REVIEW: ‘Edge of Darkness’ Not Quite Edge of Your Seat
by Carl KozlowskiIt’s been an interesting past decade for Mel Gibson. He starred in a blockbuster comedy (“What Women Want”) as well as a powerful smash thriller (“Signs”) before deciding to take a long break from in front of the camera. He then directed “The Passion of the Christ,” turning his self-financed, highly risky and hyper-violent portrayal of Jesus Christ’s torture and death by crucifixion into a smash hit that earned $600 million worldwide despite critics who claimed the film had anti-Semitic undertones that Gibson denied.
Then in the midst of a long break from all things creative, Gibson’s personal life fell apart with a drunk-driving arrest in which he blatantly unleashed an anti-Semitic verbal tirade and an affair which ruined his 29-year marriage and resulted in an out-of-wedlock child that largely shattered his image as one of Hollywood’s most devoutly religious members. After directing just one film since “Passion” (2006’s modest hit “Apocalypto”), Gibson decided he was finally ready to return to the big screen as a movie star again.
The question is: are audiences ready to embrace him in return? And does he still have the Midas touch for smash-hit action films? In the new film “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson returns to his benchmark persona – playing a by-the-book cop who suddenly opts to break all the rules while avenging the death of a loved one, this time his daughter.
There are a few new twists in the “Edge” playbook, as the film takes a more nuanced approach than, say, the non-stop rock-‘em, sock-‘em action of his “Lethal Weapon” series. Based on an acclaimed BBC miniseries, “Edge” applies the more stately tone of the British and even manages to feel like a classic 1970s Cold War conspiracy thriller, with Gibson’s Thomas Craven discovering layer upon layer of corruption as he seeks her killer to get his tit-for-tat revenge.
**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**
Craven’s daughter, 24-year-old Emma (played nicely if briefly by Bojana Novakovic) has agreed to visit him despite the fact their relationship is mostly emotionally distant. She seems like she’s hiding something, and by the time they’re about to have dinner a couple hours after he’s picked her up, Emma has a nasty nosebleed and is coughing up blood in the kitchen sink. And the moment Craven opens the door to race her to a hospital, a drive-by shooter screams “Craven!” and knocks her dead with a shotgun blast.
The goal had been to make it look like they accidentally shot her while really seeking to kill Craven, but the enraged and baffled father knows he’s a clean cop and there’s more to the story. He soon learns Emma had plenty of access to nuclear secrets in her job as a scientist with a nuclear contractor, and that she had a creepy boyfriend who’s ready to open a can of whupass on Thomas the very first time they meet.
The boyfriend alerts Thomas that a whole lot more is going on than meets the eye, and sure enough, Craven finds himself battling cops, government agents, a senator and other assorted political figures in a plot that surprisingly takes a more lefty tone regarding the evils of nukes and corporations than one might expect from the normally die-hard conservative Gibson.
“Darkness” is basically “get on with it” drama peppered with moments of intense violent shock, rather than the all-out constant tension of a Jack Bauer or Jason Bourne adventure. However, hard core Gibson fans will be reassured to see that Mel can still propel a movie despite his eight-year acting absence and personal issues.
He convincingly takes us into the turmoil and mire of human emotion as Craven deals with the loss of a child, and he keeps our attention with a couple of witty remarks and a few good fight scenes topped off by a pretty good Bostonian accent. There are few who could have played that weathered faced angry man in a trench coat as well as Gibson with his stark subtleties and poignant facial expressions.
The plot can be convoluted at times, resulting in a couple of scenes in which bad guys get together to trade a ton of expository information. But when Gibson is the focus of a scene – thankfully, most of the time – his visceral performance, punctuated with terrific outpourings of sadness, elevates the film to a better-than-average status. As he punches, kicks, shoots, and plows cars through each level of the corrupt figures who lurk everywhere, fans of Gibson’s brand of righteous action should find enough fun to be satisfied.
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68 Comments
Hope it’s a good flick. I like Gibson’s efforts in the past, so I’ll give it a try.
there is no one currently working in film that brings to the table what Mel Gibson does…
Since he burst out of the box as the apocalyptic Road Warrior from the much loved Mad Max series, no actor has balanced entertainment- and art- like the estimable Mr Gibson. Sure, everyone remembers the 'Lethal Weapon' stuff but how about Peter Weir's elegant 'The Year of Living Dangerously'?
