Mel Gibson is back, and back in a big way, with Edge of Darkness, his first leading role since the 2002 flicks We Were Soldiers and Signs. Spending the rest of the decade directing top notch films (The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto) and dealing with his personal demons (alcoholism, DUI arrest, divorce), Gibson took a step back from acting and let other A-list heavyweights (Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis) carry the weight.
With Edge of Darkness, one remembers that Gibson, when at the peak of his game, is simply hard to top. Based on the popular 1985 BBC TV series, Edge of Darkness centers on Thomas Craven, a by the book Boston detective (Gibson) who unravels after Emma, his activist daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is gunned down before his eyes. The initial theory is the killer was gunning for Craven, but Craven has different ideas as he embarks on a bloody and ruthless quest to find his daughter’s killer. Danny Huston (Children of Men) is a businessman and weapons supplier who may have engineered Emma’s murder, and Ray Winstone (The Departed) is Jedburgh, a smart and coldblooded mercenary to stop Craven in his tracks. Both Jedburgh and Craven, although potential adversaries, find a grudging respect in one another, and their interplay gives Edge of Darkness a welcome dimension that many of this film’s ilk lack.
Director Martin Campbell, who helmed the original series and directed Casino Royale and The Mask of Zorro, is no stranger to crafting heart-pounding action scenes. And with Edge of Darkness, there is a steady supply of Gibson ably dispatching the wrongdoers, proving that at 54, the actor still knows how to kick a little cinematic butt. The Departed scribe William Monahan, a master at muscular, tough guy dialogue, performed a rewrite for Edge of Darkness, and The Departed composer Howard Shore also scored the flick. Plus, The Departed producer Graham King set up the project, so fans of the Leonardo DiCaprio/Matt Damon flick should gravitate to Edge of Darkness.
This reviewer was a bit hesitant checking out Edge of Darkness, since most films released in January are atrociously bad. Edge of Darkness gives us Mel Gibson at his best, as he is quite adept at playing men at their wits end (Lethal Weapon, Payback, Ransom). Craven will do anything to solve this all too personal investigation, and his actions have devastating repercussions for a few of the good guys as well. No one really gets out unscathed in Edge of Darkness, and like Craven, the film is an unrelenting forced to be reckoned with.
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