"Edge of Darkness" Not Too Edgy
Movie Review
Andrew Fergin
Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: Entertainment
A bright moon rises over a river somewhere in the mountains welcomed only by the sounds of crickets. The water is smooth and unbroken save for the three corpses slowly floating to the surface.
"Edge of Darkness" is the newest film from director Martin Campbell. For those unfamiliar with Campbell's work he also directed "Casino Royale", "The Legend of Zorro", and "Vertical Limit" as well as the British television show, "Edge of Darkness", which his latest movie is a remake of.
"Edge of Darkness" stars Mel Gibson in the lead role of Thomas Craven, a gray-haired Bostonian detective, who only minutes into the film loses his daughter (played by actress Bojana Novakovic) to a masked gunman. If this sounds only subtly different from the premise of the film "Taken" by Pierre Morrel, it is with good reason as the plot is only minorly different. The primary difference (excluding the vital state of the main character's daughter) is that «"Taken"» gives an occasional twist to qualify itself as a mystery film, where as "Edge of Darkness" makes no such effort.
If audiences are expecting one of Mel Gibson's best performances to date they will be sadly disappointed. Throughout the film Gibson plays Thomas Craven with an emotional monotone settled somewhere between bitter and really pissed off with little change in this portrayal no matter the scene.
Though not an example of great acting, it must be noted that casual viewers will still find Gibson's performance entertaining. From the way his embittered scowl is always just a few wrinkles too intense for the moment to the way he lurches in an almost drunken manner when shot, Gibson brings a certain energy to Thomas Craven that, while hard to describe, is very amusing to watch.
The plot of "Edge of Darkness" progresses linearly with Thomas Craven moving from lead to lead as he learns more about the circumstances that resulted in the murder of his daughter. As the plot moves forward, the audience is introduced to various allies and villains who have their attention focused on Craven and how he might play into their own personal agendas.
Despite being a poor example of its genre, it would be unfair to call "Edge of Darkness" an entirely bad movie. What redeems "Edge of Darkness" is that while it is a cliche it is an extremely entertaining cliche to watch. If the viewer wants a gritty man hunt with cheesy lines, gun fights, and a sprinkle of political intrigue, then "Edge of Darkness" will without a doubt satiate their desires more than fully.
All in all, if the viewer has the extra money to shell out for a ticket, a friend or two, some time to kill and some liquor to drink then "Edge of Darkness" is not a poor choice. If on the other hand the viewer is looking for deeply complex webs of intrigue they should keep moving because "Edge of Darkness" is not what they are looking for.
"Edge of Darkness" is the newest film from director Martin Campbell. For those unfamiliar with Campbell's work he also directed "Casino Royale", "The Legend of Zorro", and "Vertical Limit" as well as the British television show, "Edge of Darkness", which his latest movie is a remake of.
"Edge of Darkness" stars Mel Gibson in the lead role of Thomas Craven, a gray-haired Bostonian detective, who only minutes into the film loses his daughter (played by actress Bojana Novakovic) to a masked gunman. If this sounds only subtly different from the premise of the film "Taken" by Pierre Morrel, it is with good reason as the plot is only minorly different. The primary difference (excluding the vital state of the main character's daughter) is that «"Taken"» gives an occasional twist to qualify itself as a mystery film, where as "Edge of Darkness" makes no such effort.
If audiences are expecting one of Mel Gibson's best performances to date they will be sadly disappointed. Throughout the film Gibson plays Thomas Craven with an emotional monotone settled somewhere between bitter and really pissed off with little change in this portrayal no matter the scene.
Though not an example of great acting, it must be noted that casual viewers will still find Gibson's performance entertaining. From the way his embittered scowl is always just a few wrinkles too intense for the moment to the way he lurches in an almost drunken manner when shot, Gibson brings a certain energy to Thomas Craven that, while hard to describe, is very amusing to watch.
The plot of "Edge of Darkness" progresses linearly with Thomas Craven moving from lead to lead as he learns more about the circumstances that resulted in the murder of his daughter. As the plot moves forward, the audience is introduced to various allies and villains who have their attention focused on Craven and how he might play into their own personal agendas.
Despite being a poor example of its genre, it would be unfair to call "Edge of Darkness" an entirely bad movie. What redeems "Edge of Darkness" is that while it is a cliche it is an extremely entertaining cliche to watch. If the viewer wants a gritty man hunt with cheesy lines, gun fights, and a sprinkle of political intrigue, then "Edge of Darkness" will without a doubt satiate their desires more than fully.
All in all, if the viewer has the extra money to shell out for a ticket, a friend or two, some time to kill and some liquor to drink then "Edge of Darkness" is not a poor choice. If on the other hand the viewer is looking for deeply complex webs of intrigue they should keep moving because "Edge of Darkness" is not what they are looking for.
Be the first to comment on this story