Gibson was marvelous in that. And his directorial skills, and interesting offbeat tales like 'Apocalypto' combined with his John Wayne action hero persona make him a true one of a kind.
We suspect this film will be well done, provocative- and, knowing Mel- highly entertaining…
A great talent!
Apocalypto was a brutal, yet terrific film. Even had some bits of Gibson-esque humor. This movie seems pretty by-the-numbers, like most of Harrison Ford's movies the past 15-20 years. I hope he returns to directing soon. He doesn't disappoint in that arena.
Looks like more lefty schlock to me…and Mel trying to find a niche after he boneheads his life…
Would have been better with Liam Neeson doing this one, and Mel doing "Taken"…
I'll wait for the dollar theater…
I live very close to where they filmed the pharmacy scene in Signs. I stopped in there for something after the movie came out and asked the guy behind the counter if they really shot the scenes there. He pointed to a wall that had a half dozen pictures of Mel with a ton of the locals. He said Mel was the nicest, most approachable person.
I like most of Mel's stuff a lot (even Payback). I'll give this one a shot.
Gibson is not a die hard conservative. He opposes abortion, but "Air America" was a CIA bashing movie …obviously he's a "cafeteria Catholic"…he picks and chooses which doctine he believes and obeys. In Hollywood, though, anyone who deviates off the Lefty plantation on even one issue is branded a "conservative" (i.e. Tom Selleck, who's documented conmservatism consists of supporting the 2nd Amendment)…
I always found it funny that Gibson and Glover were ardent anti gun supporters, yet they have guns in almost every film they are in.
If its like Taken than I want to see it.
Most anti-gun Hollywood people are like that. Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn. Both of those tools have starred in movies with a ton of gun violence. I guess as long as they can get rich off of guns they're ok….
@Mr. Kozlowski, please put in a ***END SPOILERS*** line so we can tell where to continue reading if we want to watch the movie blind. Thanks in advance!
All the really good action heroes just keep getting older. What will we do when people like Gibson are no longer around to take the action roles? I wish the rest of Hollywood would man up or the action genre will get a lot less exciting.
The world wide eco-prop machine is back in gear and right now it's running against nuclear power. I mean where's your anti-industrialist agenda if, after you ban gas and oil, the machines keep running on clean nukes? Subsequently, in the last month, there's been attacks in the media on the French and Japanese use of nukes while newspaper articles are showing up in SoCal about the horrors of the nuke plant in San Diego. Right on que comes this movie which has an anti-nuke plot.
No doubt just a wild coincidence, eh?
From a recent article here on this site, the way an actor makes it back in with the hollywood elite, is to bash conservatives or conservative's views. I saw the preview for this when I went to see "book of eli" and in it I saw that it would have a lefty slant. There was one scene in the preview where the guy was telling him the government had marked her as a "threat", then they did a quick cut to her at an "anti-war" rally. I had high hopes until I saw that, so no thanks Mel.
Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed Gibson's movies. Some of his historical blockbusters tended to be overly graphic in depiction of violence and a bit loose with facts bowing to dramatic licence. Still, he has been a convincing lead man. Personally, I think he may be getting a bit long in the tooth for action hero roles, so it will be interesting to see how this turns out, but I feel it will have a quality production feel regardless of whether it is "riviting" movie fair or not. Denzel Washinton and Harrison Ford are two other leading men who were able to extend their "leading man" careers although Ford seems to be reaching the end.
He has been involved with some great movies and I have to say that I will give this a shot!!!
I love a good revenge flick – I'm in.
Obviously Gibson is trying to get back into the good graces of the left-wing liberals in Hollywood. Frankly, he was more interesting as a drunken lout. Before too long,however, I expect to see a biopic about "The One." Until then, sit back and wait for the next train wreck that passes as his life.
Mel is still one of my faves….unfortunately he screwed up his marriage…but at least he admits that. One of my favorites is still "Ransom" and this sounds like a very similar role.
so is it nuclear corporate capitilast that do the honor killing here?
Not interested. Gibson's best work is behind him. To paraphrase Roger Waters, he is a spent force creatively. I don't think much of him as a person either, his jew-hating rants and his mishandling of his marital infidelities. It all ended after "We Were Soldiers".
