Joshua Tan6 years ago, Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon, Braveheart and The Patriot) decided to take a break from acting and went on to work behind-the-scenes, directing The Passion of the Christ in 2004 and Apocalypto in 2006.
It’s then with piqued interest that Gibson returns in front of the camera in the film adaptation of 1985 British drama serial Edge of Darkness, as a police officer no less, after more than half a decade off screen.
The story revolves around Detective Thomas Craven (Gibson) of the Boston Police Department who investigates the murder of his MIT-graduate activist daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic). Craven soon discovers that his daughter’s death by a shotgun round to her chest on the doorstep the day she decides to come home was more than he could’ve imagined.
The case leads him into a world of government conspiracies and cover-ups involving a Massachusetts-based nuclear research facility called Northmoor and its boss Jack Bennett (Danny Huston). He eventually becomes a target of the very people he sets out to catch.
From the get-go, the film is in good hands with director Martin Campbell and producer Michael Wearing, who were also responsible for the drama series that gathered 6 accolades at the 1986 BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards.
Gibson gives a commanding performance throughout, and to be honest the film really is him all the time. In essence, this is the perfect role for an obviously aging veteran actor who looks visibly haggard and sports greying hair with a receding hairline.
Still, the 54-year-old manages to hold his own among younger counterparts in the action department, unleashing heavy blows and displaying surprising agility in fight scenes that seem to come with ease. The showing accuracy in shooting a moving target (in this case a person in a car rushing head on at him) in another scene involving an attempt on his life is evident that he packs as much punch.
British actor Ray Winstone (Beowolf, Fool’s Gold) as CIA agent Matt Jedburgh (originally to be played by Robert De Niro), who’s sent to prevent Craven from “connecting A to B” in his investigation is notable. Though he doesn’t have many appearances, Winstone performs admirably alongside the main character.
His character displays a cold, cynical front while from time to time showing hints of support and admiration for Craven and his cause.
The storyline is also well thought out, delivering an adrenaline pumping hook to the senses just when you think the events unfolding in front of you are getting a little bland. On hindsight though, the movie seemed a little draggy at some parts, especially as it isn’t exactly the typical gun-slinging action cop film you might be used to.
Fight scenes and shootouts are significantly toned down compared to previous Gibson films like Lethal Weapon. Instead, the movie chooses to play more on the emotions and investigative skill of Craven, so there’s understandably a significant proportion of the film spent talking and going around to interrogate people.
However, don’t expect the dialogue to be particularly deep. Like many dark police films these days it packs a substantial amount of expletives into character interactions, making the film’s rating in Singapore a not-so-squeaky-clean NC16.
Ultimately, Edge of Darkness is a fitting re-entry into acting for the Academy Award-winning director, and combines the emotional capability he displays in The Patriot and Braveheart with the familiar detective role in The Lethal Weapon he is equally known for.
This isn’t by any account one of the best films out there, nor is it very likely to be as highly grossing as the more recent popular titles, but still manages to offer movie goers the variety of both good action and some intelligence, so as to appeal to a wider audience. A decent watch all round.
Release Details:
Opens: Jan 28
Duration: 117 min
Language: English
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Bojana Novakovic