I may be jumping the
gun a bit, since the film doesn't officially open until September 19th, but
there's just something about Liam Neeson's latest paranoid thriller, A Walk Among The Tombstones, that seems
awfully familiar. Check out one if the earlier ads for the movie, still making
the rounds on TV, and you'll see what mean:
Did you catch it?
True, the plot (adapted from the novel by Robert Block) could be taken from any
number of films, about an "off the books" detective hired to find the
missing wife of some affluent rich guy in the city. And the action beats are
practically recycled from Neeson's recent string of adrenaline-pumping,
career-redefining hits. More specifically, though, I'm talking about 0:20
through 0:26, which should be enough to drive Taken fans into an absolute frenzy.
A kidnapped loved
one. A threatening phone call. And finally, a promise of repercussions and
vengeance. You know the drill. It's clear the ads for AWATT are trying to appeal to a particular demographic, and I don't
mean people who enjoy leisurely strolls through cemeteries. Instead, I'm
betting the folks at Universal Pictures are hoping and praying our love for all
things Taken will be what ultimately
ropes us into theaters. (That's a great title by the way: A Walk Among The Tombstones. In today's age of notoriously short
attention spans, I'm surprised the title wasn't focus-grouped into something a
little less like its source material and more BAM! SPIFF! POW!)
Conspicuously, that
same "looking behind you for the rest of your worthless life" moment
is missing from the film's actual trailer. Note how the plot tends to skew a
lot darker too:
So wait... the rich
guy's wife was actually murdered after he paid the ransom? And he wants the
kidnappers captured so he can enact his revenge? Where was that helpful piece
of information during the commercials? If that's the case, who is the damsel in
distress being carted around by the bad guys? Can we even be sure at this point
whether that fateful phone conversation actually happens during the movie at
all? Time will tell, of course (and fans of the book already know the answer),
but for now it's an abject lesson in how to market your movie to specific
people in strangely specific ways.
Oh, and lest you
think A Walk Among The Tombstones is the first one to have a go at this, you should also
remember these:
Interested in more Movie Coincidences of the Day? Click here for our introductory article. Then click here, here, here, and here for everything after.
No comments:
Post a Comment