It's hard to believe that Mel Gibson hadn't starred in a movie since 2002 before Edge of Darkness hit theaters earlier this year. Between directing The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto and his personal issues he was never really out of the public spotlight. Edge of Darkness isn't going to reestablish Mel as a major star but it does show that he can still carry a movie pretty much by himself.
Boston cop Thomas Craven (Gibson) has just picked up his daughter Emma (Bojana Novaovic) as she returns home for a rare visit. Emma immediately becomes ill but on the way to the hospital she is shot and killed right in Thomas' arms. Everyone assumes that the shooter was intending to kill Thomas and missed but the investigation into the crime does not go exactly as planned.
Edge of Darkness is a decent but ultimately unremarkable revenge thriller/conspiracy movie. It's adapted from the BBC TV series of the same name and it really feels like director Martin Campbell (who directed the TV series as well) tried to fit far too much into a 2 hour movie. There's just too much going on to really get into any aspect of it. For a movie that's billed as a action oriented revenge thriller, it really is quite talky. There is just far too much exposition going on at almost all times and the pace can really drag. Cutting one or two of the subplots could have really benefited the film.
With all that aside the movie is defintaley not a total loss. Gibson hasn't lost his acting ability at all. He gives a very strong performance and is still a commanding presence on screen. He is in nearly every scene and shows no ill effects of his time away from being on screen. Ray Winstone also shines in a supporting performance as a "consultant" who may or may not be on Craven's side. Another big positive is that the action scenes are very well done and exciting. Campbell has a good eye for delivering effective action sequences and the movies bursts of violence can be jarring in a very good way.
The blu-ray is a solid but unspectacular representation of a solid but unspectacular film. The video style is dark and representative of the overall mood. Detail is strong throughout and any softness in the video would seem to be the result of the shooting style. It's not a movie that is going to be a visual marvel but it does fit the overall feel of the film. The audio track is surprisingly front heavy. Dialogue is always the focus of the film and it comes through clearly. The action sequences do open up with heavy surround use and strong low end. The power behind these scenes is in direct contrast with the quieter nature of the track and are very effective when their eruption occurs.
Edge of Darkness is worth seeing for Gibson's return to a starring role but the film is held back by inconsistencies in the pacing and by being stretched too tin overall. It's good enough for a rental but hardly necessary.
Ratings
Movie: 3/5
Blu-ray 4/5
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