Mel Gibson’s back and he’s out for blood. Or for answers. Or for both.
Things get a tad muddled in this film adaptation of the critically-acclaimed 1985 BBC miniseries, both projects directed by talented gun-for-hire Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, Beyond Borders). This time around the screenplay’s provided by William Monahan (The Departed) and Andrew Bovell (Lantana), though it stays surprisingly true to Troy Kennedy-Martin‘s teleplay for the original series.
And this may be part of the problem. Darkness feels like a film that should have come out in the 1980s (or even 1970s) and one that would’ve been praised, back then, for its gritty storytelling and unflinching violence. Now it just feels like a throwback, much like its leading man, who looks older by at least 8 years (I wonder why?).
After all, this isn’t Taken 2 (despite the trailer’s insistence that it is) and Mel Gibson’s not simply out for revenge (even though he mostly is). There are politics involved and shady people with moments of clarity and characterization. Or at least one character with those things. He’s played by Ray Winstone. It all feels like Shooter with a few more marbles rolling around in the noggin.
But only a few. The plot concerns the murder of Emma Craven (Bojana Novakovic) outside the house of her father, Boston P.D. Detectve Thomas Craven (Gibson). She dies in his arms. And the evidence consists of the shooter yelling “Craven!” There’s not much to go on. Or is there?
What about the belongings Ms. Craven’s left behind? She was just a “glorified intern” working for Northmoor, a government-financed environmental company. What could she possibly know?
Welp, “some secrets take us to the edge,” as the tagline tells us. And, boy, do they ever.
Danny Huston appears as the president of Northmoor. Based on the simple principles of casting, we know Huston’s up to no good from the beginning. Perhaps Emma Craven had just watched more movies than all of the other Northmoor emplyees and knew that Huston plays bad well.
Gibson plays “grieving dad” well enough and his Boston accent is consistent. Whether or not it’s believable is anyone’s guess. It appears that even people from Boston can’t decide what someone from Boston sounds like. Point is, it’s good enough.
Much like the whole of this film. Good enough. The mystery serves and so does the dialogue, although it does lack the snap of Monahan’s The Departed, which was also a crime drama. There are also two of the least impressive, most distracting supporting performances in recent memory: Shawn Roberts and Caterina Scorsone, as Emma’s boyfriend and best friend, respectively. From their accents to their overacting, these two young thespians were either misdirected or not directed at all. Every moment they’re on screen the film is for the worse. Luckily, both of their screen time is limited.
Winstone, in the end, is the glue that holds this thing together, all the way up until the ludicrous ending.
But then, Edge of Darkness is a ludicrous film that seems bent on convincing the viewer it’s pertinent and topical to our time. The production value’s apparent but some of Campbell’s choices feel rushed. Case in point: the film’s shot selections. Why start a particular conversation between Gibson and Winstone with an extreme wide aerial shot, then smash cut to swapping close-ups of the two men? What’s the thinking behind the decision?
That said, where there’s action it is slick and brutal, and Gibson still has that Old Hollywood charm that will remind those watching of “the movie star” and what it was once like to have them around and still relevant.
6 out of 10
Did you see Edge of Darkness? Do you plan on seeing the film in theaters?