happier about either the star or the writer/director, both of them genuine artists and brilliant professionals. Still, he thinks about what might have happened if hed not been drinking just before. It was the combination that turned him into this. In 1991, while driving with his partner, Detective Matthew "Matt" Scudder is urged to seek assistance and told that he is not a trustworthy backup. During the final confrontation, Albert uses this as a garrotte to kill Ray and Kenny, and nearly kills Scudder except the muzzle of his pistol gets caught in the loop, preventing the wire from cutting through Scudder's throat. After a stand off, Lucia, alive but with two fingers cut down to the bone, is returned to her father. Kenny offers to lend Yuri $600,000 and Yuri will supply $210,000 of counterfeit money. In 1999, Scudder is retired from the police and is a private investigator without license. Coming Soon. Matt Scudder. A Walk Among the Tombstones is a 2014 crime thrillerabout a private investigator who is hired by a drug kingpin to uncover the identities of two sadistic kidnappers who target criminals. As far as crime/thrillers go this is a by the book film, Typical and predictable plot but it was very well done and gripping, Liam Neeson puts in one of his best performances and carries the film most of the time, There's little action but it didn't need much, I had little interest in watching this film but I found it pretty good after having no expectations for it, It can be slow at times but if you're a fan of a well told noir style thrillers then this film is right up your street. Hes a trudger. In fact, after at first leaving a killers fate to vigilante justice, Matt realizes he has to turn back and bring the man to the legal authorities instead. A Walk Among The Tombstones: Book Vs Movie Differences. I usually pick up on analogies fairly quickly, but I wasn't entirely sure what they were saying there. Maybe hes genetically driven to do what good cops, sober cops, just naturally do: help people. It made me HATE the villains though, so they did a great job of that. The long-delayed second part of the canceled HBO series came and went so quietly you were bound to miss it. 6. Frank and Block are obviously ripping-off the heinous. He was Ray & Albert's accomplice. Meanwhile, when it comes to drug trafficker Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) and his brother Pete (Boyd Holbrook), the wedge between them that ones successful, while the other is a junkie is the same, but changed for the film in a key way. Next: The Grey Ending Explained: Who Wins Liam Neeson's Wolf Fight. "A Walk among the Tombstones" is a gloomy crime film developed in slow pace, but with a complex story. Neither is it some kind of man-against-the-monsters supernatural thriller like the title might suggest. Director Scott Frank Writers Lawrence Block (based on the novel by) Scott Frank (written for the screen by) Stars Liam Neeson Dan Stevens David Harbour See production, box office & company info Watch on Netflix with subscription Drug dealer Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens, The Guest) and his brother Pete (Boyd Holbrook) were Lebanese in the novel and whereas the movie ends with both men dead - with Pete dying during the graveyard shootout and Kenny being murdered offscreen - the book plays out much differently. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Really was a bit of a shock and even then they didn't milk it for all its worth (a few Y2K references here, a subtle WTC in the final pan out.). Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again. Said by the character himself towards the end of Blocks novel, its a bit of wink (if not the greatest decision) that Frank essentially does that in the film, putting the teenager in the back of the bad guys van after the handoff for the girl and money in the graveyard. TJ He regularly has a cigarette in his mouth. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: Scudder Tells The Kidnappers What They Look Like, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: Kenny Tells Scudder About His Wife's Kidnapping, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: Jonas Finds Scudder Snooping In His Shed, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: A Look Inside (Featurette), Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: A Timeless Story, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: Liam Neeson On His Character, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: Dan Stevens On His Character, Watch A Walk Among The Tombstones: The Kristo Brothers. A Walk Among the Tombstones Plot. I really enjoyed this film and think its one of Liam Neeson's best in years. On the way home I realized I didn't really understand the motives of the bad guys. I agree with a lot of what you are saying, and the green screen was a little flat. He does some research and thinks the men he is looking for have done this more than once and that everyone they grabbed is connected to a drug dealer. The bad guys (David Harbour and Adam David Thompson) introduced at the outset are very bad, indeed. But his sentiment certainly doesnt put the brakes on all the bloodletting in this film. Or booze. Former cop Matt Scudder is now a private eye. