Edge of Darkness Review

‘Edge of Darkness’ is a Top-Notch Display of Riveting Revenge

-----Thomas Craven’s daughter is murdered. A detective himself, the rest of the cops just assume that he was the target. That’s not good enough for Craven, as he starts to investigate the mysterious corporation his daughter worked for, and quickly realizes he may be in over his head. But hell, he’s got nothing to lose anyway.

-----Mel Gibson defines powerhouse performances with his blend of grieving and anger, and his unending struggle to solve the case of his daughter’s murder. Hard yet complex, Gibson’s portrayal is as riveting as the film itself, reminding us just how great he is. Holding a resolute resolve and a controlled yet violent bravado, Gibson is masterful in his execution, even selling the action scenes in his older age. Ray Winstone plays a mysterious cover-up conductor employed by the government “that stops you connectin’ A to B,” in a calculated and nuanced role. His scenes with Gibson seethe authenticity as he sidesteps all caricature that often comes with such performances, instead portraying a real and intriguing character. Danny Huston plays the “it’s classified” corporate head in another sound but much smaller role. He reeks of one instilled with unjust power.

-----‘Edge of Darkness’ works on a number of levels, dodging the genre gimmicks and mindless plotlines for a steady narrative with numerous intricacies and perpetual grittiness. It’s also one of the most intense outings you’ll see all year. Few films can so readily knock you headlong out of your seat while also instilling a realism that gets the heart pumping and keeps you agonizingly aware that anything could happen at any time. Much of this is due to Gibson and Winstones’ pitch-perfect performances, along with a smart script that sacrifices excessive action for captivating dialogue. Its few flaws come from the villains’ occasionally questionable motives and a few unavoidable similarities to the age-old genre. Nevertheless, with much less action than the trailer would suggest, the film never loses its fast paced intensity; and when the action does comes, it packs a punch to make Tyson jealous.

-----Director Martin Campbell is completely effective in his execution of this grim tale. The costume department nicely captures the look of its trench-coat wearing leads. The lighting is also crisp, never crossing into overly shadowy territory, using the films mood to its advantage without becoming a distraction. On that end, the cinematography is also fitting for the film, leaving the camera around just long enough to make the stunts look real, and adding a brutal edge to the film’s sharp action and gut wrenching surprises. Even the events you know are coming shock you with their impact, forcing breathtaking vocalized astonishment in true “Holy S—t!” fashion. This may be attributed to the subtle musical score, which pops up rarely and only for short background stints, effectively throwing the audience off guard before hitting you with another sudden crescendo of intensity.

-----Ultimately, true Gibson fans couldn’t ask for much more from his comeback. The films many marketing comparisons to last year’s ‘Taken,’ (similar poster, similar premise, similar release date-only one day off of ‘Taken’s January 30th release) are disregarded in ‘Edge’s superiority. While ‘Taken’ was a fun, crowd-pleasing, and action packed revenge flick, ‘Edge of Darkness’ is a wicked and piercing look at revenge in the face of corporate cover-ups and government conspiracies. In all actuality, ‘Edge of Darkness’ comes off much more like the ‘Sin City’ segment-‘That Yellow Bastard’ than any revenge flick I’ve seen lately. It also handles corporate corruption in a much realer and less trivial way than the boring procedural that was last year’s disappointing, ‘The International.’ Bottom line, ‘Edge of Darkness’ is uncompromising, unyielding, and an absolute treat of gritty theatrics about a world that isn’t always the just place we’d like to think it is.

Official Trailer