Liam Neeson's Darkest Action Thriller Is A 2014 Gem Worth Streaming On Prime Video

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Liam Neeson has made a lot of action movies over the last 18 years. 2008's "Taken" gave Neeson an unexpected action star makeover late into his career. In his mid-50s, the Oscar-nominated actor behind "Schindler's List" was now on a totally different path. Quite a few of the movies he made during this period were forgettable, like "Blacklight." Many of them were so-so. But a few of them were straight-up gems. Such is the case with 2014's "A Walk Among the Tombstones."

Streaming now on Prime Video, "A Walk Among the Tombstones" was directed by Scott Frank, the screenwriter behind "Out of Sight" and "Logan." The action thriller was adapted from Lawrence Block's novel of the same name and spent years stuck in development before Neeson came along, with actors such as Harrison Ford having previously been attached to the lead role. But Neeson in his post-"Taken" era had the juice to get it across the finish line, and the result is much more interesting and pensive than much of the other "action movie of the week" fare the star was involved with around this time.

The movie centers on Matt Scudder (Neeson), an ex-cop turned unlicensed private investigator who reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who murdered his wife. When Scudder learns that this isn't the first time these men have committed this sort of crime, he tracks the criminals through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.

Basically, there's a reason Hollywood keeps making action films starring Neeson: People continue to watch the s**t out of them. As such, for anyone who generally enjoys his genre movies but has yet to catch this moodier and more thoughtful entry in the actor's filmography, it's well worth your time.

These "old man Liam Neeson action films" range from bad to great. "Taken" is genuinely really good, even if it is a little straightforward. There's a reason why it kicked off an entirely different chapter for Neeson, who had already enjoyed a very healthy career up to that point. Then there's stuff like "Unknown," which is more at home in the Walmart discount DVD bin. (No disrespect to the Walmart discount DVD bin.)

Several of these movies rise above that level of junk food action cinema. Director Joe Carnahan's "The Grey" is arguably Neeson's best action movie, even if its marketing would've had you believe it was more about the actor punching wolves in the wild. In addition, I would humbly argue that "A Walk Among the Tombstones" exists right alongside it as one of the best examples of what Neeson can bring to the action genre when everything clicks.

It's worth noting that critics and audiences were a bit mixed on the movie when it first came out. "A Walk Among the Tombstones" carries a 68% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a pretty rough 53% audience score. A lot of that probably has to do with expectations. They came in hoping for "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" but got something closer to 1974's "Death Wish."

"A Walk Among the Tombstones" is a gritty movie. It's not a run-and-gun actioner. Rather, it's actually got something to say and wants to leave you thinking. Plus, it features a pre-"Stranger Things" David Harbour as the villain. With the right expectations heading in, this is a rewarding viewing experience.

You can also grab "A Walk Among the Tombstones" on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.