Edge of Darkness

A surprisingly bland and uninteresting thriller. Martin Campbell is “only” a professional action-movie craftsman, and the subject matter of Edge of Darkness needed a more distinctive take on the sad, depressing and urgent warning against the circles of powerful people. Moreover, the film barely contains any action and doesn’t offer any kind of breathtaking climax of the detective plot, which is more chaotic than interesting. Danny Huston and Ray Winstone are well cast in their roles, but Winstone’s character is horribly botched up (while it is evident that it was supposed to be the second most important character in the story). Mel Gibson is good but his performance is nowhere near what he did in Payback. The same could be said about the whole movie. (10.02.2010)

Even with his graying head, Gibson is still an instant badass who can break a diamond with a look. However, here the poor guy languishes in a blandly told story that suffers desperately from the writer forgetting to give it any sort of direction and the director forgetting to give it shape. The tragic position of the theme doesn’t work because the filmmakers don't address it (the daughter's voiceover - WTF?!) and the huge conspiracy is laughable in its naivety. The characters (and there are a plethora of them) lack any real personal background (including Gibson), so watching them move through the plot is simply not enjoyable. It’s an incredible dud and (so far) the most blown chance of the year. I am, however, interested in the TV original. (24.02.2010)

Dead Man Walking. Gibson great, Winstone great, Campbell is still in top form. Although a couple of scenes really made me think WTF (the end), it didn’t bother me so much that I couldn’t enjoy the rest. The action scenes are supreme to the point it’s a shame that there weren’t more of them and the final showdown was such a treat for me to watch - precisely my cup of tea. I even feel like watching the original miniseries too. (21.03.2010)

Mel Gibson's tough guy image went out of style a long time ago, so we can't expect anything groundbreaking in terms of the script. Once again, there are espionage threads, a complex web of characters, and a tangle of uncertain facts that ex-cop Mel Gibson must put together, which he manages to do quite quickly. Thank God, however, we have excellent and raw action, which Martin Campbell handles brilliantly. The action scenes are not unrealistically inflated, they are powerful, bloody, and merciless. Above all, the car crash scene is awesome. Thanks of those few explosive moments, it is basically average, otherwise, there is nothing to write home about. (15.05.2010)

A letter to Mel Gibson:__Mel, I want to apologize. I didn't do anything as bad as the bastards who killed your daughter, but still. I was disappointed when I saw this film of yours in the movie theater. Not because of you, but because of the overcomplicated plot, the large cast of characters, and so on. It was simply impossible to navigate through Edge of Darkness... You know this, you were in it (and you were great from start to finish). But now I've brought you home on DVD and put you on the telly... It may well be a poor consolation for you, but I am giving you a fourth star. Edge of Darkness needs to be seen more than once in order to become more immersed in the plot and to take in all the information, of which there is plenty. And Mel, if you ever see him, tell Martin Campbell that he did a great job! He filmed you superbly - he handled the fight in the apartment perfectly and clearly, he did a great job on the scene with the car being shot (you know which one I mean) and he managed to create a delicious ending. Oh, and shake Ray Winston's hand, too. He could have gotten more space, but he was still great. What do you think? Welcome back, Mel, and please show up in one of these movies again soon. (06.07.2010)

This is somewhat of an impotent thriller. And not just because radiation might be what causes impotence, along with bleeding vomit and other issues. I'm glad Mel Gibson has returned to his craft. I hold him in high regard as a director, and it's unfortunate that he doesn't have anything planned yet. His films Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ are, for me personally, masterfully directed. But let’s talk about Edge of Darkness. The beginning is good. A father has his beloved daughter return, who seems to be sick, but before he can take her to the hospital, someone takes her out. Mel doesn't know who, and that’s what he needs to find out. The setup is solid; the viewer expects some interesting cat-and-mouse game with twists, but nothing like that comes. Mel stumbles between the bad guys and the supposed good ones, gradually uncovering the truth that the United States are, in fact, real bastards who do what they want with nuclear weapons. Again, another huge revelation about how bad things are in America—politically and in the struggle for power. This connects the film to Green Zone. Okay, let them make films about it, but it’s not that groundbreaking anymore. The worst part, however, is the ending, which tries to be extremely poetic. (19.02.2013)