A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014 - Film Analysis

Synopsis

A drug dealer's wife has been kidnapped and killed. He hires ex-cop, Matt Scudder, to find out who it was who killed his wife.

These screenshots are taken from the first meeting of Matt and the drug dealer. This first screenshot establishes where the two men are talking. It is a long-shot which shows both of the men sitting opposite one another and part of the setting around them. The audience can establish that they are both sitting in the living room as they are sitting sofas and arm chairs which you typically find n a living room. There is also a fireplace in the same room which is another aspect which suggests that they are both in the living room. This makes their meeting with one another less formal besides the fact that that neither men has met one another before.

I really like the shot reverse shots between the two men. This is because whilst you can see the front of the one who is talking, you can see the back of the other character, however, it is slightly blurred out. This is a really effective technique as it allows the audience to know that the other person is there but it automatically makes them not focus on that person because at that specific point, the other character is the main focus. 

You can tell that the ex-cop has only recently arrived at the house as he still is wearing his coat and a scarf. This suggests that he doesn't live at the house like the other character does because the drug dealer is only wearing a shirt and some trousers which is all he would need if he has been in the house.

By the fact that the ex-cop is wearing a scarf could help establish to the audience what time of year the film is set. Scarfs are usually worn during the autumn and winter months and maybe even early spring.

Both of the characters speaking are american. Therefore the audience would assume that they are both in and from America.

Their clothes and the furniture in the room is quite modern. This suggests to the audience that the film is set during the modern days.

After a few over the should shot reverse shots, the camera then changes to a shot reverse shot between the two men but with close up shots. I really like this technique because it adds a bit more interest to the conversation and the audience is able to get a better look at the character's faces. 

As their conversation becomes more intense, the close up camera shots have quicker cuts which adds to the tension of the conversation. As their sentences become less intense, the close up camera shots aren't so sudden when they cut.

I really like the way that after the men have spoken with some shot reverse shots, they continue to speak but as the camera cuts to a long shot which is over one of the characters shoulder. This makes the conversation interesting as it gives the audience a sudden change in the camera shots which helps to keep them focused whilst watching the film. It allows the audience to see the room from a different perspective. For instance, in this shot, you can see that the living room is one of the front rooms as there is a large window with some veil-like material hanging down which blocks anyone's vision into the room if they were to look in from the outside.

The drug dealer is the man sitting on the left whilst the ex-cop is sitting on the right. This house is where the drug dealer lives. You can see that he is a well-off man as his living room looks very smart as all of the objects in the room are matching. The items in the room look of a good quality which is another aspect which suggests the drug dealer's wealthiness. The room is very tidy and clean which suggests that the drug dealer takes pride in his home and he has high standards for himself despite him being a drug dealer. The typical stereotypes for a drug dealer is usually seen as being unclean, living in a cramped up flat, high from taking drugs themselves, dangerous people and scum. However, the drug dealer in this clip challenges this stereotype as he is the clear opposite to them all.

Clip

This is the clip from which the screen shots have been taken. What I particularly liked about this clip was that through mid conversation, the drug dealer was speaking in one clip and then within a quick cut, he continued the conversation without any jumps or pauses. This is a really clever editing technique as the conversation he was speaking, he would have had to re-do a couple of times so that the cameramen could get a range of different shots. However, with the clever editing, it just appears as the same conversation.

There isn't any music playing in this clip. I really like the fact that there isn't because I think that if diegetic music was playing it would partly distract the serious conversation both of the men are having and if non-diegetic music was playing it would take away the naturalism from the scene.

The audience are able to establish that this scene is taking place sometime in the evening. This is because outside, you can just about see that it is dark. The inside artificial lights are on which creates a yellowish light effect which most lights create. Also, if this scene was taking place during the day, then there wouldn't be as many or even any inside lights on. The room would instead be lit by natural lighting which would mainly fall through the window.