Rest in Peace - A Walk among the Tombstones - DVD

Film: New York, 1999: After a bloody operation eight years ago, Matthew Scudder (Liam Neeson) has quit the police service. Now he lives very secluded and earns his bread as a private investigator. When he receives an order from dealer Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) to track down his wife's killers, Scudder initially rejects the very lucrative offer. Because he knows that by doing so, he would be handing her over to certain death. But when Kristo tells the ex-cop how brutal the perpetrators were and he plays him a tape recording of the murder, Scudder takes up the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the kidnapping and murder of Kristo's wife was not an isolated incident and that the perpetrators seem to be responsible for a whole series of brutal crimes. Scudder wants to put an end to this at all costs. But to do so, he must act outside the boundaries of the law himself...

Since the huge success of the Taken series, Liam Neeson seems to be subscribed to the role of the lone avenger and fighter for justice. In the film adaptation of Lawrence Block's novel Final Destination Graveyard, Neeson is also treading familiar ground. Following the 1986 thriller 8 Million Ways to Die starring Jeff Bridges, Rest in Peace - A Walk Among Tombstones is the second attempt to bring Block's novel hero Scudder to the big screen. Director Scott Frank (The Rules of Violence) paints a very atmospheric picture of pre-millennial New York, adding tension to a rather conventional revenge and vigilante story.

However, this is lost again and again in some too tenaciously staged moments. The plotline involving young TJ (Brian Astro Bradley), for instance, repeatedly slows down what is in itself a very exciting investigation, even if the budding friendship between the street urchin and the ex-cop works well in its own right. Moreover, some of the plot elements are too predictable to create any real suspense. However, the atmospheric camerawork works against this, ensuring that there is never any real boredom, even in the somewhat long-winded or dramaturgically weak moments.

Thanks to the good acting of the cast and the nail-biting finale, the film is also able to make up a lot of ground. Certainly, the wheel is not reinvented here. And a milestone of the thriller genre Scott Frank has also not exactly staged. But if you like atmospheric gritty thriller fare and appreciate solid Hollywood thrillers, this is another worth seeing proof why Liam Neeson is currently one of the most sought-after action heroes in international cinema. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The DVD's image is clean, boasting atmospheric coloration and a high level of sharpness that renders smaller details well, especially in the brighter scenes. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix presents itself quite restrained at the beginning and dominated by the rather centrally mixed dialogue. However, as the story progresses, the successful surround moments increase along with the action sequences, providing pleasant movement in the tonal action thanks to a powerful mix. Good!

Extras: In addition to a standard behind-the-scenes look (approx. 11:37 min.) and a featurette about the main character (approx. 6:10 min.), in which the author of the novel also has his say, the DVD still has the trailer, as well as eight interviews with the actors, the director and the producers (approx. 25:40 min.) to offer. All in all, rather unspectacular promo material, but which also offers some interesting details about the adaptation of the book and the shooting.

Conclusion: Rest in Peace is a solid thriller of the gloomy kind, which lives on its atmospheric staging, the good actors and an exciting story. Some dramaturgical lengths are forgiven quickly. The DVD presents the film in good picture and sound quality. The bonus material is very promolastic, but not uninteresting. Overall, there is a more than deserved: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp