NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Jan. 19. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 1:30-4 p.m. EST (AMC) "A Walk Among the Tombstones" (2014). This grisly thriller, based on the 1992 novel by Lawrence Block, traverses the seamy underbelly of New York City in the 1990s, tracking a gang of serial killers on a deadly rampage. Writer-director Scott Frank serves up a well-acted and absorbing drama, albeit not one for the squeamish. There's also an interesting moral conundrum, as the victims themselves are criminals, posing the question, "Do bad guys deserve justice?" A former NYPD cop (Liam Neeson) reluctantly agrees to help a prosperous heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) avenge the brutal murder of his wife. As he tracks the killers (David Harbour and Adam David Thompson), he acquires a young sidekick (Brian Bradley) who dreams of being a real-life superhero. Awash in moral ambiguity, the film injects a degree of faith into the mix, as the hero, a recovering alcoholic, tries to apply the 12-step program of perseverance, forgiveness and belief in a higher power to his personal crusade for good over evil. He does not always succeed. Bloody violence and torture, a suicide, brief nudity, sexual references, drug use, pervasive profane and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 8-11:04 p.m. EST (A&E) "American Sniper" (2015). Sober war drama based on Chris Kyle's 2012 memoir (written with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice) about his service as a Navy SEAL during the conflict in Iraq. As Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, gains a reputation as an expert sharpshooter, he wins the respect of his comrades, but also becomes a prime enemy target with a price on his head. The Texas native's insistence on returning to combat through four grueling tours of duty, moreover, predictably exacts a psychological toll and strains his relationship with his wife (Sienna Miller). Working from a script by Jason Hall, director Clint Eastwood successfully conveys the heroic personal commitment that motivated Kyle to protect his fellow fighters. Yet the film avoids any big-picture moral assessment of the specific struggle in which he participated or of armed clashes in general. Stylized violence with some gore, a scene of torture, a premarital situation, some sexual humor and references, several uses of profanity, constant rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Monday, Jan. 20, 8-10 p.m. EST (TCM) "Nothing but a Man" (1965). Black railroad worker (Ivan Dixon) tires of life on the rails and settles down in a southern town where he and his wife (Abbey Lincoln) are confronted by a hostile community that deprives him of one job after another. Directed by Michael Roemer and Robert Young, the movie is episodic and anything but slick, yet it has the ring of documentary reality as well as a story of human dignity that has universal implications. Some intense violence and a few profanities. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Thursday, Jan. 23, 10 p.m.-midnight EST (TCM) "Body and Soul" (1947). During the Depression, a jobless youth (John Garfield) uses his fists to make money in the ring but, on his way to becoming champ, alienates his mom (Anne Revere), loses his girlfriend (Lili Palmer) and winds up in hock to a crooked promoter who eventually wants him to take a dive. It's an old story but director Robert Rossen gives it a convincingly gritty look and Garfield's compelling performance is supported by a fine cast (Canada Lee, William Conrad, Joseph Pevney, Hazel Brooks and others). Intense boxing scenes, alcohol abuse and romantic complications. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Saturday, Jan. 25, 8-9:35 p.m. EST (HBO) "The Curse of La LLorona" (2019). Intense but problematic horror story in which a legendary Mexican wraith (Marisol Ramirez), a weeping woman who killed her own children and now preys on those of others, stalks a widowed mother (Linda Cardellini) and her two small kids (Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) in 1973 California. Despite some obvious loopholes in its plot, director Michael Chaves' addition to the universe of the "Conjuring" franchise elicits its fair share of starts. But, while the usual red-flag items are mostly absent, an attempt to blur the lines between Catholicism and superstition, embodied in the figure of the ex-priest-turned-shaman (Raymond Cruz) to whom the troubled trio turns for help, puts this beyond the reach of all but the best-catechized teens. Occult themes, bloodless terror, a single crude term. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, Jan. 25, 9:55-11:40 p.m. EST (Cinemax). "Skyscraper" (2018). An American security expert (Dwayne Johnson) gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to review the safeguards at the world's tallest building in Hong Kong whose owner (Chin Han) puts him and his family up there during their visit. A plot to destroy the structure leaves his wife (Neve Campbell) and kids (McKenna Roberts and Noah Cottrell) trapped by a raging multi-floor fire, with no one likely to be able to save them except Dad. Anyone with a fear of heights will cringe as writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber puts Johnson through his hair-raising paces hundreds of stories above terra firma. Others will note that, although the battles in which Johnson engages during this easily forgotten action picture are not especially bloody, they are brutal. Much harsh violence with some gore, a couple of gruesome images, at least one use of profanity and a milder oath, a single rough and about a half-dozen crude terms. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.