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Liam Neeson’s voice purrs with conviction, even when he disguises his native Irish brogue. It’s one reason that moviegoers have followed him from acclaimed dramatic films to action flicks. Whether playing a knight, a priest, a sex researcher, or an ex-intelligence agent, Neeson inhabits the roles of men with ethics to match particular sets of skills, even when their inner codes are questionable. We trust him: as a hero, a villain, or someone forging his own path between good and evil. His distinctive timbre tells us we can.
Neeson brings “his calm, anchoring core” to the big screen once again in “A Walk Among the Tombstones.” He plays Matt Scudder, an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic who does “favors for friends” as an unlicensed private eye, based on the character in Lawrence Block’s best-selling mystery series. Interestingly, Jeff Bridges previously played Scudder in the 1986 film “8 Million Ways to Die.”
The new film, in theaters as of September 19, follows Scudder through a faithful, hard-boiled script from writer-director Scott Frank (“Out of Sight,” “The Lookout”) as the investigator tracks down the abductor/murderer of the wife of a high-end drug dealer (Dan Stevens of “Downton Abbey”). Block visited the film set last year and told The Wrap that he “couldn’t be happier” with the director and star.
“Ever since I saw him in ‘Michael Collins,’ Neeson has been at the top of my personal Scudder wish list,” he said. “My book’s in good hands.”
I enjoyed learning more about Neeson for my profile of him today on Word and Film. Although we didn’t name our son after Mr. Neeson, I find myself saying, “Like Liam Neeson” a lot when people mishear Liam’s name. It’s an association I don’t mind. Although he can play a villain, Neeson repeatedly comes across off-screen as a stand-up guy.