“Edge of Darkness” Directed by: Martin Campbell Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Damian Young, Shawn Roberts Rated: R
Mel Gibson has been doing a lot since 2002. Things such as getting arrested for drunk driving (and offering up another in the long line of celebrity mugshots), spouting a few anti-Semitic rants here and there, and directing the films “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto.”
The speaking parts in both movies were uttered in all but dead languages (Aramaic and Mayan, respectively) and the violence portrayed in them was much more visceral than that featured in any of the films Gibson had acted in, from the “Mad Max” trilogy to the “Lethal Weapon” series and even “Braveheart,” which he also directed.
But think about the last time you saw him on-screen. You might be one of the few who saw “The Singing Detective” in 2003 or his uncredited cameo in “Paparazzi” – type cast as an anger management therapy patient. Gibson's last starring role was in 2002, in M. Night Shyamalan's “crop circle” thriller, “Signs.”
Now he's back, and it's good to see him in front of the camera again.
What brings Gibson back to the screen is “Edge of Darkness,” another film condensation of a British made-for-TV mini-series. “Traffic” was a good one; the aforementioned “The Singing Detective,” another.
“Edge of Darkness” (the movie) is a mixed bag. On the plus side is the great premise, Gibson and British actor Ray Winstone, and the fact that director Martin Campbell directed the original mini-series.
The main downside is the difficulty in distilling six hours of a tense political drama down to a terse two hour film aimed at a mainstream American audience. The scenes that are good – particularly the action scenes – are very good, and Gibson and Winstone make a fine pair of gentlemanly adversaries.
The scenes that are, let's say “not so good,” are either simplistic or confusing.
I don't want to give away too much about the plot. “Edge of Darkness” is the kind of movie that gains a lot from dramatic sleight-of-hand, and the plot leads places that are best revealed only as the story unfolds. Sometimes “forewarned” is not a good thing.
Gibson plays Tom Craven, a seasoned detective on the Boston police force. He's a widower. The love of his life, his daughter Emma, has graduated from MIT and flown the coop, working in an entry-level position for a nuclear research company in Northampton, Mass.
Gibson portrays Tom Craven against type. He's lonely but not a drunk, drug abuser, gambler or vigilante.
Emma takes a break from work and comes home for a visit. Tom's elated, picks her up at the airport, takes her home and starts cooking a homemade feast. Emma suddenly gets ill – Tom has already suspected she may be pregnant – and they decide she needs to go to the emergency room. As they step out the front door a masked gunman appears, yells, “Craven,” and fires a blast from a shotgun.
The problem is, he misses the cop and kills the kid.
Tom is devastated, and the Boston police assure him that in the case of a cop-killer (even one who missed), no effort will be spared. Craven, staring blankly, asks if that shouldn't be the norm for any killer.
While the department does its work, Tom decides to look around on his own. This is where the plot begins traveling through dramatic wormholes, going to places unexpected.
It's also where Tom meets Darius Jedburgh (Winstone), an orphic “security specialist.” Although we've already seen who hired him, we're never sure on which side of the fence he may land. This role was made for Winstone, and his performance raises the bar for this type of character.
Paths criss and cross, rocks are overturned and sunlight gradually begins shining through on the mystery of who would want Tom Craven dead. Politics, big business and radical environmentalism weave in and out.
Gibson, Winstone and Bojana Novakovic (as Emma) turn in strong performances and, again, when “Edge of Darkness” works, it works well. When it takes time off, it borders on becoming ludicrous.
I enjoyed it, though, and the double-disc DVD of the original series can be found on Amazon for about $20, and Netflix has it as well.
