Frank Scott's atmospheric and gloomy crime thriller paid off his budget even before being released - at the stage of purchase by movie theaters around the world for hire. Liam Neeson’s expressive back on the movie poster and chilling trailer set the bar high for public expectations. A detective story swirling around the search for a serial killer maniac would hardly have caused such a stir. But the creators of the film made several win-win moves, pulling this movie to the surface of the sea of ​​such criminal dramas. A certain bias in the style of “noir”, as well as the selection of actors, made the film “Walk among the Graves” very noticeable in its genre.
Plot plot
The film “A Walk Among the Graves” begins with a scene in a bar that took place several years before the main events. Skudder, who went to miss the traditional couple of glasses, witnesses the murder of the owner of the institution, played by Patrick McDade. Tearing away, he begins to pursue the attackers and kills one of them. Only in the middle of the film will he tell you exactly what tragic accident in this shootout made him write a statement of his own free will and enroll in courses of anonymous alcoholics.
The plot begins when Peter Cristo, played by Boyd Holbrook, asks Scudder to proceed to his brother's house on a very important matter. The detective reluctantly agrees and arrives. Kenny asks for help finding his wife's killer. But the detective, having learned that he is a drug dealer, at first refuses. Kenny comes to him again and tells the shocking details of the murder. This time, Scudder agrees and takes up the search.
Scudder attacked the trail
During the investigation, the detective understands: this was far from an isolated case, he went to two serial maniacs who had been hunting and killing young women for a long time. Moreover, all the victims are somehow related to the drug business - they are either wives or friends of potion traders. Their peculiar tactics for punishing dealers for their unrighteous deeds was that they took them hostage and then brutally killed the girls. To attack the trail he helps the ranger of the cemetery Yunas Logan, which was performed by Oulavur Darry Oulafsson. He is an involuntary accomplice in the murder of one of the victims. And either from the burden of guilt, or from fear of accomplices, commits suicide.
Unexpected culprit
Having unraveled the chain of crimes, Scudder finds out that Peter Cristo unwittingly laid the foundation for them when he handed over his brother to the UBN agent Maria Gottensberg. The maniacs sought by him, having killed her, got into their hands a dossier on all drug lords, including Kenny. Their last goal was a native of Russia, Yuri Landau, whose wife was paralyzed. But he had a fourteen-year-old daughter, Lucy. It was her killers Ray and Albert who stole. But then Skudder entered the game, to which Yuri turned on the advice of Kenny. Whether they managed to free the girl and how this dangerous game ended - see for yourself in the film “Walk among the Graves”.
Characteristics of the main characters
Matt Scudder is a former cop. Because of his addiction to alcohol, he fired a rash shot. As a result, he was forced to leave the police. But this did not stop him from protecting the orphans and the disadvantaged privately. Fighting offspring of lawlessness, he simultaneously tries to curb his inner demons. In search of the best in himself, he is helped by a black teenager named TJ, played by Astro. This sassy, ​​funny young man dreams of becoming a detective. And Scudder practically takes him as a partner. Kenny Cristo, who turned to the detective with a request to find the murderers of his wife, is a drug dealer who has climbed the ladder of financial prosperity. Despite his criminal activities, the character is imbued with obvious sympathy. And not only because he tragically lost his beloved wife. But also because it is simply impossible to resist the gaze of the clear blue eyes of Dan Stevens.
Film crew
A film is made not only by actors. “Walk among the graves” is the merit of a whole team of producers. In addition to Denis DeVito, Michael Schamberg and Brian Oliver, 16 more names are on the list. The director, who is also a screenwriter, Frank Scott is the author of many successful films such as Wolverine, Minority Report, Marley and Me. And, of course, do not forget Lawrence Block, the author of the book on which the film was made. He also took an active part both in writing the script and in the selection of actors.