Warning to any who may want to see this: The reviewer here understates the lefty-ness of this movie. I've seen the original British mini-series it's based on, and yes, as some have guessed, it's a typical thriller where, surprise surprise! the bad guys are those eeevil corporations. Btw, Carl gets it wrong once again — Gibson is not a "die-hard conservative" in the contemporary mode, he's an anti-war Alex Jones-like conspiracy nut whose views happen to overlap with conservatism in a few areas.
This is a Body Snatchers situation. As great action heroes who in their personal lives agree with much of the ideology of their movies get old, they are replaced with Lefties.
Daniel Craig thinks its time for Jame Bond to ravish another man in bed.
Kiefer Sutherland's uncle was a Canadian legislater who is among the most responsible for Canada's socialized medicine.
Enough has been said about Matt Damon's politics here in Big Hollywood over the last month or two. Didn't I see Lipton imply on Actors Studio that Damon and Ben Affleck used to like to do the ole in and out with each other?
Each of these will ultimately attempt to define our action heroes to act out like they do in their real lives- more change we can believe in. Aren't there any American men left who haven't grown up as girly boy commies?
As someone who both read the script & attended the premiere, I can say this is a solid movie. It pulls you in quickly, slows down to set up the story, then builds up steam like an out-of-control freight train. Every review that I've read begins by focusing on Mel's life off-screen. Regardless of your personal feelings, the movie stands on its own merit. There are a few jabs at conservatives, yes, but in what movie coming out of this town are there not? Again, a solid movie with both action & emotion. Mel is in fine form, & Ray Winstone…just great. Go see it…you won't be disappointed!
Up until his meltdown a couple of years ago, I liked Gibson a lot. His movies were always entertaining and his characters were believable. But ever since he dumped his wife and abandoned his family to shack up with a chick young enough to be one of his own kids, I've lost interest. Pass.
I completely agree with his "bonehead life."
MEL!! Really?!?! Dude – you screwed up.
I'll wait, too.
"CINO?"
Catholic In Name Only?
If there are, usually the critics chew them up and spit them out – which means we're stuck with girly-boy Commies.
Oh, great – another fine action film with "a few jabs at Conservatives."
Again? Really?
No, thanks – I'll just enjoy TCM.
I heart you.
=)
Did you see the director's cut of Payback? The way Helgeland had it before the studio cut it?
He made Braveheart and The Patriot, for those 2 alone he has my undying devotion. I remember when Braveheart came out, It was so moving and yet the fighting was so realistic and disturbing to me at the time. (no big deal today right?) Then I heard him say in an interview (paraphrasing) that he believed war movies should be realistic so that people will see how terrible war really is and maybe avoid them. To me the Patriot was a masterpiece, not only was it timely and patriotic, it also defined so many other aspects of the history of the time and had a few messages for us today. Apacalypto also smashed some revisionism and portrayed a realistic view of the Mayans as well as other peaceful natives. I was hoping to see him return to the big screen and will definitely go see this one.
Anytime he does a period piece he seems to dig in to the realities of life of the average person of that time and show the humanity and the hardships as well as the potential.
No I didn't, what did I miss???
I would rather see Gibson direct more movies. Apocalypto is an incredible movie, particularly so beacuse it does smashes the PC image of Mesoamerican civilizations while maintaining a Native American as a hero.
Me, too! I have no patience with men who cheat on their wives. Not cool.
Gibson did a great job as "Hamlet", along with Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm and Paul Scofield. Now, I know that Olivier gets all the kudos for his version, but (in my opinion) aside from his gorgeous voice, watching Olivier prancing around in tights and looking glum just makes a lousy production. I will be merciful and not go on further around Jean Simmons…. Gibson, on the other hand, shows us a really crazy and murderous character; Bonham Carter made me want to cry, and the story is actually, really, a tragedy, with Hamlet destroying his mother, his father's brother, Ophelia, and just everyone around him.
Don't get neo-conservative and true (a.k.a. "paleo") conservative mixed up. If you don't understand the difference, here is not the place for me to expound on it, but definitions are readily available elsewhere.
Suffice to say blindly supporting government and military are not what a true conservative believes–think the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Don't see the CIA, nukes or corporations in there, do you?
Definitely NOT my sort of film. I can handle Mel saving his daughter, not her getting killed. If I want this sort of story I can just check out any news site. In the end there can't really be any victory. He can kill the bad guys sure, but his daughter isn't coming back. I'll take a happier film thanks.
don't forget Galipoli
Great choice………The thing I like the most about Mel's movies is that they tend to hold up well through the years.
