STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Homicide Detective Matt Craven (Mel Gibson) is happy to meet up with his daughter again, but is surprised to find her coughing up blood upon finishing her meal at his house. He gets an even bigger shock when she is murdered right in front of his eyes, shattering his world- he takes it upon himself to investigate her death only to be approached by a mysterious man named Darius (Ray Winstone) who shines some light on her former employers which casts circumstances in a whole new light.
It is really quite surprising just how long Mel Gibson has been out of the limelight- most notable for his role in The Singing Detective, but the most recent film of his I saw was Signs in 2002. He's had his troubles, of course, what with his drink drive arrest and anti semitic ramblings, which couldn't have done his career or public image much good, but no, it would appear he really did slip right off the radar for the best part of the noughties. But this glossy Hollywood cover of the original BBC thriller from director Martin Campbell is as good a springboard as any to get him back on track again.
Campbell is a name more easily identified with high octane action movies than political thrillers, so he's a slightly odd choice to take over things here. But he handles things with enough gusto and aplomb to keep things going. Gibson does a decent job in the lead role, a little too manic and overwrought at times, but he could have been much worse. Meanwhile, Winstone is steardy support, doing a pretty flawless American accent and an intriguing character to watch. As another big screen adaptation of a story that was originally a BBC series, it's easy to make comparisons with the recent Russell Crowe vehicle State of Play, but while there is a fairly gripping and complex story here, it doesn't quite manage the tension and excitement of that film.
Edge of Darkness is ultimately an unremarkable but more than passable thriller that Gibson could have done much worse to make his comeback with. ***
Homicide Detective Matt Craven (Mel Gibson) is happy to meet up with his daughter again, but is surprised to find her coughing up blood upon finishing her meal at his house. He gets an even bigger shock when she is murdered right in front of his eyes, shattering his world- he takes it upon himself to investigate her death only to be approached by a mysterious man named Darius (Ray Winstone) who shines some light on her former employers which casts circumstances in a whole new light.
It is really quite surprising just how long Mel Gibson has been out of the limelight- most notable for his role in The Singing Detective, but the most recent film of his I saw was Signs in 2002. He's had his troubles, of course, what with his drink drive arrest and anti semitic ramblings, which couldn't have done his career or public image much good, but no, it would appear he really did slip right off the radar for the best part of the noughties. But this glossy Hollywood cover of the original BBC thriller from director Martin Campbell is as good a springboard as any to get him back on track again.
Campbell is a name more easily identified with high octane action movies than political thrillers, so he's a slightly odd choice to take over things here. But he handles things with enough gusto and aplomb to keep things going. Gibson does a decent job in the lead role, a little too manic and overwrought at times, but he could have been much worse. Meanwhile, Winstone is steardy support, doing a pretty flawless American accent and an intriguing character to watch. As another big screen adaptation of a story that was originally a BBC series, it's easy to make comparisons with the recent Russell Crowe vehicle State of Play, but while there is a fairly gripping and complex story here, it doesn't quite manage the tension and excitement of that film.
Edge of Darkness is ultimately an unremarkable but more than passable thriller that Gibson could have done much worse to make his comeback with. ***