A Walk Among the Tombstones

[my_elementor_php_output]

Based on ‘s best-selling series of mystery novels, A Walk Among the Tombstones stars as , an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law.

When it came to the role of ex-NYPD officer Matt Scudder, the filmmakers knew that there was only one man for the job: Liam Neeson. In turn, Neeson was drawn to exploring the loneliness of Scudder's character, as he found the screenplay reflected the bleakness of Scandinavian crime writers whose work he was reading at the time he was approached.

When it came to the role of ex-NYPD officer Matt Scudder, the filmmakers knew that there was only one man for the job: Liam Neeson. In turn, Neeson was drawn to exploring the loneliness of Scudder’s character, as he found the screenplay reflected the bleakness of Scandinavian crime writers whose work he was reading at the time he was approached.

In the early ’90s, novelist Lawrence Block wrote “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” the 10th book in his best-selling series that follows the cases of troubled private detective Matthew Scudder in his quest for redemption. The four-time Edgar Awardwinning writer readily admits that the ex-cop remains a character who simply will not leave his mind: “I started writing about Matthew Scudder in the mid-’70s. There have been moments over the years where it’s seemed as though the series was done, but there always seemed to be more I had to say about him.

More than a decade ago, the novel was brought to the attention of Jersey Films by Scott Frank, an accomplished screenwriter with whom the production company had frequently collaborated. Frank was certain that Block’s signature book would translate into a harrowing suspense thriller, and knew that the filmmakers would be intrigued by its premise. Indeed, they were moved by the story’s tortured soul who sought redemption for past transgressions, as well as the page-turning nature of the intimately documented crimes. Producer Stacey Sher reflects: “There are two things always going on in Lawrence’s novels: Scudder’s internal struggle and whatever mystery or intense situation that he is going through in each book. The character’s under extreme pressure, and the situations are extremely tense.

Sher’s faith in the development process was buoyed by her trust that “there is no expiration date on a good story.” She explains this dogmatic belief: “The universe protected the movie for 12 years and everything finally fell into place, which allowed Scott to write and direct it and Liam to star in it.

Another performer who was keen to explore darkness in his character was Dan Stevens, who plays Tombstones’ Kenny Kristo, a man who loses everything when he finds his beloved wife brutally
murdered.

Playing the role of the aspiring junior detective is rapper Brian “Astro” Bradley, who first skyrocketed to audiences’ attention as one of the finalists on the inaugural season of The X Factor. Since that time, he has ventured into the world of film. Astro shares a bit about his character: “Matt Scudder comes into the library and ‘s sitting there; he sleeps in the library because he’s homeless. TJ and Matt get into a conversation and he finds out that Matt is a private eye, and TJ wants to be just like him. So he follows Matt around the whole movie, and eventually helps him solve a case.

For Lawrence Block, New York City serves as a distinctive presence within his novels, and so the decision to shoot the film primarily in Brooklyn seemed obvious. Other key New York City and outer borough locations for A Walk Among the Tombstones included Hell’s Kitchen, Red Hook, Bushwick and the Lower East Side.

Related content

Share this article: A Walk Among the Tombstones

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Twitter
Email

MORE TOPICS

Graceland

In this unpredictable and tightly-paced thriller, family man Marlon Villar — a longtime chauffeur to corrupt Filipino politician Manuel Chango — is faced with an unthinkable predicament when he is ambushed while driving both his boss’s and his own daughter home from school one afternoon.

Divergent

Filmed on location in Chicago, the futuristic action adventure Divergent is directed by Neil Burger, from a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor, based on the novel by Veronica Roth.

Eddie The Eagle

Eddie tried his hand at various sports and disciplines, before settling on downhill skiing. Having narrowly failed to make the British team at the Winter Olympics in 1984, he recalibrated and switched to ski jumping.

The Rum Diary

The Rum Diary drama film directed by Bruce Robinson. Starring Johnny Depp, Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart. American journalist Paul Kemp takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1950s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the ex-patriots who live there.

The Debt

The story begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (played by Academy Award winner Helen Mirren) and Stephan (two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds of the upcoming Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).

One for the Money

One for the Money is a 2012 Comedy crime thriller film based on the 1994 novel of the same name, written by Janet Evanovich. Directed by Julie Anne Robinson, the screenplay was written by Liz Brixius, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. It stars Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara, Debbie Reynolds, Daniel Sunjata and Sherri Shepherd.