Galipoli is certainly one of his films, among many, that are still very watchable (Glover ruined the Leathal Weapon series for me)………And as dcase said above he really is a fine director…….way the hell better than the flavor of the month James Cameron in my opinion………..
Yeah Primer, I just always think whatever Mel does has a quality feel to it.
I must take exception to one comment to Carl's review, and that is: "hyper-violent portrayal of Jesus Christ’s torture and death by crucifixion". As Mel commented in an interview (I don't have the exact wording) to the effect that he did not portray Christ's torture even to the half of what the Bible indicates. So, perhaps of using the word "hyperviolent" the word "accurate" could be substituted.
Secondly, and this is directed at hollywood, is the hypocracy of getting all worked up about a drunken anti-semetic rant on the one hand and on the other supporting the Palestian Hamas, and Arafat's crew, as well as the anti-semetic Chavez in Venezuela.
Not just the jackass Glover, but Lethal Weapon director Donner.
but the villian? cary didnt define the real issue. are the bad guys betrayed as typical capitalist pigs? nuclear! so we gotta hate terrorizing nuclear capitalists?
I know this is trivial, but…
This last decade seems to have been really hard on him physically. He looks old and tired. Or am I just used to every actor having their faces lifted bimonthly.
Ewwwwwwwww….on most counts!
Here,here! thank you musterion! if carl would of read his history on the romans and their hyper-violent beatings (His visage was so marred more than any man) then he could of pulled this article off! now i say pffffft, i will see the film!
Adam: “There are a few jabs at conservatives, yes, but in what movie coming out of this town are there not?”
Ok. Here’s where WALK THE TALK comes into play. I do not want a single dollar of my money to enrich those who belittle We The People and, through their treasonous behavior, hurt this country.
For some time now, I have not been willing to overlook those little “jabs at conservatives.” Or those little junkets to Cuba or South America. Or singers with big fannies who call a Vice-Presidential candidate nasty names.
If We The People cared enough to “deprive” ourselves en masse of these types of “entertainment,” it wouldn’t take overlong before our point was made – and things changed.
We all need to support Mel's film efforts and forget about his personal life and opinions, we all have them. He just gets world wide exposure because he is a conservative catholic. IF that was Sean penn up on that road in Malibu it would have come and gone after Penn apologizes.
We all need to SUPPORT MEL GIBSON he is the only POWERHOUSE conservative out there making films. He should have come out with another epic action film. However, we all need to go see this film so the left can't destroy him. They bring down Mel and we don't support him, the rest of us who are unknown conservative filmmakers will get chewed up in the machinery.
We conservative MUST support conservative filmmakers with our pocketbook even if you don't like the film. That isn't important. YOu want to see more films that promote 'OUR" values, we have to have success out there or no one will invest in our stories.
There are only a handful of conservative filmmakers out there and we all need total support from the conservative base from all over the country. Mel has the funds to promote his film, we don't, we need all of YOU out there. Every DVD sold of our films is a victory for all of us, not just the filmmaker. You get to own a film that isn't made by the leftist Hollywood malcontents. You end up taking away from then you cost that you would normally give them.
If we don't stick together they will win in the end.
http://www.fogottenheroesthemovie.com
Joe, Mel is a big conspiracy guy…
You missed a completely different film…No Kris Kristofferson for one..A few things I wont spoil for you but 2nd half of film is nothing like the theatrical release..I highly recommend it….
This in no way gives him a free pass for what he has done and said, but if we were all perfect we wouldn't need to be saved at all would we? It always seems that if a liberal screws up, well, they just screwed up. As a liberal there are lower expectations and standards to be held to. But if a person who has touted Catholic morals ultimately goes bad then they are excoriated as a hypocrite by the left and shunned by the right. We on the right should at least recognize that as imperfect creations goodness is always a struggle. Ultimately I hope and pray that Mr. Gibson will realize the chaos he has brought upon his family, pronounce his mea culpas, and do what he can to heal the wounds, both to his family, his reputation and most importantly to his soul.
Pax vobiscum.
It's not a spoiler to say his daughter got killed. much of the ad campaign is built around 'who shot my daughter?" and getting revenge. i always make sure to give away as little as possible.
Are we talking about the same guy who's an Anti-Semitic, homophobic alcoholic? The same guy who left his wife of almost 30 years and his 7 kids for a 24-year old gold digger?
Yeah, sounds like a great guy to me!
Could be that the 24-year old he knocked up and the bastard child they produced are running him ragged.
