Edge of Darkness

Directed By: Martin Campbell

Written By: William Monahan and Andrew Bovell

Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, and Bojana Novakovic

Director of Photography: Phil Meheux, Editor: Stuart Baird, Production Designer: Thomas E. Sanders, Original Music: Howard Shore

Rated: R for strong bloody violence and language.

    Mel Gibson has made a career playing men on missions of vengeance. From the Mad Max series, to The Patriot, to simple title films like Ransom and Payback, Mr. Gibson’s best roles involved him teetering on the edge of control, ensuing revenge while executing it with tactfulness.

    Of course, Mr. Gibson has been absent from the screen for eight years, whether it was directing blood-soaked ancient language epics, or making a mess of his public image off screen. Maybe that’s why his first appearance since then puts him right back into his comfort zone—Edge of Darkness is a typically executed thriller built for Mr. Gibson’s expertise.

    Yet from the minute the film begins, director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) has a strange time finding a tone. Mr. Gibson plays Tom Craven, a Boston police detective who is about to spend an evening with his daughter, finally home from work, when she is shot and killed with a bullet meant for him. But Craven is smarter than that, and quickly realizes the shot hit the right target, and begins to unravel a story of corporate and governmental secrets.

    Warner Bros. has smartly placed Edge of Darkness in the same January weekend that the Liam Neeson thriller Taken was released last year. There are similarities, but Edge of Darkness plays slower, and often quieter. That might sound like something nice—an action thriller with a pace—but instead it kills the film. Dialogue between characters seem to be filled with pauses, not because the lines require it, but as if the actors need the time to remember what they are suppose to say. Mr. Campbell, who did so well reinventing James Bond, seems to quickly transition between the calm and collected and the over-the-top violence, which makes for more laughs than thrillers (the opening shot of Craven’s daughter could not be more extreme).

    Between this mess is Mr. Gibson, who reaching an older age, seems to have matured out of the role, and no longer fit for an action story. What makes Mr. Gibson wrong for the role is not what he has done off screen, but simply because he lacks the presence he used to. His face and gestures never seem fully realized, and some truly bad dialogue—including conversations with his daughter beyond the grave—refuses to help stabilize his character. Although Ray Winstone and Danny Huston come in as a mysterious government fixer and an immediately shady CEO respectively, most of the cast is filled with extras all trying their best Boston accent, and only hitting nails against a chalkboard. “Everything is illegal in Massachusetts,” a character tells us—then why aren’t bad accents illegal?

    Edge of Darkness easily has the potential to be a fun smart revenge thriller—the narrative is simple enough to call for it—but as the trashy dialogue and absurd climax leads to more laughs, it becomes apparent that the film simply lacks a tone. When you have a daughter in need, it might be better to call Mr. Neeson instead.