Edge of Darkness (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Edge of Darkness', directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), is a crime drama set amid corruption btwn. 'big business' & politics. Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a lonely Boston homicide detective who dotes on his 24 yr. old daughter, Emma (Nojana Novakovic). He plays old home movies of her when she was a young girl (we've seen this many times before in other films). He's ecstatic when she comes home for a visit; picks her up, makes her something to eat ... but his joy turns to concern when he witnesses her becoming ill. As they leave for the hospital, a masked gunman arrives at his porch, says 'Craven!', & shoots Emma square in the chest. Thomas is understandably devastated, but determined to avenge his daughter. At first, Thomas (and we) thinks Emma's murder was a case of mistaken identity - perhaps the bullet was meant for him (as a cop). But Thomas isn't buying it.
Knowing that Emma was an activist, & after finding a gun in her possession, learning of her clandestine boyfriend (Shawn Roberts), & questioning her boss, Jack Bennett (Danny Huston), Thomas learns that Emma's illness was radiation poisoning. It seems that the bullet was for her; as Emma was mixed-up in a government-sanctioned/corporate cover-up murder. All the while, shady government agent Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) - whose job is to clean up & hide any remaining evidence - makes contact with Thomas & makes him aware that if he's going to pursue the investigation of his daughter's mysterious death, than he's going to have to go at it rogue-style (outside the law) - whoever is responsible for Emma's death will never be brought to justice by conventional means. And so, embarking on this deadly mission, can Thomas curb his anger, & avenge his daughter in a way that best suits him?
You know, I 'sorta' liked everything about this movie, without loving or hating anything. I think the biggest problem with 'Edge of Darkness' is that it's a type of film that we've seen many times before (murdered family member, angry father, revenge). It's a conventional murder-mystery, & nothing really surprises us. Also, adapted from a 6-hour British miniseries, this film feels a bit truncated - that portions are rushed and/or left out to keep the film at a nice 105 minute length. Some of those truncations, no doubt, include the government-sponsored conspiracies - which never seemed fully-expressed, to me. I always thought I was missing something to that plotline. But I understood enough, focused-in on the story, & found it all to be okay.
Something that I particularly liked about the movie is that there are lengthy stretches of expository dialogue, & only a few bursts of kinetic action. By reading the plot outline before I saw the film, & by looking at the movie poster, & by seeing who was starring in it, I assumed that 'Edge of Darkness' was going to be another brutal, brainless, non-stop actioner about getting bloody revenge. And well, it IS that, but to much less of an extent than I assumed. Though the screenplay lacks some spark, it's a quiet, talkative film that kept me hooked. There are only a few explosions of violence and fine-tuned action (this IS a Martin Campbell film, after all), but my quota was filled, and I didn't need much more than that.
Mel Gibson is quite good here; in a sort of comeback performance. He doesn't pull anything new out of a magic rabbit hat. But I always enjoy his intense performances. Danny Huston - who I always like - gives a quiet, unsettling performance; and how his particular storyline 'ends' is fantastic! Ray Winstone - when you can make-out what he's grumbling - is very effective as the conflicted hitman who's shrouded in mystery. And when he & Gibson were onscreen together, I was alert. In the end, I guess I was just taken aback by the level of intelligence & craftsmanship put forth onscreen. I'm not nuts for it, or anything. The plot meanders, at times; & is cliched. But the last 10 minutes (or so) are utterly satisfying. And I'm fine with recommending it for those who enjoy this 'revenge film genre'.
Knowing that Emma was an activist, & after finding a gun in her possession, learning of her clandestine boyfriend (Shawn Roberts), & questioning her boss, Jack Bennett (Danny Huston), Thomas learns that Emma's illness was radiation poisoning. It seems that the bullet was for her; as Emma was mixed-up in a government-sanctioned/corporate cover-up murder. All the while, shady government agent Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone) - whose job is to clean up & hide any remaining evidence - makes contact with Thomas & makes him aware that if he's going to pursue the investigation of his daughter's mysterious death, than he's going to have to go at it rogue-style (outside the law) - whoever is responsible for Emma's death will never be brought to justice by conventional means. And so, embarking on this deadly mission, can Thomas curb his anger, & avenge his daughter in a way that best suits him?
You know, I 'sorta' liked everything about this movie, without loving or hating anything. I think the biggest problem with 'Edge of Darkness' is that it's a type of film that we've seen many times before (murdered family member, angry father, revenge). It's a conventional murder-mystery, & nothing really surprises us. Also, adapted from a 6-hour British miniseries, this film feels a bit truncated - that portions are rushed and/or left out to keep the film at a nice 105 minute length. Some of those truncations, no doubt, include the government-sponsored conspiracies - which never seemed fully-expressed, to me. I always thought I was missing something to that plotline. But I understood enough, focused-in on the story, & found it all to be okay.
Something that I particularly liked about the movie is that there are lengthy stretches of expository dialogue, & only a few bursts of kinetic action. By reading the plot outline before I saw the film, & by looking at the movie poster, & by seeing who was starring in it, I assumed that 'Edge of Darkness' was going to be another brutal, brainless, non-stop actioner about getting bloody revenge. And well, it IS that, but to much less of an extent than I assumed. Though the screenplay lacks some spark, it's a quiet, talkative film that kept me hooked. There are only a few explosions of violence and fine-tuned action (this IS a Martin Campbell film, after all), but my quota was filled, and I didn't need much more than that.
Mel Gibson is quite good here; in a sort of comeback performance. He doesn't pull anything new out of a magic rabbit hat. But I always enjoy his intense performances. Danny Huston - who I always like - gives a quiet, unsettling performance; and how his particular storyline 'ends' is fantastic! Ray Winstone - when you can make-out what he's grumbling - is very effective as the conflicted hitman who's shrouded in mystery. And when he & Gibson were onscreen together, I was alert. In the end, I guess I was just taken aback by the level of intelligence & craftsmanship put forth onscreen. I'm not nuts for it, or anything. The plot meanders, at times; & is cliched. But the last 10 minutes (or so) are utterly satisfying. And I'm fine with recommending it for those who enjoy this 'revenge film genre'.