Hola all. Massawyrm here.
Before you walk into this, you have to ask yourself something. Gibson has been gone for three and a half years; he hasn’t acted (as a lead) in eight. He’s been taking shit steadily since PASSION OF THE CHRIST and became a national joke (at best) after his drunken roadside arrest in 2006. Since then he’s done AA and gotten a divorce. But he has a legendary career filled with classic films and Oscar wins. So with all the shit he’s going to take, all the jaded interviews, all the op-eds about his statements, every bit of tabloid dirt that is going to get tossed around, and a real Hollywood legacy at stake, you have to ask yourself this: how good does a script have to be to get a guy like Gibson to step out in the open and face all that? Once you’ve answered that for yourself, you begin to get an idea of how good EDGE OF DARKNESS really is.
If EDGE OF DARKNESS weren’t a pre-established property based upon a mini-series from the 1980’s (which was, like the film, also directed by Martin Campbell) one might believe it was a film cobbled together with from a series of ideas based upon all of Mel Gibson’s best films. Instead, it is a script that so plays to everything that Gibson does well and loves to star in, that it is incredibly clear why this script resonated with him. It’s about a father who watches his daughter gunned down in front of him, sets out to solve the murder only to uncover a vast conspiracy filled with sinister characters and then has to get some hardcore revenge on some very bad people. Meanwhile, he’s hallucinating moments and conversations with his dead daughter who meant the very world to him. And come on, if there’s one absolute Hollywood law, dating all the way back to MAD MAX, it is that you DO NOT FUCK with Mel Gibson’s family.
This evokes all of the very best moments and ideals of a Mel Gibson movie without ever being so crass as to rip them off. Gibson hasn’t been this good in a LONG time. He comes out swinging in this like he really has something to prove. He seems hungry, and his portrayal of grief-stricken father Craven is incredible. This isn’t just a manly role; it is a MAN’S MAN role. This is a character for The Duke in his prime. Or Yul Brynner. Or Charlton Heston. He’s not a guy you expect to walk up and kick everyone’s ass. He’s the guy who has been kicking everyone’s ass for thirty years and doesn’t take shit from anybody. Craven is simple man, yet a smart man. He loves his daughter, he loves his job and he tries every day to do right by both. And when that goes sour, all he has left is putting a little boot to ass the good old fashioned way.
The film hits all the right notes, playing this as a slow burn thriller light on the score and heavy on the mood. It’s a detective story, one that goes above and beyond that of a simple whodunit. To its credit, just as it seems to be losing a little steam, just as you think it is becoming your typical paint-by-numbers thriller, just as the villains seem a little too mustache-twirly, they drop the bomb on you and lay out an explanation that frankly earns every bit of tension they are trying to build. While it proves to be a simple story, it is one with very nuanced complications.
But taking the film to 11 is Ray Winstone, who shares a handful of really potent scenes with Gibson that are the very heart and soul of the movie. Winstone is fixer, a shadow dwelling string puller who gets called in when things are going really bad – and while he may be seemingly at odds with Gibson’s Craven, he finds something of an unspoken bond with him and the two seem to share one of those classic style “forbidden friendships” built on a mutual respect. Watching these two powerhouses act off of one another is one of those simple joys that we just don’t get to see in filmmaking often enough in this day and age. These scenes have a very Scott Brothers feel to them in terms of their simplicity, elegance and out and out badassery.
Martin Campbell has outdone himself again. Here’s a guy who has a very hit and miss record punctuated by a few truly spectacular movies. This is one of those. Stylish, cool and incredibly well acted, the only complaint this will really garner will be about its pacing – something that noir fans will LOVE. I get why the studio is trying to sell this as TAKEN, what with being thematically similar and all – but it isn’t that kind of film. This is closer to being a spiritual cousin of MYSTIC RIVER, MAN ON FIRE, and THE SEARCHERS. It isn’t so much a film about showcasing action as it is showing a good man put in a very bad situation. But when the film does get down and dirty, it does so with all the trademark hard hitting brutality you’ve come to expect from Campbell.
Easily one of Gibson’s greatest performances, EDGE OF DARKNESS is an absolute must see for anyone who has ever loved Mel Gibson. It’s a film with a script so sharply written the words seem to float off of the page into the film, and while I’m not certain who did more work here – William Monahan or Andrew Bovell (It feels far closer to Monahan’s DEPARTED and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN than anything Bovell has ever worked on), both will no doubt be quite proud to have this as a credit. There’s nary an imperfection to be found. So how good of a script does it take to get Gibson to crawl out of hiding? THIS GOOD. Really fucking good. Highly recommended.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
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