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Edge of Darkness
Gibson’s above-average comeback
Reviewed by Dan Stoffel
Published on 02/04/2010
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B+
Rated R
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic and Shawn Roberts
Harkins Theatres
It has been eight years since Mel Gibson has been in front of the camera (unless you include mug shots taken after drunken tirades); his last starring role was 2002’s “Signs,” and of course he directed the controversial “The Passion of the Christ” and the über-violent 2006 “Apocalypto.” Now Gibson is back in a starring role in “Edge of Darkness,” a remake of the 1985 BBC television series of the same name with the same director (Martin Campbell) at the helm.
I’ll admit that I did not expect to enjoy “Edge of Darkness.” From the cheesy-sounding title to the fact that it’s an older Mel Gibson trying once again to be, well, Mel Gibson … my hopes were not high. Thankfully, I was wrong. “Edge of Darkness,” while not perfect by any means, is a taught, intelligent thriller with pretty strong performances and a nice complex plot that conspiracy theorists will eat up.
Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a veteran Boston cop who plays it straight and by the rules. When his daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) drops by for a visit, Craven can tell there’s something she wants to tell him, but before she can, she is brutally gunned down right outside the front door. Craven’s assumption that the shotgun blast was meant for him soon begins to change, especially after a mysterious conversation with a dangerous fixer named Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) who cleans up corporate and government messes, and who may or may not be ready to include Craven in the untidiness that he’s been hired to sanitize.
Part of the film’s success is due to Gibson and his willingness to show his age. This is a heavier, more wrinkled Mel Gibson with thinning hair and reading glasses, and his character really does look like he could be a veteran cop. Danny Huston (son of John) is sufficiently arrogant and malevolent as Jack Bennet, the crooked corporate CEO; but the real standout is Ray Winstone as Jedburgh. Winstone plays him perfectly—a fantastic blend of menace and sophistication who delivers some of the movie’s best moments. His scenes with Gibson are some of the best in the film and offer its only bits of humor.
Though the plot gets a bit far-fetched at times, it’s good to have Gibson back in revenge mode, and he, Winstone and director Campbell deliver an above-average suspense tale that will keep you interested through a very satisfying ending.
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