Editorial
Front Page - Friday, February 12, 2010
Critic's Corner
David Laprad
Mel Gibson is back! Where was he? Since starring in “Signs” in 2002, he’s divorced his wife of 28 years, had a daughter with his 24-year-old girlfriend and been arrested for suspicion of DUI, during which he allegedly made anti-Semitic remarks. That said, who are we to judge? If the media announced our sins to the world, we wouldn’t fare much better.
Regardless, Gibson is lugging around a lot of baggage that his next few movies are going to have to carry, too. Fortunately, his first film in eight years, “Edge of Darkness,” is too strong to allow any of his personal issues to weigh it down.
As the crime thriller began, I relaxed, set aside everything I’m supposed to not like about Gibson and let him remind me of why I enjoy his movies. He not only has tremendous onscreen presence, he can bring whatever a scene needs to the table. Whether Gibson is going for your heartstrings, aiming for your funny bone or making you glad you’re not a bad guy, he can act. He does more than perform, though; he makes you care about his characters, and their causes, and pulls you into the stories in which they exist.
“Edge of Darkness” allows Gibson to exercise most of his acting muscles. As homicide detective Thomas Craven, he gets to kick in some teeth and mourn a tragic loss as he investigates the shooting murder of his daughter. At first, Craven thinks he was the intended target, but as he digs further into the mystery of who pulled the trigger, he uncovers evidence that leads him to think otherwise.
One of the things Craven learns is that his daughter was leading a secret life as a research assistant for a corporation that makes nuclear weapons for the government. Going deeper, he crosses paths with several evil people.
To reveal more about the story would be to disclose too much, so I’m going to move on. All you need to know is that you should pay attention while watching “Edge of Darkness,” because the dialog is dripping wet with information, and if your mind wanders, you’ll miss something important. Also, I found the climax of the movie both sad and supremely satisfying.
OK, now I’m really going to move on, as I don’t want to ruin the ending. That would be hard to do, though, because there’s so much to admire in “Edge of Darkness.”
One thing I noticed early on was how the creators of the movie didn’t use Craven’s daughter as a throwaway character. I liked that. Instead of tossing her aside once her death got the plot rolling, they use her throughout the film, having her appear to Craven in daydreams, her voice comforting him when he’s about to go over the edge emotionally. She doesn’t guide him; she keeps him focused as he presses toward a dark place. In lesser crime thrillers, victims are merely disposable meat that gives the hero something to avenge.
Also, Martin Campbell, who helmed the first Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, was a good choice for bringing “Edge of Darkness” to the screen. As director, he drew solid performances out his actors, including the ones who played snakes, and there’s not a single discordant note throughout the entire film. What’s more, the pacing is perfect.
The writing is also smart. In one of my favorite moments in the movie, Craven washes his daughter’s blood off his face and then watches as the reddish water circles down the drain of his bathroom sink. Hours before, that blood was moving through his daughter’s veins, and now it represents not only her life being over, but possibly his as well. I can see the screenwriter tapping out that scene on his computer late at night, then pausing to relish the moment of inspiration.
There’s not much action in “Edge of Darkness,” but what little there is made me wish there was more. One early fight is as brutal and tightly edited as anything in the “Bourne” movies, and when Gibson stands in the middle of a road and takes out a car with his handgun, I smiled and thought about the scene in “Lethal Weapon” in which his character, Martin Riggs, tries to take out a helicopter with his revolver. All these years later, Gibson can still give even the most ludicrous action a sense of plausibility.
I’ve hit my word limit and I haven’t even touched on the interesting relationship that develops between Craven and a man the government hires to “clean up” (ahem) its messes. But that just shows how rich and layered “Edge of Darkness” is. If you like crime thrillers and can stomach a little gore, see it.
Gibson is back! And that’s good.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad @hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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