After torturing Jesus and subjecting Mayan tribesmen to gruesome human sacrifice, what could possibly be next for Mel Gibson? For the enigmatic filmmaker/star, whose last movies were directing jobs -- "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto" -- it's a return to acting and a new target for his violent compulsions. But who would have thought he'd aim his scourge at the corrupt arena of government-contracted weapons manufacturers? (Lockheed Martin, you're going down!)
Gibson's career has been defined by film violence. That appetite for bloody recourse continues in "Edge of Darkness," with Gibson playing a Boston homicide detective out to solve the murder of his activist daughter. He has left the directing to Martin Campbell, who was last seen pumping steely violence into the James Bond franchise with "Casino Royale."
"Edge of Darkness" begins ominously: Three bloated bodies bob to the surface of the pitch-black Connecticut River. It then cuts to Detective Tom Craven (Gibson) and his daughter, Emma, who's recently come back into his life. He's unsure of where she's been -- partly because he's a bad father, but mostly because she works at a top-secret weapons lab. A masked man fires a shotgun blast that opens a gaping hole in Emma's stomach.
For the next two hours, Gibson portrays Craven as the vengeful dad, growling his way to justice. At 54, Gibson looks old. Wrinkles cover his cheeks, while specks of gray twinkle in his dark puff of hair. Does he have the killing urge left in him?
You bet. Emma was going to turn whistleblower on Northmoor, a private security firm and weapons maker located in a fortress compound overlooking the Connecticut River. Before long Craven is outrunning Northmoor security goons and sticking a gun in the face of the company's surly boss (Danny Huston).
"Edge of Darkness" is mostly slow going, with sudden and graphic bursts of action occasionally breaking up scenes that drag on with no real purpose. Fantastic English actor Ray Winstone ("Sexy Beast") plays a government cleanup man sympathetic to Craven's cause but also charged with stopping him. Winstone is locked and loaded in his chatty moments, ready to chew the scenery. But the script by Oscar winner William Monahan ("The Departed") gives Winstone little to munch on.
It's based on a British TV series that aired in 1985. While the dirty deeds of multibillion-dollar military contractors are still part of the political landscape, the new film doesn't have anything fresh or profound to say about them (they're bad). The movie is confused about its own aspirations, too. Is this a drama about a father's loss? No. Is this a political thriller? Maybe, but a good thriller should consistently surprise the viewer. The movie's revelations are met with a resounding "duh."
"Edge of Darkness" will remind you of "Taken," last year's Liam Neeson saga about another gun-toting dad out to avenge his daughter. The difference is that "Taken" knew exactly what it wanted to be -- a ridiculous action film filled with over-the-top violence. "Edge of Darkness" eventually goes that route, but by the time it gets there, the shootouts feel like they belong in another movie. Maybe "Lethal Weapon 5"?
