It has been years since Mel Gibson has starred in a movie. The former action hero has been more a part of Hollywood gossip magazines than Hollywood cinema magazines. This Aussie performer has given us some of the greatest characters on the screen. From Mad Max to Braveheart, Mel has dazzled both audiences and critics with his larger than life performances. His latest creation is that of Thomas Craven in the film is Edge of Darkness.
The movie opens with a trio of bodies washing up on the shore near a major manufacturing facility. Then we cut to Mel as Detective Thomas Craven, a jumpy emotional wreck waiting for his 24 year-old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) at a train station. Even as he walks on eggshells, this Dad notices that something isn’t right with his child. Going back home, the two trade stories about her new engineering job at NorthMoor, a giant nuclear company, and his police work. Both coyly dodge questions of their respective love lives. A trickle of blood comes from Emma’s nose and she throws up. Just as Dad walks her out the door to head for the hospital, a shot gun blast rocks through Emma and into the jamb. She flies backward–instantly dead.
The police immediately begin to investigate, believing that the hit was meant for Tom. Just as soon, Craven begins to suspect that something wasn’t right in his daughter’s life. He finds a gun in her possession and a radiation detector. When Dad runs a lock of his daughter’s hair over the machine, it clicks off the chart. Craven keeps seeing a child version of his daughter, talking to this phantom. The mystery deepens further.
Tracking down the gun’s serial number, Tom discovers Emma’s boyfriend. He is a young man scared witless by events he doesn’t want to discuss with Craven. Thomas goes to The NorthMoor facility and quizzes the head honcho. Craven knows that the guy is hiding something, he just doesn’t know what. And making matters worse, this corporate big wig has a sick questioning nature that he unleashes on Craven.
All these threads lead to a confrontation with Jedburgh (Ray Winstone). He’s a guy who stops guys like Detective Craven from connecting A to B. He warns our hero not to go down the path. The rest of Edge of Darkness is Craven finding out that Emma was not the person he thought that she was, and that the corporate deceit has many complicated levels, some of which involve factions of the government.
Director Martin Campbell gives some subtle touches to an ‘in your face’ style of ‘revenge noir’. He shows this father seeing his daughter as a little girl in his mind over and over, reinforcing the idea that parents see grown children still as children. He lets Mel find both slight beats between the big action pieces. Though there are many exciting elements to Edge of Darkness, it is not a standard action flick. The film is being pushed more as an adventure piece when it is more of a mystery. The good guy-bad guy line is on different levels fuzzy and complicated. The ending of Edge of Darkness confused some of the people at the screening to the point that the final plot points had to be explained.
Mel Gibson is in fine and rare form in Edge of Darkness. As the man with nothing to lose, he is all grit. But at the same time, there is a tenderness with his daughter and a whole load of angst when she is gone. The last few years haven’t been the kindest to Mel’s face but the intense eyes are still in full bloom. This is a step toward solid character work and away from the standard action hero.
The rest of the cast of Edge of Darkness never stands toe-to-toe with Mel, except for Ray Winstone. His is a fascinating character, an ‘in the shadows’ ghost who begins to question the exact nature of what he does. He has sympathy for Craven to the point of destroying his reputation. It is a character that needed more exploration.
The film is based on a successful BBC series, and this incarnation is made by BBC Pictures. I truly hope that this company can make it in the US market. They do some fascinating work and this jump into major Hollywood releases is just the kind of kick in the pants action needed in the cold months.
