Edge of Darkness
The first thing you notice, besides the haunting opening shot of bodies rising in a lake, is Mel Gibson’s hair. There’s more than a little grey in it. He wears it well. It’s been eight years since he’s headlined a film.
Five minutes into the film, the pivotal moment happens, when an assassin gets out and shoots Gibson’s daughter in a scene of harsh brutality. In these first few minutes, director Martin Campbell sets the tone of the entire film.
From the trailers, it looks like a familiar Mel Gibson thriller and story in the “Ransom,” “Conspiracy Theory,” “Payback,” and “Lethal Weapon” mold. But Campbell, adapting the acclaimed 1985 British TV miniseries he directed with screenwriters William Monahan (“The Departed”) and Andrew Bovell (“Lantana”), has bigger game in mind. Fusing political and corporate conspiracy with a personal revenge story, the “Casino Royale” director takes Tom Craven (Gibson’s character) down the rabbit hole. Yes, it can be pretty confusing at some times, but you never lose interest, especially when a shadowy “fixer” named Jedburgh (Ray Winstone, superb as always) starts showing up, and he and Tom share more than a few unsettling conversations.
Campbell is in top form in this film, eschewing the Hollywood gloss that marked films like “Goldeneye” and the “Zorro” films for the gritty storytelling and harshness of “Royale,” whose cinematographer Phil Meheux gives the film a lived-in and dangerous look that feels more real than slick. Mixing action and character was a Campbell specialty in his 2006 Bond classic, and with master editor Stuart Baird on board, he does so again, setting it to a Howard Shore score that gets to the dark feeling and provocation of the story.
But the story here is Gibson, whose performance rates with his best work. There’s a lot of that “Ransom” ambiguity mixed with the vigilante spirit of “Payback,” but Craven’s purpose is never lost on us. Hallucinations keep his motivations clear, whether he’s trading intrigues with Winstone or steely glances with Danny Huston’s evil corporate head (seriously, does he ever look trustworthy?), or more importantly, showing Tom’s warmth and pain with Bojana Novakovic’s Emma and Jay O. Sanders’ fellow Boston cop. With Campbell, Gibson finds a genuine collaborator, much like he did with “Lethal Weapon’s” Richard Donner and “Year of Living Dangerously’s” Peter Weir. Campbell makes the beleaguered stars’ return to the screen into a genuine event, and Gibson- whose personal failings have damaged his star shine in recent years- makes the most of the opportunity. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of him.
Welcome back Mel.
