DVD Review: Edge of Darkness

Sixty year old director Martin Campbell is no stranger to being the master behind action films. He’s made a couple “Zorro” movies, not to mention two “Bond” films as well. Back in 1985, he also directed a TX series that lasted six episodes, with a familiar title, “Edge of Darkness.” It must not have been too gravy, considering its short life span. Next up, Campbell is the man in charge of directing one of the next big comic book hero films, “The Green Lantern.” It’s expected to hit theaters June 17, 2011.

Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), a single father, has been a corner stone of the Boston Police Department for decades. One day he gets an unexpected call from his only child, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), saying she’s coming home to visit him. When she arrives home, she is gunned down on his front porch, dying shortly after in her father’s arms. Knowing he’s put away some bad people in his time, Craven first assumes that he was the intended target. He does some digging around, finds some evidence making him think differently now, causing him to pursue his new findings further. It doesn’t take long for him to discover his daughter had a secret life, one he barely knew anything about, that led to her dismay. He sets his sights toward a shady corporate company that Emma had been working for, that seems to have ties to dark governmental agencies. Along the way, Craven meets a CIA operative, Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), whose job is usually to tie up loose ends. This time however, even Jedburgh has a nothing to lose attitude, one that which could help Craven find the answers he needs to put his mind and heart to rest. Jedburgh seems to take a liking to Craven, and may just be the extra bit of help he needs to find his daughter’s killer. Thomas Craven will have to go all the way to the “edge of darkness” in order to bring justice to those who have it coming.

The first thing I can say is don’t rent this movie expecting to see Martin Riggs in “Lethal Weapon 5.” That’s not what you’ll end up with. It wasn’t a bad movie at all, and Mel Gibson rocks the house, but it’s definitely more of an older guy’s revenge saga. Somewhere between “Dirty Harry” and “Gran Torino.” Once again, Hollywood set up the trailer to fool everyone. They make sure to advertise that the director had made the newer Bond movie, “Casino Royale.” So of course you’re going to go into this one expecting to have your socks knocked off. There are some dry segments here and there, as Gibson starts to investigate the shady proceedings of an underground corporate power. Introducing Ray Winstone’s character at just the right time is key. He picks up in this film where Gibson lacks, and the two make the movie something worth watching. You definitely can’t say the plot hasn’t been done before, but it has so many little twists and plot points, you end up being too busy adding up the facts and fiction, to be able to compare to something you saw three weeks ago. All in all a decent watch, and just the kind of movie I hoped Gibson would choose to return to the big screen for. Gibson’s next role pits him as a strange man who walks around with a puppet of a beaver on his hand, and he treats it like it’s a living creature. “The Beaver” is set to come out toward the end of this year.

Grade: B-

Review By: Charlie Giltenboth

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Official Site: http://edge-of-darkness.warnerbros.com/dvd/index.html

Official Synopsis:

The bullet that killed his daughter was meant for Boston cop Thomas Craven. That’s what police brass and Craven himself think, but that’s not what the investigation finds. Clue after clue and witness after witness, the search leads him into a shadowy realm where money and political intrigue intersect. Mel Gibson stars as Craven in his first screen lead in eight years, making Craven’s grief palpable and his quest for payback stone-cold and relentless. Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) directs from a screenplay co-written by The Departed’s William Monahan.

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