Edge of Darkness

I saw this movie at an early screening and was delighted.

I give this movie three stars out of four, or 8 of ten points for great characters, intrigue, and some startling action scenes. It looses the 2 points because it does tend to slow down a little and become more dramatic at times but if you are a Mel Gibson fan you probably won't mind that at all. This movie reminded me a little of Taken, with a whole lot of Enemy of the State, and just a touch of Jason Bourne. Mel Gibson is engaging in his first acting role in years, although he definitely looks older now. It's hard to watch Gibson here without thinking of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon and there is some carryover but here Craven played by Gibson is the older, caring, Father who is also a cop although there is still some of of the craziness that made Mel so dynamic in a number of his roles. In some ways Mel reminded me here a little of Clint Eastwood in movies like Absolute Power and In the Line of Fire as the more mature protagonist who combines maturity and cunning with a fierce side that comes out in battle.

It's not giving anything away to say that the story is about Mel Gibson's character trying to find out who killed his daughter as that much is in the trailer. Mel plays a veteran detective and so has skills and resources we civilians don't. The movie takes a while to develop and takes great pains to show the love of Craven for his daughter in the opening scenes and then periodically remind us in flashbacks. There are a lot of characters which seem to be critical to building the intrigue of the movie; activists, defense contractors, government officials and various henchmen. The movie does a good job for a while of hiding who is working for whom. Suspense does build for most of the movie but a good bit before the end it is evident what is going on and the movie shifts from an action thriller to more of an pure action movie.

Ray Winstone plays an intriguing role as Jedburgh, deftly showing protagonist and antagonist sides at different times in a mysterious role. Danny Huston plays a multi-dimensional character, Jack Bennet, that is fun to watch. Bojana Novakovic as Emma Craven is a sweetheart. Jay O. Sanders plays a solid role as Detective Whitehouse.

The movie is definitely heavy on violence and acting independent of authority although I don't remember any swearing or sex scenes. Still it requires a mature audience as the hero's actions are probably not ones you want your kids emulating in your house. As with so many movies it portrays sides of business and government at their worst. So,since it is light on sexuality and vulgarity I would suggest that if you let your older kids go that you still discuss the extreme portrayals of the police, use of force, business and government.

It's good to see Mel back in action.

Before seeking revenge, dig two graves so said Confucious. Likewise, before casting a movie about revenge, see if Mel Gibson is available. Few actors are capable of being as angry as he can (both on and off screen). Over the last decade, Mel Gibson has been behind the camera more times than he has been in front of it. Perhaps his ten years absence of screen presence is what makes the film so good. Otherwise it is a fairy conventional cop thriller, which builds in convoluted-ness and unbelievability, but it never gets dull, I'll say that much. Frankly that, and Gibson's performance are enough for me.

Boston PD Detective Tom Craven's daughter visits him from out of town one day, That evening she is shot dead on the porch. At first the police figure that Tom was the intended target, but once be begins a little investigation of his own, strange things come up. It appears that his daughter was trying to expose something illegal about the Nuclear facility at which she was working. Suddenly Tom finds himself in the middle of a very dangerous game.

Mel Gibson's performance is exceptional, but then again, it is easy to argue that this not exactly new ground for him. Mel Gibson's most common face is the 'Good Man, Bad Guy' persona. Second billing is

here is Ray Winstone, whose performance here is his best yet. The screen time that the two share together is not long but it is profound and compelling.

Unless you really hate Mel Gibson's guts, Edge of Darkness is a good watch, and an equally good return to the screen for him.

Mel Gibsons first stab at a lead role since...wait for it....2002's Signs. He went behind the camera for the graphic Passion of the Christ and the beautiful Apocalypto. With Edge of Darkness he's back with the gun in his hand and on a quest to find answers. His daughter was shot dead right in front of him on their porch. The gunman yelled her last name and fled. Craven, being a cop, thought it was for him, not his daughter. He quickly discovers that there was more to his little girl than he originally thought and is determined to find out who killed her and why.

Everyone loves a good mystery film right? A detective is solving clues to find the truth behind some kind of cover up? Edge of Darkness thinks it's one of those films. Gibson goes to people, looking for answers. He gets little in return. People are scared, there is something big going down and only MEL Gibson can stop it. For Craven, he has nothing left to loose. His only daughter died in his arms, he's not afraid to die. A bit of a revenge tale like Death Wish, but the Chinatown aspect of it sets it apart enough to make it enjoyable.

Gibson throws on a Boston accent, nothing too irritating. There are a few scenes that you'll have to suspend reality for, like when someone gets hit by a car at the right place at the right time. A little far fetched just for the sake of shock value. Edge of Darkness is good enough to keep your attention for the running time, but not great enough to have you keep talking about it days later. It's a well made time waster for those looking for something that will entertain.

I won't say anything about the plot except that it's centered around an "everyman" who goes on a revenge odyssey. In that respect it reminds me of the excellent "Harry Brown" released a year eariler with Michael Caine packing some artillery. But Edge of Darkness differs from the rest with its interesting layered story.

As "Tom Craven" (Mel Gibson) peels away the truth, so we also get wrapped up in the complexity of this story which touches on political thriller, tenuous loyalties, and--most intriguing--a mysterious character "Jedburgh" (Ray Winstone) who sips whiskey and smokes cigars with our hero, but (as our hero is fully aware) could at any minute put a bullet through his head.

And what's the point of all this madness? The point, or subtle theme underneath all the rollercoaster action, is that each individual must make his or her own choice to act independently. That sentence may not make much sense to you reading it in a review, but trust me it's what drives this story. Returning back to what I said about politics and tenuous loyalties, this story is about reaching that point where you break from the predictable and act on your own. Or as a memorable line in the film goes, "you had better decide whether you're hanging on the cross, or banging in the nails."

(Synopsis) Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective in the Boston Police Department. As they are walking out the front door of his house, his 24-year old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) is blow away by a shotgun blast. Everyone assumes that Thomas, who was standing next to her, was the killer's intended target. However, Thomas begins to suspect that Emma was the real target. Driven by heartache and blame, Thomas initiates his own private investigation to uncover Emma's secret life and the reason for her murder. His investigation leads him down the path of corporate and government cover-ups, which resulted in his daughter's elimination. Thomas receives some help from a government operative, Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), who has been sent in to clean up the situation. Thomas Craven's search for the truth brings him closer to his daughter and his own deliverance.

(My Comment) This is an intense movie about family and closure, and of course, Detective Thomas Craven has a little different type of closure in mind. Some of the movie is a little hard to follow when Thomas does something, and you ask yourself, "why did he do that." But that might be part of the puzzle he is trying to solve. The reason the bad guys use for keeping everything secret is a little far-fetched. Mel Gibson's masterful portrayal of a man with nothing to lose is excellent. Everybody better get out of his way. From the movie trailers you would think that Thomas is going around threatening and killing everybody he meets, but that is not the case. Thomas does take out some of the bad guys, which will meet with your approval. This is a good action movie, but you must remember that it is definitely heavy on violence. (Warner Bros., Run Time 1:57, Rated R)(8/10)