The trump card of the film “Walk among the Graves” - Liam Neeson
The path to Neeson's fame was a long one, by the standards of the Hollywood pace, when young actors become world famous, even too long. The first widespread fame came to him at the age of 41 after a role in the film "Schindler's List." But all subsequent films only increased this fame. Star Wars, The Phantom Menace, The New York Gangs, The Hostage, The Struggle - Liam confidently settled in the role of the action-packed movie hero. It seemed that the indefatigable energy did not allow him to take on dramatic roles. In this sense, in “A Walk among the Graves”, Neeson stepped back from the usual image, which pleased his fans a lot. Matthew Scudder does not rush around the screen, clutching a gun in his hands and saving the world. Neeson tried to deepen his character. We can confidently say that in the film “Walk among the Graves” Liam Neeson opened up new facets of his talent.
Actors: “A Walk Among the Graves” (2014)
David Harbor and Adam David Thomson composed an excellent duet as two ruthless psychopaths. Thomson, apparently, did not have to learn the script at all - for all the screen time allotted to him, he makes only a few sentences. And David Harbor has long proved his unique ability to play crazy maniacs. The astro who portrayed TJ, even against the backdrop of his venerable partner Liam Nisson, did not look pale. He perfectly succeeded in the role of a striving to be independent and invulnerable, but still a very lonely teenager. Also very convincing was Boyd Holbrook as Peter Kenny. The image of a drug addict with a red, sore eyes, hopelessly in love with his brother’s wife and secretly envious of his success, turned out to be sewn together.
A small role was played by Danny Ortiz in the film Maurice Comte, known to the audience on the TV series Narco. But the most successful supporting role went to the actor who portrayed the character of Yunas Logan. Oulawyur Darry Oulafsson practically does not act in American films. Although he was born in Connecticut, he lived all his life in Iceland, where he became one of the most famous actors. He repeatedly received local awards, and also received a prize at the Karlovy Vary festival. Invite him to participate in the filming was a very good idea of ​​Frank Scott. This really strong actor deduced from the small role of the notorious fat man a truly tragic line.
If the film was a success, it makes no sense to sort out how well the actors coped with their task. “Walk among the graves” is definitely a very high-quality thriller with its own special atmosphere. And this is the result of the efforts of each member of the film crew.
Interesting Facts
The first appearance of Matthew Scudder on the screens took place in 1986 in the film "8 million ways to die." Then he played Jeff Bridges. The idea that Liam Nisson played the main role in the film “Walk Among the Graves” came to Lawrence Blok, the author of the book. When he saw the actor in the role of Michael Collins in the film of the same name, he realized that no one could better realize the image of Matthew Scudder. Dan Stevens for the role of Kenny Cristo had to lose almost 14 kilograms. Initially, director Joe Carnahan took on the adaptation of Blok's books , and Harrison Ford was to play the main role in it. All that remains now is to fantasize whose version would be the best.
In Block's book, Scudder has a partner - Joe Dorkin. The creators of the film for some reason considered that it should be a woman (although the book is a man) and took Ruth Wilson for this role. But when all the scenes with her participation were filmed, Scott Frank decided that Neeson's hero should be a loner, and in the final version of the film, we will no longer be able to look at the sex-changed partner Skudder. The names of the three victims are an unambiguous reference to Jesus Christ: Gotteskind translates as “child of God,” Andersen is “the son of man,” and Christo, in fact, is Christ.
What did the author mean?
The slogan of the film reads: "People are afraid of something not worth fearing." The seed for the thriller is the most successful. But what did the creators deduce from it? Many viewers, after watching the question arose about the moral component of the idea of ​​the film. Drug dealers trading in death are exhibited in it by almost good heroes. It is as if they are telling us that we should not be afraid of drug dealers, but psychopaths who steal and brutally kill their beloved women. No doubt, the addict has some kind of - very illusive - hope that he can recover and become at least outwardly a normal person. You can’t just run away from under the maniac’s knife. But to contrast such awesome vices in order to choose the least of two evils seems at least strange.
All actors are good in this film, without exception. “Walk among the graves” turned out to be exciting, interesting and forcing you to look at some things from a different angle.