Pirate Journalism

It has been a long time since we have seen Mel Gibson on the big screen.

Edge of Darkness, staring Mel Gibson

Nevertheless, seeing the promos for “Edge of Darkness” didn’t inspire much excitement. From the trailers, the movie seemed to be a knock-off of last year’s “Taken,” where Liam Neeson tears up Europe looking for his daughter’s kidnappers. In “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson plays Boston Detective Thomas Craven, tearing up Massachusetts looking for his daughter’s killers. However, despite the vague similarities highlighted in the trailer, “Edge of Darkness” stands firmly on its own as a great thriller and gives Mel Gibson an excellent vehicle to drive back to the box office.

When his daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is killed in a drive-by shooting while visiting home, the police believe it was a mistake and the killer was really after the detective. However, as Craven tries to find closure in the death of his daughter, he finds that the assassin might have killed the right person after all.

Craven’s daughter was working at a government R&D firm with shady connections to the state’s senator and a private security force that cleans up any “industrial accidents.

While Craven investigates what looks like the killing of some environmental terrorists that his daughter is linked to, he becomes the subject of an “investigation” by Jedburgh (Ray Winstone). Jedburgh is government fixer, a “just another nobody” who is called upon when an embarrassing situation needs to be swept under the rug.

“Edge of Darkness” is one of those movies that burns on the screen. You can’t help but stare transfixed at the powerfully crafted screenplay brought to life by a spellbinding performances.

While the general pathos of the story is pretty well used, there are enough twists and fresh ideas to interest even the most cynical audience members. Even those ideas that might be considered trite and overused, like a vengeful cop or a government fixer, are viewed through a powerful new angle.

It was good to see Gibson in the cop role again, and he poured everything into the role to ensure this wasn’t just a “Lethal Weapon” spin-off. This isn’t just another detective. He is a father tormented by the death of his daughter. His grief and anger burns and freezes the heart at the same time.

Winstone also provides an enthralling performance, being sinister and civilized at the same time. Despite being an assassin/cover-up expert, Winstone gives Jedburgh a since of right and honor that is believable.

On the other side of the coin, the bad guys are amazingly slimy and spineless. The senator (Damian Young) has a crooked smile and used-car salesman voice. His assistant (David Aaron Baker) is a modern day sniveling lackey and Bennett (Danny Huston) brings to life the archetypical evil CEO.

“Edge of Darkness” is a powerful and triumphant return to the screen for Gibson and a winning choice for audiences.