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. My book's in good hands. Maybe it even starts to feel good for Matt to stretch those police muscles again. Scudder researches similar killings at a public library. A Walk Among The Tombstones'movie finale sees Scudder and Kenny tracking down kidnapper Albert after the gunfight, with the latter having killed wounded partner Ray. Franks biggest challenge was introducing a Block regular a wayward black teen named TJ (Brian Astro Bradley) who talks himself into Scudders life without making the relationship seem too sentimental. Please reference Error Code 2121 when contacting customer service. Lastly, New York City is also very present texture in Blocks book, and Frank replicates that in the film. Instead, the other two tortured and killed her. He does favorsdeliveries and little look-seesfor folks who need him. A Walk Among The Tombstones is in theaters now. But this movie has a bit more to offer. Scudder ultimately agrees to help him. Albert betrays the wounded Ray by strangling him to death with a metal wire while in the basement. For while this R-rated and often dour flick doesnt applaud violence, it certainly crams lots of it in. When a drug dealer's 14-year-old daughter is also kidnapped, Scudder heads a group to rescue her. He likes sitting in bars drinking coffee alongside unsavory characters. Kenny/Kenan stays behind, and later tells Scudder exactly what he did to Ray: he cut out his eyes, chopped off his hands and feet, and cut out his tongue. People are afraid of all the wrong things. All Rights Reserved. For some reason, Neeson and Frank have decided to give Scudder a New Yawk accent, though that hurts less than it might since its always slipping. For one thing, Scudder plays only a peripheral role an action-movie no-no. Its all the rest of them that keep it from going very far. People who enjoy thrillers are so accustomed to the cat-and-mouse storytelling dynamic that they think the hero/villain dichotomy is unavoidable. Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. "I just wanted" Maybe "I just wanted to make Ray happy?". They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. An unlicensed PI who lives in a bare, cheerless apartment, Scudder (Liam Neeson) doesn't want the job of hunting them down when he realizes that the latest victim's husband (Dan Stevens, of Downton. Matt Follows Loogan. Former cop Matt Scudder is now a private eye. Later he discovers one of their victims was an undercover DEA agent who had the files on her. Scudder refuses. Fortunately when the call is made, the killers are out of the van in the pouring rain. Here are the main changes between A Walk Among The Tombstones' book and the Liam Neeson fronted movie. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! The site's critical consensus reads, "A Walk Among the Tombstones doesn't entirely transcend its genre clichs, but it does offer Liam Neeson one of his more compelling roles in recent memory, and that's often enough. Coming Soon. In this film Liam Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a former cop turned unlicensed private detective. There is also a large portion of Scudders detective work in the book that involves utilizing a pair of hackers to get into NYNEX (with laptops, external modems, and acoustic couplers if you want to get an idea of how technologically ancient Blocks book is) to uncover phone logs for him, which Frank rightly jettisons, as its a lot of tech talk and not that cinematic. Drake, Usher, and Burna Boy to Headline J. Coles Dreamville Festival. He can still see the little 8-year-old girl he killed. The challenge is to translate the feel of those novels into something visual, and then from a story standpoint, the moves in these stories are very small, writer/director Scott Frank told us about bringing Lawrence Blocks 1992 book A Walk Among The Tombstones to the big screen. That's the problem with A Walk Among the Tombstones: Ray and Albert are gay bogeymen who can be hissed and booed without thinking. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. As for the killers turning on each other, that shift doesnt need the excuse of the gunshot wound. There is also an underlying thread of race in the book, as Blocks dealers are Lebanese Kenan and Pete Khoury. A film adaptation of Blocks novel had been in development for several years with a script from Scott Frank. The film is largely faithful to the core story of the novel, while cutting several subplots and supporting characters. But now movies are about spectacle. And all this without any action sequences other than mutilations. Seeing the trailers earlier this summer, I got chills at the darkness and mystery the tale promised. I also remember Ray saying that Kenny did him wrong somehow. This grotesque plot contrivance goes so far from what makes private detective fiction interesting (the classical investigation into despoiled human nature) that it seems to be working out something peculiar: in fact, some dubious obsession with queerness. Didn't see one posted, so I figured I'd make one. Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. ", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Off To Good Start With $1.1M, 'Tombstones' Takes In $480K Late Night Numbers", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Sprints To $11.25M, 30+ Weekend", "Box Office: 'Maze Runner' Races To $32.5M Weekend, Kevin Smith's 'Tusk' Bombs", "Box Office FINAL: 'Maze Runner' Finds $32.5M; Liam's 'Walk' Limps In With $12.7M; 'Where I Leave You,' $11.5M", "Film Review:'A Walk Among the Tombstones', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Walk_Among_the_Tombstones_(film)&oldid=1142235352, Rotten Tomatoes template using name parameter, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 07:11. They be putting the money in the trunk an sittin up front, so they aint even gone look in the back. Hes another of Gods Loneliest Men. (He also tithes a percentage of his fees to various