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Edge Of Darkness (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 116
Country: USA, UK
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Mel Gibson, Bojana Novakovic, Ray Winstone
Distributor: Icon
Film Worth: $14.00
Release Date: February 04, 2010
Mel Gibson is back to his best in a thriller with a solid story.
In his first lead role in seven years, Mel Gibson reminds us what an intense screen presence he can be. It's not that he creates the character of Thomas Craven - a Boston homicide detective - through nuance or "quirks." It's done through emotion. Gibson may drift in and out of a shaky Bostonian accent, yet he's utterly convincing as a man who's lost his only child. His fury and grief are tangible.
The early scenes see Craven meeting his adult daughter, Emma (Australian actress Bojana Novakovic), who's returned home to visit. It's obvious that there's something wrong: she's vomiting, her nose is bleeding, and she's clearly hiding something. Within minutes, Emma - a science wiz-kid who works for a nuclear facility - is gunned down outside Craven's home. The cops assume that the bullet was intended for Craven. But he thinks otherwise...
Edge Of Darkness follows Craven's search for Emma's killer, which leads him through a political labyrinth involving high level players. But although the plot more or less travels along the lines that you expect, the only thing that's really cliched about Edge Of Darkness is its unfortunate title.
The superb screenplay from William Monahan (The Departed) and Australian Andrew Bovell (Blessed, Lantana) gives this film a solid backbone. The supports are also top notch, with excellent performances from Danny Huston, Jay O. Sanders and the incomparable Ray Winstone (who plays a "janitor", sent in to clean up messy scenarios that the powers-that-be want hushed up).
Directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) - who also helmed the highly regarded 1985 BBC miniseries on which this is based - Edge Of Darkness has a dark, gritty ambiance so unlike the standard thriller. Perhaps the intrigue could have been boosted a little, but the formidable performances, biting script and Campbell's flair for visual storytelling make this a riveting, smart and unexpectedly moving thriller.
