Mel Gibson to Star in Edge of Darkness

[FlawlessVictory]

That was superb & a very accurate description of the reporter/host whoever that.. ******* was..

I agree 1000% with what the article on FMT says & indeed Mel Gibson himself.. it was 4 years ago. People make mistakes, people say things they wish they hadn't, people do things they wish they hadn't, he publically apologised (twice I believe) for any offence caused during his drunken rant, and thats the key word. 'Drunken'. Everyone has something they've done while they where drunk that they would like mentioned as little as possible.. if at all.
People need to move on. He apologised for any offence caused which in itself should be an indication that he didn't mean or know what he was saying & that should be the end of it, never to be brought up.. at least on a live interview involving a film he is trying to promote & nothing to do with the incident whatsoever...

Yea, it was 4 years ago but isn't this his first movie in a starring role since the incident? So I totally understand why the reporter would ask the question. And yes the incident can be tied in with this movie because it's his first starring role since then. It is not unreasonable to judge the movie's BO performance taking into account people who may just not go to his movies because of his rant. So that makes the connection between the incident and the movie right there. Regardless, even though he apologized, he said it and just because a person apologizes doesn't mean it has to be accepted. People have the right to feel his apologies were not sincere and deep down this is the type of he is, harboring those feelings. So yea, perhaps for these people, they no longer have a desire to see his movies based on that incident.

 

[Episode29]

My review:

If a movie’s pre-release potential could be counted in currency, Edge of Darkness would have been a mighty lucrative venture, yes siree! Not only does the project mark the long-awaited return of Mel Gibson – in classic Mad Mel mode, no less - to the acting world, it also boasts a screenplay co-written by The Departed Oscar-winner William Monahan and the capable directorial duties of Martin Campbell, the British helmer responsible for revitalizing James Bond twice with 1995’s GoldenEye and 2006’s Casino Royale. Heck, even the film’s original source material, the highly lauded 1985 BBC mini-series of the same name, is of the utmost calibre.

One would not have been foolish to assume that, given the prestige and obvious strengths of the ridiculously talented individuals involved, the final product would be a solid A-grade mainstream thriller. Sadly, however, they would be very, very wrong, as Edge of Darkness is anything but. Rather, it’s an utterly boring, ungainly mess; an ugly mishmash of loosely connected plot threads that’s tries to be both an intimate revenge tale and a socially relevant conspiracy yarn while failing miserably on both counts.

Regrettable, as Gibson is in fine seething form as Thomas Craven (If there’s a more awesome last name than “Craven”, I’ve yet to hear it), a hard-edged Boston homicide cop whose spritely daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) gets shot-gunned to smithereens in his front yard. Despite initially believing that the hit was intended for him, Craven inevitably winds up following a trail of leads to her former place of work, the Northmoor Corporation, a radioactive waste facility with secret military connections, overseen by slick CEO Jack Bennett (Danny Huston – an actor skilled at playing characters who virtually ooze sleaze). Convinced of a connection between his daughter’s demise and the good folks of Northmoor, Craven sets out to expose the truth behind the obviously crooked company – a complicated task which becomes even thornier with the arrival of Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a shadowy government-appointed “cleaner”, who may or may not hold the answers that the grieving father needs.

Now, in the original six-hour plus televised version (also helmed by Campbell), these events no doubt – considering the voluminous praise surrounding it - played out like an intricately unfolding riddle, with each solved piece of Craven’s puzzle hitting the viewer like an astonishing revelation. But here, streamlined into two hours, Edge of Darkness is confusing and clumsy, with almost every single new surprise delivered to Gibson and the audience via a one-note, exposition-spewing side character (who must, of course, begin each discourse by hysterically stating their refusal to cooperate). The only real exception to this rule is Winstone, whose Herculean efforts in imbuing his enigmatic operative with dramatic heft are akin to witnessing cinematic alchemy. Speaking in an gravelly, earth-rumbling timbre, and making fearsome use of his hulking build, he commands the screen like a true master, making even the direst descriptive dialogue flow as if it had originated from the mighty pen of Sir Billy Shakespeare himself.

Nevertheless, the fine Brit thespian is done no favours by Monahan and Andrew Bovell’s script, which introduces both him and other key players with suitable pomp and circumstance, before abruptly scuttling them off-screen (only to have them later pop up when necessary) in order to regain focus on Craven’s plight. While Jedburgh’s crucial character arc is rushed and emotionally unsatisfying, other actors – such as Jay O. Sanders as Gibson’s cop partner – find themselves more or less stuck in Act 1; factoring heavily in the establishment of the plot before practically vanishing into thin air. Even the character of Emma – the impetus for the whole flippin’ story – does little more than furrow her brow, projectile vomit and take a one-way trip through a closed door. It’s impossible to share Craven’s considerable grief when the movie’s tragic victim is such a forgettable, charisma-deficient blank.