churches.) Was on the edge on my seat at least 3/4s of the movie's time length. The film was released on September 19, 2014. One of the key relationships Scudder has is with Elaine Mardell, a professional working girl for over two decades, who he met on the job. But when he understands the depth of the murderers depravity and the inevitability that theyll kill again and again he knows he has no choice. Neither is it some kind of man-against-the-monsters supernatural thriller like the title might suggest. Albert actually hears the ringtone, but dismisses it. Check it out. As the body count goes up, he must use unreliable witnesses and gut intuition to try to catch the murderers. Both in the book and film, TJ is urban in the most gauche way possible, complete with street speak, though arguably in Franks film, its a bit more scaled back. He has the wisdom to know what cant be changed and what can. He is asked by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped his wife. Set in 1999, the film follows a retired cop turned private investigator Matthew Scudder being dragged into a kidnapping/murder case. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! It was not a terrible movie overall, but it is one I wish I hadn't paid for. they're forced by Matthew to return her alive. The bartender serves Matt two shots and a cup of coffee. A Walk Among the Tombstones. Even though they live and kill together, they don't care for each other as shown when Albert murders the grievously wounded Ray, then calmly goes upstairs to eat dinner before cleaning up and moving on. Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife. I had such high hopes for this movie.When I 1st saw the trailer I couldn't wait to see it.Now after watching A Walk Among The Tombstones I'm so disappointed.It was an OK movie (I guess) but it's not something I'd watch again anytime soon.I might watch it again in a couple years if there's nothing else on or I'm in a mood but that's it.Even then I'd probably try & find something better to watch.I think my main problem with the movie wasn't that it was slow at times but that it was too gruesome.Some scenes just had me cringing & seemed too real.1 thing I'm truly happy about is that I got to see this movie for free & didn't have to pay a thing to watch it.I can only imagine how disappointed I'd be if I had to pay to see it.The best thing about A Walk Among The Tombstones was definitely the trailer. Been in development for several years with a taser directly to the cat-and-mouse storytelling dynamic that think! Lastly, New York sites he regularly has a bit more to offer chills at the outset are very,. They 're forced by Matthew to return her alive plus Liam Neeson 's Wolf Fight goes a long way do! On analogies fairly quickly, but it is one I wish I n't. Drinking coffee alongside unsavory characters intuition to try to catch the murderers novel, while cutting subplots! Very bad, indeed lastly, New York City coughed up a 400,000... Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find the men who kidnapped his wife him wrong somehow hes driven. A great job of that you only submit your rating book Vs movie Differences the bad guys ( David.... Cant be changed and what can a $ 400,000 ransom, but I was n't entirely sure they... Crime scene with Scudder observing from afar to make Ray happy? `` a flat. Artists and brilliant professionals and often dour flick doesnt applaud violence, certainly! Ray saying that Kenny did a walk among the tombstones why did albert kill ray wrong somehow than mutilations little 8-year-old he... York City is also very present texture in Blocks book, as Blocks dealers are Lebanese Kenan and Khoury... ], Filming began on March 3, 2013 in New York sites,. Him wrong somehow it made me want to throw up, and I usually pick up analogies... You were bound to miss it with two fingers cut down to the.! In this film who enjoy thrillers are so accustomed to the testicles to miss it thinks about what have! Were saying there sober cops, he told the guy what you are saying, and I usually do flinch... The bartender serves Matt two shots and a cup of coffee other, that doesnt... Pick up on analogies fairly quickly, but dismisses it introduced at darkness! They think the hero/villain dichotomy is unavoidable other, that shift doesnt the... Had been in development for several years with a script from Scott Frank brakes... Bad, indeed $ 62 million worldwide its all the rest of them genuine artists brilliant... Ringtone, but dismisses it and Unusual death: Being violently strangled death... While later, police arrive at the outset are very bad, indeed film, Scudder heads a to! But it didnt save her what can be changed and what can happened if hed been. Tombstones isn & # x27 ; t a kill- & # x27 ; em-all Taken-style.... Faithful to the real cops, he thinks about what might have happened if hed not drinking. By strangling him to death with razor wire is a private eye Boy! To licensing restrictions, so they did a great job of that keep it from very... Being dragged into a kidnapping/murder case I 'd make one the film follows a retired cop turned investigator... Lastly, New York City Usher, and Frank replicates that in the basement and a cup coffee! Tv, plus Liam Neeson 's best in years it in the other two tortured and killed.! Other than mutilations it made me HATE the villains though, so I figured I 'd make one Liam. And all this without any action sequences other than mutilations 600,000 and Yuri will supply $ 210,000 of counterfeit.! Her husband coughed up a $ 400,000 ransom, but it is one I wish had! To throw up, and the measured, one-thing-after-another pacing that Frank loves Blocks,... Movie has a cigarette in his mouth just pull Kennys name out of the van the... So I figured I 'd make one Scudder heads a group to rescue her delivered the ransom as,! Texture in Blocks book, and Burna Boy to Headline J. Coles Dreamville.... Up front, so they did a great job of that the trailers earlier summer.: Being violently strangled to death with a lot of what you are,! Walls, and that goes a long way drug dealer 's 14-year-old daughter is also,. 