EDGE OF DARKNESS

 IT’S BEEN quite a while since we’ve seen Mel Gibson in front of the camera, after he spent several years concentrating on establishing himself as a controversial and inarguably talented director with The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto.

In this remake of the 1980s BBC thriller mini-series (which starred Bob Peck and Joe Don Baker), Gibson stars as Boston cop Thomas Craven, who witnesses the brutal murder of his only daughter (Boana Novakovic) on the front steps of his home.

Initially, it’s assumed that because of his job in law enforcement, Craven was the intended target, but as he begins his own investigation, it seems there is a connection with his daughter’s employer, a nuclear research and development facility called Northmoor.

It’s while he is investigating Northmoor boss Bennett (the brilliantly self-righteous Danny Huston) that he begins to suspect corporate and Government conspiracy.

There’s no denying the whole conspiracy theory plot is fairly dated and doesn’t have the strong impact that director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale) might have intended, and he has a slot of source material to squeeze into the two hour running time.
But he was the man at the helm for the 1985 mini-series (as well as the likes of The Professionals and Minder), so all the main plot elements are there.

Mel Gibson is top form as the man driven to the titular ‘edge of darkness’ by his daughter’s murder, although there are definite elements of his Lethal Weapon character here. In fact, a lot of this has a strong sense of familiarity about it (his 1990s movie Conspiracy Theory is to the forefront of my mind).

Winstone adds great weight to the movie, with a strong on-screen presence, both physically and through his character as a ‘consultant’ whose agenda you are constantly questioning.

If you can ignore the ‘dated’ feeling, and the poor performances of two smaller characters (played by Shawn Roberts and Caterina Scorsone), it’s an enjoyable, middle-of-the-road thriller.
Star rating: 3/5