Yes, great idea. Let's forget about his overt Anti-Semitism. Let's forget about his overt homophobia. Let's forget about his alcoholic rage. And most importantly, let's forget what a good Catholic he is – cheating on his wife of almost 30 years with a 24-year old gold digger. Leaving his 7 children to father yet another one with the aforementioned gold digger.
Mel Gibson is a disgrace and I will join the very active boycott against his movies.
Unfortunately, there are too many people like you out there – people who have an agenda that they cannot waiver from regardless of anything else.
Instead of showering Mel Gibson with praise, we should be learning from the (many) errors of his ways.
Well said – but you're missing one very important thing.
Mel Gibson didn't just do one stupid thing. He didn't just screw up one time. His problems are ingrained in his brain. One of the problems is his megalomania. The other is a fundamental issue he has with Jews. Even after his fake apologies and that he blamed it all on alcoholism, he has refused to speak out against his father – a known Holocaust denier and 9/11 conspiracy theorist.
if there was any doubt about Mel's true feelings, watch this recent interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10HfOmJhnEA
Yeah those are the parts about him that I don't like either. I was just passing along what I was told by people that met him, not trying to defend his behavior.
We can't all be as perfect as you I guess….
There is a big difference between being imperfect and being a complete scumbag.
The difference between Mel Gibson and me is that I'm not out there selling myself as a good Catholic and then doing so many un-Catholic things.
When you buy a ticket to a Mel Gibson movie, you are allowing him to get away with all that he has done without any repercussions.
But ever since he dumped his wife and abandoned his family
I thought his wife dumped him.
Look, he's an alpha male. He'll always be surrounded with temptations. He's human. Get over it.
Saw it this morning. And yet again, the corrupt Senator that is willing to cover it all up and doesn't mind having people killed is….yep, A REPUBLICAN. Yes, indeed, with utter predictability, the big R next to his name when he appears on TV says it all. Not only do they make it a point to make damn sure you know which party he;s with, they have him play the part in the most uncaring, slimy way possible. His attitude on screen is over the top sleazeball…but, hey…he's a Republican, right? They're all like that according to Hollywood.
Roger Waters should know; he hasn´t done anything of value since ruining Pink Floyd.
Gibson certainly has his personal problems, but he has also become an interesting director with the guts to try something different. On the other hand, he didn´t produce or direct this one, which looks like standard liberal crap to me.
I agree; declaring this or that actor a "diehard conservative" is usually grasping at straws.
Edge of Darkness looks like standard liberal crap to me. The difference is, I don´t believe Gibson deserves the blame. Some commenters here do not seem to understand that an actor – even a well-known star – doesn´t control every aspect of every movie he is in. Air America wasn´t Gibson´s movie in any meaningful sense. As for the CIA, its mission deserves support, but most of the time it is just another ineffective government bureaucracy. It is not above an occasional bashing (not that Hollywood could ever make an intelligent criticism).
Finally saw the movie and it's not a few jabs at Conservatives. It's all about how evil conservatives are. And it's nothing subconscious either. It's there the whole way. First half is great. Then the politics show up and it's so implausible that it's impossible to not bail emotionally on the movie. By the end, I was hoping one of the nukes accidentally went off.
Spoilers:
The Senator is a Republican (yeah, so many of those from MA before last week) so you know right away he's culpable. And the private company has been contracted out by the federal government to make nuclear weapons at foreign specification so they can use them overseas to look like Jihadi's did it. And the federal government eagerly accepts covering up the intentional murder of multiple people all connected to Mel Gibson's character without fear that someone might question that something may not be right about the official story. Then they poison him with nuclear material without really determining a cover story and then they figure one out only after it's a certainty that he will die. All after they set up a complete story that they were after him and his daughter got killed by accident. Why wouldn't they just kill him and say the people that tried to kill him the first time came back and got him? The whole story is so implausible that it's not even worth watching unless you come for the first half and fall asleep for the second one.
I can't argue….
Totally understandable, but if you wanted to be consistent about that you would have to give up movies altogether.
And why judge a movie only by its stars? They usually don´t write, produce and direct the movie. They often have very little influence on its content. The movies you write about are usually ot "his" movies in any meaningful sense, unless he produced or directed them.
Gibson said in an interview recently that everyone has done something they arent proud of…gotta agree there…….others in Hollywood have done much much worse and get a pass everytime.
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