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On The Edge
Movie royalty, Danny Huston, gives great support to Mel Gibson in the thrilling Edge Of Darkness.
For the violent revenge thriller, Edge Of Darkness, director Martin Campbell returns to familiar turf as he re-tools and reshapes his original BBC mini series from 1985 into a taut feature-length film starring "Mad Mel" Gibson. Playing opposite Mel in several crucial scenes is Danny Huston, the illegitimate son of legendary filmmaker John Huston (The African Queen, The Treasure of Sierra Madre) and half-brother to actress Anjelica Huston.
Huston is perhaps best known for his role in the gritty outback drama The Proposition, but he also made an impact as the petulant fiancée of Nicole Kidman's increasingly unhinged heroine in Birth. With his blackened fangs and ghoulish, piercing stare, Huston was almost unrecognisable as the leader of a modern bloodthirsty vampire clan in 30 Days Of Night.
A fine actor, whose imposing stature and screen presence matches his legacy, we kick off the interview by briefly discussing the source material for this movie: the original BBC mini-series.
Huston's enthusiasm echoes down the phone line as he responds effusively, "Yes I saw it and I really, really loved it. I also remember the Eric Clapton soundtrack, and it had a really haunting affect on me. I remember the relationship the main character, Craven, had with his daughter, and it was almost Shakespearian, like Banquo [a character in Macbeth] or something, as he discovers her through her death - who she is or was."
Huston says he was impressed by the authenticity of the mini-series, adding, "In the original series, all the characters felt so real. Martin Campbell has kept that sense of realism for the film. They're Boston cops, so there is a sort of greyness to the piece, which is faithful to the setting."
Well aware that Edge Of Darkness is being promoted as a comeback vehicle for Gibson, who has copped a lot of flack in the media recently for everything but his acting, Huston has nothing but high praise for the actor director tackling his first screen role in eight years. "Mel Gibson is absolutely fantastic - he carries himself with that hard, Boston cop demeanour. And he's got these wonderful movie-star eyes that well with emotion and are very piercing and are, at times, dangerous."
He generously adds, "Because of the pathos that Mel brings to the role - the remorse, loss and grieving - he's returning to a big role and brings such quiet depth and strength, and perhaps some baggage from his previous roles, which is perfect for the film. And also he plays this wonderful Boston Catholic creature so well. I was just so blown away and hypnotised by his performance."
Playing the head of the Northmoor Organisation, and embodying the most evil of corporate identities, Huston's steely performance is chilling in its remote, almost robotic observation of Craven's bereavement. Explains Huston, "We have a wonderful scene where we chat about what life means. I'm guilty of something, but I am also playing with him. I'm rather fascinated by the way he feels, much like if you were torturing an insect or something. And there's a paternal, magnanimous element to this torture, as well."
Next up for Huston is an HBO film directed by Barry Levinson entitled You Don't Know Jack with Al Pacino playing the maligned Dr. Jack Kevorkian. All Huston will say about this TV movie is, "It's macabre and relevant and, at times, slightly comical, but I believe it's an important piece."
It proves difficult to get the imposing actor to stop talking about Edge Of Darkness, in particular how much he appreciated his director's cinematic approach; "I loved working with Martin Campbell, and he shoots in a wonderfully old-fashioned way which I haven't come across since observing my father work [John Huston]. He shoots a wide shot and then he gradually moves in tighter and moves his way eloquently through the scene with the camera. It's very similar to the classic approach my father took with filmmaking."
Edge Of Darkness is in cinemas on February 4.