It is amazing what ten years can do to a star in Hollywood. Ten years ago, Mel Gibson was one of Hollywoods most bankable, and well liked stars on screen, with an already fantastic career behind him. Ten years later to 2010, Mel Gibson is now one of the most controversial media figures in the public eye, overtly attacked by the media and the voices of the public for his ambitious Passion Of The Christ, which caused a great split in audiences as well as ALOT of money, his drunken anti-Semitic rants, ending his almost three decade marriage for a younger woman. The list can go on.
Edge Of Darkness marks the return of Mel to a leading role after eight long years since M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. With the bagage of his public persona, you can understand why Mel was hesitant to return to acting, however, it was the lure of a good story, a good director and a layered character that eventually pulled him back onto the screen. Whether the public welcomes him or not is another matter, but truly bears little importance whatsoever. This is because few can say that Mel is a bad actor (or a bad director/creative force) with a league of great rolls and achievements behind him, making him better than any lesser hack in Hollywood. Fans of Mel will be delighted to see him return, as should the public, who should forget all the silly offscreen behaviour, and treat his return as a return of great.
Edge Of Darkness is a long standing pet project of director Martin Campbell , a man who twice resurrected James Bond from a withering state, with of the best installments, 1995’s Goldeneye and 2006’s Casino Royale. Outside these successes, he directed 1998’s fun adventure romp The Mask Of Zorro and 2000’s Vertical Limit. It was through this time that Edge Of Darkness was firmly in mind, as he originally brought it to the television screen in extended form in 1985, starring the late Bob Peck, who notably starred as the dinosaur keeper Muldoon in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, which was recieved critically well.
Finally in 2010, Edge Of Darkness returns in cinematic form, transported from Britain to Boston, with Mel Gibson in the title role of Thomas Craven, a police officer whose daughter Emma (Australian Bojana Novakovic) is brutally murdered in front of him by a mysterious masked killer for reasons unknown, who takes it upon himself to find the truth, discovering a deeper political conspiracy.
While i regrettably had not seen the original mini-series, i again enjoyed the fact i had little previous bias upon seeing it, treating it as a movie, not an adaptation of a movie. Upon seeing it, i would love to see the original in its full form, as the film proves to be a well-written, taut, detective thriller. While one may believe that this could be another addition to the “don’t fuck with my family” genre, it proves to be much more than this, with an interesting plot and mystery and some great depth of character.
That said, there are many moments of the film which fall into a drag of detail and conversation, which makes me think, with more time, the film wouldn’t feel the need to cram a mini-series worth of detail into a two hour slot. It may prove more tolerable after repeated viewings. During this period however, it is not all bad, the acting keeps you drawn in, especially that of Mel.
The film proves that Mel Gibson has definitely not lost his acting talents. Campbell sought specifically after Mel for this role, due to the idea that “no one wants to fuck with Mel Gibson”, which is true, especially now. In a way, the public persona has made him a more imposing unpredictable figure on screen, who knows what he may do next. Every scene after the almost immediate, explosive death of his daughter, you can see a man who is, for lack of a better term, insanely pissed off, all projected through the emotive blue eyes which Mel uses so very well. He does not act out as much as in other roles, which works perfectly, you can just look into his eyes and see a pure fury, one which you have no idea when it may surface. Mel also gives the role a great vulnerability in many instances, such as the way that Craven looses reality and communicates to the daughter no longer there. It makes for a heartbreaking display, that feels genuine of a man who has lost his only child.
Mel shows also that he can still hold a psychical demanding role, despite his advancing age at 56, competantly beating the shit out of anyone to get his answers, or to strike fear into anyone who screws with him (eg. the “how does it feel” scene, the ending bloodbath).
In terms of the supporting cast, there is very little to go on. Ray Winstone plays the interesting character of Darius Jedburgh, a CIA officer hired to take out Craven, who in turn decides against this in a strange inner-battle with his moral. His character is mysterious, and does not let off much about who is and his true intentions, even to the end it is a mystery, however talks of the metaphorical idea of what Craven is doing. I am not sure if i enjoyed what he did, mixed with slurred dialogue, however, i am not sure that i didn’t. I am also unsure how i would have taken the character if originally portrayed by Robert De Niro, who left the production due to creative differences.
Danny Huston here shows his snobby rich corporate type is wearing thin, presenting nothing truly different than what audiences have seen previously from the actor. In turn makes for a disappointing performance. He however does pull a fantastic scared face when in the presence of Craven.
In the end, the film is enjoyable, but is flawed. With these flaws however comes redeeming aspects, such as some brutal, graphic action scenes, tense emotional moments, good direction from Campbell, and a wonderful performance from Gibson. This is a film that shows the greatness of Gibson, who continues to build on an already fantastic career.
3/5
