Edge of Darkness
Review - Kathryn Ryan for The MungleShow
These past few years have been trying and turbulent for Mel Gibson. It takes a lot for Hollywood to shun you completely, and it seemed he found just the way to do that. With a critical crowd watching his every move and his crowds of die-hard fans dwindling, Gibson knew he needed a role to portray that would bring him back to decent standing. While he certainly delivered, Edge of Darkness might not have been the best vehicle for the journey.
Edge of Darkness is the tragic story of a Boston police officer named Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) whose daughter is murdered on the night she comes over to his house to visit him for the first time in months. All the other detectives and officers believe it was a shooting that was meant to be for Craven, but as the pieces of the puzzle become put together, Craven discovers his daughter was involved in something more powerful than the gold badge in his pocket and more dangerous than the loaded gun strapped to his side.
First and foremost, it has to be said that Mel Gibson is a wonderful actor. When all of his off-screen tiffs are put aside, it is clear that the man can perform, and perform well. This movie is an example of how Gibson can act, even though it is far from the trigger-happy Martin Riggs America came to know and love. The trailers for this movie are misleading in showing all of his rage moments in 30 seconds. The movie is far from him just shooting and killing, but I can assure you he does pull out his pistol every now and then. Gibson's portrayal of a mourning father is wonderful and saddening. At moments it teeters on the edge of melodramatic and his sad face flickers for a split second with an expression that almost reads as, "America take me back, I'll be good", but he quickly pulls out of that and remains consistent. He creates a character that develops from just wanting revenge to wanting justice, which might seem similar, but the end results are vastly different. The rest of the supporting cast do well, while not on the same level as Mel. You believe the actors and what they present, but you know that the acting could be a notch better.
The plot itself was a little muddled with fast facts, strange trails of clues, and questionable turns. It made it impossible for the audience to trust anyone, but then again, that is how Craven felt. Aside from that, villains were created to be a little too conniving and evil. They were reaching a point where it would not have been shocking to see them in black suits with handlebar mustaches and a fiendish cackle. Both of these problems made it hard for Gibson to fully shine in his role and hinder the movie from being more memorable.
It is rated R for strong bloody violence and language. The language is around every corner, but it does not become pointless and out of character for any of the actors. The violence level is quite high and parents should be wary of letting their younger ones see this one. I would, however recommend this movie to anyone who still enjoys Gibson or who enjoys a movie more about talk than action. If you are looking for explosions and shootouts, this is not the film for you.
I give The Edge of Darkness two and a half out of five classified envelopes. It is great to see Mel Gibson back on the screen, but hopefully his next film will not make his audience question his script choices because we already question his moral ones. |
In theaters 01:29:10
