EDGE OF DARKNESS

Written by Joseph B. Mauceri

Thursday, 28 January 2010

RELEASING: Warner Bros. Pictures SYNOPSIS: Thomas Craven (GIBSON) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, 24-year-old Emma (NOVAKOVIC), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter’s secret life and her killing. His investigation leads him into a dangerous, looking-glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder—and to shadowy government operative Darius Jedburgh (WINSTONE), who has been sent in to clean up the evidence. Craven’s solitary search for answers about his daughter’s death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption. (Provided by studio) CREW: Director - Martin Campbell; Screenplay - William Monahan and Andrew Bovell; Based on the Original Television Series - Troy Kennedy Martin; Producers - Graham King, Tim Headington, and Michael Wearing; Director of Photography - Phil Meheux BSC; Score - Howard Shore; Production Designer - Tom Sanders; Film Editor - Stuart Baird, A.C.E.; Costume Designer - Lindy Hemming; Special Make-Up Effects - Greg Nicotero & Howard Berger KNB EFX Group Crew; Visual Effects - Peerless Camera Company AND London, Digiscope LLC. CAST: MEL GIBSON… Craven; RAY WINSTONE… Jedburgh; DANNY HUSTON... Jack Bennett; BOJANA NOVAKOVIC... Emma Craven; SHAWN ROBERTS... Burnham; DAVID AARON BAKER... Millroy; JAY O. SANDERS... Whitehouse; DENIS O’HARE… Moore; DAMIAN YOUNG... Senator Jim Pine; CATERINA SCORSONE... Melissa. OFFICIAL WEB SITE: www.edge-of-darkness.com ** "REEL" Value: Story: $12.50 Direction: $12.50 Acting: $12.50 Editing: $12.50 Production Design: $12.50 Special Effects: $12.50 Score/Music: $12.50 Costumes: $12.50 Value: $12.50 - EDGE OF DARKNESS is an emotionally charged thriller taken to raw extremes by a powerful performance from veteran actor Mel Gibson. This is a rare cinematic event that reaches levels of sheer perfection through screenplay, direction, and performance. I’ve never seen the BBC series of the same name, also directed by Martin Campbell, that EDGE OF DARKNESS is based on, but I most certainly will seek it out because of this film. The narrative for the film adaptation is an expertly woven blend of political, police, and conspiracy dramas charged by the poignant tale of a father’s loss of his daughter. The dialogue is rich and charged, with numerous memorable lines that would have been ineptly delivered by lesser talent. A father, I was even more invested in this tale of a single father trying to deal with the horrific loss of his daughter by a cold and ruthless corporation and the revelation that he did not really know his own child as well as he believed. This great cast is lead by an amazing performance by Gibson, who returns to the cinema in a lead role after an almost eight year hiatus. Gibson crawls into the skin of Craven and it is a perfect fit. He takes on the accent of a Boston police detective and never once misses a beat. He has the posture and mannerisms of the location and the profession. Added to that is an intensity and edge that is a more mature version of the darkness we’ve seen in the memorable characters he created in the “Lethal Weapon” series and, one of my personal favorites, “Payback.” EDGE OF DARKNESS is not without its action sequences or bloody gunfights, and they are nicely choreographed and well paced by the skilled eye of director Martin Campbell, the vision behind such action films as the Bond “Golden Eye,” “Casino Royal,” and the Zorro Films. The pacing of the story’s revelations and escalating violence adds to the tension and suspense, and the audiences’ applause and cheers at the screening I attended manifested the effectiveness of Campbell’s and Gibson’s work. In a time of year often thought to be a dumping ground for studios’ lesser films, EDGE OF DARKNESS is a startlingly well-directed and triumphant return of a great actor that delivers an emotionally charged thriller that is guaranteed to find favor with audiences. Without a doubt, spend the money and take the ride, because EDGE OF DARKNESS delivers the cinematic goods, some of the best work Campbell or Gibson have done to date. ** Based on the regular $12.50 ticket prices at a Manhattan theater Jan. 29th, 2010.

 

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