Boston Police detective Thomas Craven is an average cop and a proud father; his daughter Emma is a MIT graduate who's recently landed a job with a major defense contractor. The previews don't try to hide the fact the Emma is murdered early on in this film; from then on, it's all Mel Gibson's show. The loss of his only child drives him to the brink of insanity, and his search for the truth behind Emma's death leads him down a revenge path that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. Supplementing Gibson's intense performance is veteran English actor Ray Winstone as Jedburgh, a sly damage control expert who keeps the government's shadier dealings from reaching the light of day.
Since it's become a bit of a tradition for me to include random trivia in my reviews, now would be a good time to note that this film is actually a remake of a highly acclaimed BBC drama miniseries from the mid-1980s. Accordingly, this film is a British production"¦but you'd never guess it. The only tipoff here is the distinct visual style of Casino Royale director Martin Campbell. Gibson's portrayal of a Boston cop is both believable and deranged at the same time. The intensity with which he seeks revenge seems to ramp up as the conspiracy behind the crime begins to unravel. Even though he appears complacent at times, Gibson does manage to exhibit a certain depth of anguish that has essentially numbed the pain of Emma's death. At first I thought that it would be hard to relate to Craven's relationship with his daughter, but flashbacks and hallucinations serve to develop their bond in a way that feels painfully real.
However, don't expect to see Gibson crying over his daughter for 117 minutes; with his only remaining link to the world lying dead in a morgue, Craven resolves to do anything necessary to seek his own brand of justice. I went into this film without knowing what to expect. I knew that there would be action sequences, but seeing as how it was a BBC production I assumed that the violence would be a bit subdued. I was wrong; very wrong. When someone gets shot in the face, you not only see it, but you feel it. Even though the violence is consistent throughout, you'll still find yourself surprised when the last 10 minutes roll around and people are still getting peppered with bullets. Gibson and Winstone always seem to have a new trick up their sleeves, but the blind rage of one and the ambiguous nature of the other constantly left me wondering if either would make it to the credits intact. Apart from these two, the rest of the cast is downright forgettable (and even bad in some cases.) Still, Craven manages to actually lighten things up with a fair share of humor throughout; his dark one-liners and badass attitude are right on par with the Mel we used to know and love; there's no doubting that Gibson is back with a vengeance.
Despite a few lacking performances from supporting characters, a solid conspiracy story and powerhouse performance from Mel Gibson will certainly please anyone who can stomach the violence and keep the plot connections straight. While it isn't exactly a deep film, Edge of Darkness does manage to fulfill some carnal desire for revenge and justice in a time of political corruption and government cover-ups. I liked it quite a bit, but I can easily see how this brand of political thriller may not be for everyone.
