Mel Gibson hasn’t acted in a film since M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 film “Sighs,” I mean “Signs.” I would say it was a bad movie, but as anyone who has seen “The Happening” can attest to, “Signs” is a downright classic in comparison.
Gibson has directed two films since then. “Apocalypto” and “The Passion of the Christ.” Along with “Hostel,” Passion is one of the most overly violent, bloody movies ever filmed. The fact that “Hostel” has more useful moral lessons in it is unsettling, but that is beside the point.
The point is, Mel Gibson knows violence.
“Edge of Darkness” is both more of the same and completely different. The violence is there. Plenty of gunfire, knife play and car wrecks will keep action-hungry audiences entertained.
What’s different is Gibson’s overall demeanor. In the past, he tended to go quite over the top. For example, over the coarse of the Lethal Weapon series, he went from tortured Viet Nam veteran to wise-cracking, karate-kicking comedian. Not that I’m complaining. I love all four of those movies. They just devolved from fairly realistic to cartoons by the end, and his character followed the same arc.
In “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson shows a very different side. His character, Tom Craven, is a Boston police detective. He is unmarried, doesn’t smoke or drink and has a good but distant relationship with his daughter, Emma.
When Emma comes home to visit, she is gunned down on his front porch. If Gibson had made this movie 15 years ago, his vengeance would be furious and quick. His character here is far more thoughtful and calculating. He keeps his cool and lets his rage simmer until all the facts are discovered. It’s an amazing performance.
The 54-year-old Gibson still has the goods.
I wanted to see this film for a variety of reasons. It’s directed by Martin Campbell who is actually remaking his own BBC miniseries from 1985. He also directed the last two good James Bond movies, “Goldeneye” and “Casino Royale.” He is very good at delivering on the action without sacrificing believable drama.
I was also interested in seeing Gibson come back to acting. He doesn’t disappoint. This is a very subtle, gripping performance that utilizes his great physicality and loses some of the broad, cartoonish characteristics of his past work. “Edge of Darkness” is similar to “Ransom,” Gibson’s 1996 film about a family man trying to recover his son from kidnappers. It’s dark, violent and full of twists and turns.
On a side note, Gibson’s Boston accent is pretty good and he maintains it throughout the movie. Nothing is more annoying than actors who can’t be consistent when speaking with something other than their natural voice. Kevin Costner, you are on notice.
