Edge of Darkness (2010)
Starring Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone
Directed by Martin Campbell
It's certainly gauche in this day and age to say that one likes Mel Gibson. Say what you will about me, but I must admit that I truly enjoy watching the guy onscreen. Putting aside his anger issues and his bigotry, Gibson has a presence that pulls you in.
In Edge of Darkness, Gibson takes on a role he's played a few times before -- the vengeful father. Similar to Ransom and The Patriot, Gibson must avenge the wrongs that have been committed against his family -- and he's not a guy you want to mess with. Here he's Thomas Craven, a Boston police officer whose twenty-something daughter is murdered right on his doorstep. While he initially believes that the murderer intended to kill him, he soon discovers that his daughter was involved in a huge corporate and governmental cover-up with gigantic ramifications for the United States.
The problem with movies like this is that oftentimes the secrets are revealed much too easily and that's certainly the case here. Everything seems to fall right into Craven's lap -- one thing after another. It's actually a little surprising considering that the film was cowritten by William Monahan who penned a similar-type flick in The Departed. Considering the expertise on display in that Academy Award-winner, Monahan was kind of lazy here.
Somehow, though, despite the faults in the script and the sometimes cheesy directorial choices, this film works. I was caught off guard multiple times by some crazily crafted deaths that, while certainly there for "shock value" alone, had my mouth agape in disbelief. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it was an enjoyable one.
And it certainly helps that Gibson plays the raging furious guy so well. I mean, he's had some practice apparently...
The RyMickey Rating: B-
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