Liam Neeson is back on the big screen this weekend in Scott Frank's A Walk Among the Tombstones.

The Irish actor has developed a reputation for revenge roles ever since he kicked butt across Europe in Luc Besson's Taken series.

Now, Hollywood's favourite angry man plays Matthew Scudder, the recovering alcoholic ex-cop from Lawrence Block's bestselling crime novels.

Unlike Neeson's unstoppable hero in Taken​, Scudder is a man beaten down by life but still blundering ahead.

The character's faults give a refreshing depth to what's become a familiar role for the actor.

"It's Philip Marlowe meets Fletch as he stumbles toward a solution," says CBC film critic Eli Glasner. 

A Walk Among the Tombstones is in theatres Friday.

Watch Eli Glasner's full review in the video above.