This is a 3.5 to 4 star movie set in 1999 with an old fashion formula detective mystery story line adapted from one of Lawrence Block's mystery novels. Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson), an unlicensed P.I. and ex-cop suffering from his own demons, agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and brutally murdered his wife. As Scudder investigates the crime he discovers another victim has been kidnapped. The line between right and wrong blurs as he races to save the the latest victim before she is brutally killed. Blu-ray 2.40:1 format with limited extra features.

Because it was Liam Neeson in the lead, I somehow expected an action shoot-em up. It wasn't quite that! A crime thriller, certainly, and with plenty of gun play to touch my expectations. I enjoyed this modest movie. Liam turned in his usual precise-character performance that never fails to convince me he's who he says he is. There were other notable portrayals but he held this one together. The movie got progressively bloodier, which wasn't easy considering the nature of the crime he was investigating anyway. And the ending was as satisfying as getting that really hard 'burp!" out of your system; not nice but really relieving. I'd recommend this one for a good stint in drama and not-so-good vs evil.

"A Walk Among the Tombstones" starts out as another Film Noir-ish Liam Neeson action thriller. But this movie has a bit more to offer. Neeson turns in a solid performance, backed by a good supporting cast that features Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as a sympathetic drug trafficker and a couple of really vicious bad guys. The plot keeps throwing out one-off twists, and there is an interesting AA theme threaded through the story. The movie's slow delivery takes full advantage of the New York City setting with some meditative camera work. This might be a formula movie, but the delivery is good and the suspense is great. Recommended as good entertainment.