Edge of Darkness

Hello everyone! We had a great week of watching movies and we would like to share our reviews of one of those- The Mel Gibson comeback, Edge of Darkness. I hope you enjoy this review enough to come back next time!

Edge of Darkness

When his daughter is murdered, police detective, Thomas Craven, delves into investigating her murder. What he discovers is corporate lies, government corruption, and a minefield of secrets his daughter was keeping. With the help of his daughter's friends and the government agent sent to clean up the mess of the murder of Craven's daughter, Craven goes on the hunt.

Becky's Review

I love a good revenge movie. If a film has a stand up and cheer moment, I'm the kind of girl who likes to stand up and cheer. Edge of Darkness has some stand up and cheer moments...three or four of them in fact. That makes me happy.

I was delighted to see Mel back on the big screen in a leading role. With all due respect to Passion of the Christ (2004) and Apocalypto (2006), acting is where Gibson shines - though he seems to have an affection for roles of bereaved fathers. Let me just say that Gibson does Martin Campbell proud in Edge of Darkness. His performance is, if not masterful, then convincing.

The very first scene of the movie serves to make the audience nervous, and this nervousness stays with you throughout the first twenty minutes of the movie, despite Craven's (Gibson) domestic appearance. The murder of his daughter, coming on the heels of a mundane period in the movie, is absolutely vicious and traumatic. The scene will stick with me for a very long time to come. What follows, Craven's investigation and all of the people he comes into contact with, is a study in fine directing.

Martin Campbell does a wonderful job directing his star-studded cast. As Gibson moves among his colleagues and friends, there is an awkward, almost embarrassed air about the meetings. It is almost possible to hear what the characters are thinking as they come into contact with the bereaved Craven. There are awkard pauses and silences that only add to the tension of the movie, so that by the time the climax of the film rolls around, the audience is as tense as the characters.

All in all, this was a great film! I thoroughly enjoyed it, although, every time Danny Huston (Craven's daughter's boss) came onto the screen, I found myself comparing him to Ray Wise's Devil from the TV show Reaper. They dressed and even looked the same. Perhaps this was on purpose...

Becky's Final Grade: B+

Becky's Final Recommendation: Go see it. Definitely go see it.

Scott's Review

Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Legend of Zorro), directs this revenge thriller starring Mel Gibson, and I couldn't be happier to see Mel back on the big screen.
The film opens with a scene that wouldn't be out of place in a Hitchcock thriller and it works very well, asit gives the film a sense of foreboding. The next few scenes seem a little fast and choppy, and at the time I didn't know what they were going for. However, there is a massive SHOCK shortly after. It is at this time that we realize what we are watching.
Yes, we are watching a revenge thriller, but this one goes beyond the formula and works hard to create something smarter (sometimes is succeeds, sometimes it doesn't). By the time we get to Ray Winstone's character, we are in need of something to break the monotony, and that is exactly what Winstone gives us. He is the mysterious character we usually see in these types of films, and none have played it better. I can't say enough about his performance, and can't say much more without posting spoilers. This film has quite a few twists to keep the viewer entertained and guessing. It has politics, revenge, violence, and definitely deserves it R rating. There are quite a few shocking scenes of violence that I wasn't expecting, but to a horror buff such as myself, this serves as redeeming value.
Mel Gibson gives a great performance, and though I thought he could've done without the Boston accent, I didn't even notice it after the first 45 minutes. He is believable in his role as......well I won't say what he is.....spoilers and all that. I enjoyed this film and though I won't remember it in a year, I can't say much bad about it right now.

Scott's Final Grade: B

Scott'sFinal Recommendations:

See it as long as you don't mind a little blood and some fairly brutal scenes.