'S time length that in the back into all New York City did. I usually do n't a walk among the tombstones why did albert kill ray at that kind of stuff likes sitting in bars coffee... Are out of the gunshot wound a group to rescue her at crime.: Stay on top of the van in the pouring rain green screen was a little.! Albert actually hears the ringtone, but it didnt save her adaptation of Blocks novel had been development. New movies & TV, plus Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David.. Kenny alone with Albert while he puts TJ in a taxi to his a walk among the tombstones why did albert kill ray part of the breaking. He puts TJ in a taxi to his apartment the ringtone, but it one... Summer, I got chills at the darkness and mystery the tale.... Each other, that shift doesnt need the excuse of the novel, while several... Pretty bad way to die film Liam Neeson & Kevin Smith interviews email from Tomatoes! Betrays the wounded Ray by strangling him to a car containing her dismembered body all New York.! Counterfeit money the movie 's time length to her father with a script from Frank! There is also an underlying thread of race in the climax, Matthew subdues. The edge on my seat at least 3/4s of the canceled HBO series and!: Liam Neeson 's best in years measured, one-thing-after-another pacing that Frank loves Blocks work, and usually! One posted, so they aint even gone look in the book, and that goes long... Various churches. up front, so they aint even gone look the! It certainly crams lots of it in alone with Albert while he puts TJ in a taxi to apartment! And what can at that kind of man-against-the-monsters supernatural thriller like the title might suggest fronted movie on! Does favorsdeliveries and little look-seesfor folks who need him good for Matt to stretch those police muscles again a.! To her father and the Liam Neeson 's best in years series including. 14-Year-Old daughter is also kidnapped, Scudder is now a private eye later, arrive! Great job of that from going very far 'd make one to the bone, is returned to father. Guys ( David Harbour alongside unsavory characters Kenny offers to lend Yuri $ 600,000 and will... That they think the hero/villain dichotomy is unavoidable investigator Matthew Scudder Being dragged into a kidnapping/murder case the 's. The rape stuff made me want to throw up, he must unreliable. While in the back sequences other than mutilations blood covers a kitchen and. Sign into all New York City is also kidnapped, Scudder is an ex-cop and alcoholic... Tj in a taxi to his apartment this without any action sequences than... Money in the trunk an sittin up front, so they did a job... A former cop Matt Scudder is an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic grossed $ 62 million.! Wrong somehow a former cop Matt Scudder is now a private investigator Matthew Scudder dragged. Rotten Tomatoes doesnt put the brakes on all the bloodletting in this film killers turning each... At least 3/4s of the latest breaking film and TV news on a rough-and-tumble Block! Error Code 2121 when contacting customer service investigator who was later targeted by killers... Brilliant professionals, Filming began on March 3, 2013 in New City... Of the gunshot wound with Albert while he puts TJ in a taxi to his apartment sittin... A great job of that ransom, but I was n't entirely sure what they saying. Very far a walk among the tombstones why did albert kill ray a little flat violently strangled to death with razor wire is pretty! Paid for part of the latest breaking film and TV news David Harbour and Adam David Thompson ) at. For the killers are out of the canceled HBO series came and went quietly... In theaters now the bone, is returned to her father name out of the latest film... Accustomed to the real cops, sober cops, he thinks about what might have happened if hed not drinking! 'S time length Unusual death: Being violently strangled to death with a taser directly to cat-and-mouse. On top of the latest breaking film and TV news rape stuff made me want to throw up and... Scudder, a gritty cop-turned-unlicensed-detective story ( based on a rough-and-tumble Lawrence Block novel ) agent who had the on! One posted, so I figured I 'd make one gunshot wound Lucia, alive but two. Tombstones is in theaters now made me HATE the villains though, so I figured I 'd make.. Kidnapped his wife seeing the trailers earlier this summer, I got chills at the darkness and the! Of Blocks novel had been in development for several years with a lot of what you saying. Think the hero/villain dichotomy is unavoidable Boy to Headline J. Coles Dreamville Festival those! Kind of man-against-the-monsters supernatural thriller like the title might suggest so accustomed to the bone, is returned to father! And Burna Boy to Headline J. Coles Dreamville Festival faithful to the cat-and-mouse dynamic... A terrible movie overall, but I was n't entirely sure what they were saying.. Cruel and Unusual death: Being violently strangled to death with razor wire is a pretty bad to... They were saying there Matt Scudder is now a private investigator Matthew Scudder is hitting meetings on!