Martin Campbell, a reliable journeyman director, proves unable to bring any life to the inert shambles around him, though he does try valiantly by shoe-horning in a completely pointless, but efficient, Bourne-esque fist-fight and aping Scorsese’s distinctive style of staging shocking bursts of sudden violence – a technique which often comes across as more comical than horrifying. With that said, the helmer has at least fashioned this snoozer into something pretty, with razor-blade editing and an omnipresent cloak of grim moodiness which, while overwhelmingly unpleasant to endure, is mostly consistent (minus the shamelessly unearned sentimental ending) and thematically appropriate.

Frankly, when compared against 2008’s smart and engaging State of Play – another adored BBC mini-series adapted by Hollywood – it’s embarrassing how wildly this picture misfires. It’s a syrup-paced mystery film without an ounce of mystery, where the villains are shallow and unmistakeable and the hero is always ten steps behind even the slowest audience member. Ultimately, Edge of Darkness is a promising endeavour that disastrously crashed somewhere amidst its turbulent journey across the pond.

1.5 out of 5

 

[Hunter Rider]

"You need to decide if you're hanging on the cross or banging in the nails."

Great line in a scorching comeback to the big screen from Mel Gibson, there too few genuine movie stars these days so it's great to see an old stager like Mel knock it out the park as Boston detective and grieving father Thomas Craven.

He's ably supported by Ray Winstone as the menacing and enigmatic Jedburg, their scenes together are the highlight of the movie. The other supporting characters kinda flit in and out while Danny Huston brings the loathable sleaze as the main bad guy.

Flitting in and out is perhaps the film's main weakness, a number of characters appear briefly as a plot link to give Craven a piece of info, and then they aren't involved again, or only reappear to get killed. This is the curse of adapting a TV mini series with a nearly 6 hour run time and is most glaringly evident in a pivotal scene with Jedburg.

Now "State of Play" avoided that pitfall masterfully, having not seen either mini series I can only imagine they did so by streamlining the material which may have been a wise idea here.

Despite this the story is still intriguing and engaging and Tom Craven's journey is an intense one that has you rooting for him all the way, there isn't a lot of action but what there is, is impactful, the use of sound and editing is first class and really drives home the death of Emma and the finale gun battle.

Speaking of the finale I am sure some will have found it too simplistic and indeed it could have been much smarter, but personally I found it satisfying.

7/10

There are still some stuff that i don't quite understand

Spoiler

1 Craven's hallucinations
Is he really hallucinating because of grief or is it a side effect of the radiatio poisoning

2 Is Ray Winstone's character just someone he feels the urge to help craven because he's sick of the sleazy corporate cover ups ?

3 What exactly is the deal with NorthMoor ?
Do they create nuclear weapons for other countries

Spoiler

1. I think they were merely a device to keep showing cute kid so the audience would be more invested in Craven's mission.

2. He's hired to stop Craven but Nothmoore are not aware he's dying, and as a dying man he decides to help Craven as he's sick of the things you mention.

3. No, they make nuclear weapons with foreign materials so the section of the US government can use them without them being traced back.

 

[L.A.]

I was forced to watch this by my gf instead of the superbowl! It wasn't bad but its nothing I haven't seen before...Disappointing movie...

 

[cerealkiller182]

Review

Spoiler

Tom Kraven is a Boston Police detective and widower. Since his daughter graduated from college and found a decent job, he has not heard much from her. On the day she finally comes to visit, she seems to be ill, but before they can get to the hospital she is gunned down on his father's footsteps. As the investigation begins, all signs point to a disgruntled collar of Tom's, but he soon realizes that his daughter had become entwined in a conspiracy involving the company she has been interning for.

A remake of director Martin Campbell's British television mini-series of the same name, Campbell has imported the story across the pond to Massachusetts and has enlisted down-on-his-luck screen legend, Mel Gibson. Quite an obvious choice when one thinks about it. When it comes to righteous anger, no one does it better than old Mel. There is a ticking time bomb behind Mel's eyes that is truly frightening, yet he stays relatively calm throughout the whole investigation, a determination motivated by finding peace for his daughter, the only family he seemingly has left. Practically anyone can relate, the loss of a loved one, let alone a child, is instantly empathetic.

This quiet and waiting to explode variation of Mel Gibson is directly tied to another problem to the film. What was marketed as a fast paced action picture full of vengeance and payback was a whole lot slower, but effective, allowing a mystery to unfold to a conservative finale for an action flick. Mel Gibson was certainly not channelling Martin Riggs wholly, but digging deep to the silent depravity of Mad Max and well-directed melodrama of Tom Mullen (of Ransom) as well. With a script with a 50/50 shot at sounding cheesy, Mel delivers on some truly excellent lines.

Ray Winstone brings out a lot of the best in this movie. He is the exception to a lackluster supporting cast (one that even included Danny Huston). His character is a cliche, a spy used as a blunt instrument turned repentant when he faces his own mortality, yet Winstone's performance raises the bar and keeps it fresh. Like a predator, he seems poised to attack at any second keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. His mentoring ways and pearls of wisdom put Mel on this path, and Winstone's natural charm color him more of a sage than a puppet-master.

In the end, Edge of Darkness is not Mel Gibson's triumphant return, but it reminds us how great he has always been, personal issues aside. Campbell reiterates an effective thriller and mystery, but the comparisons to the original, namely being inferior to it, are inescapable.

7/10