Reviewed by Kate Rodger
We
have ex-pat director Martin Campbell to thank for re-booting the Bond
franchise, and turning blond Bond Daniel Craig into Box Office gold in
Casino Royale.
Now he’s back without 007, but returning to his television roots, with Edge of Darkness.
Originally
a six-part '80s BBC television series, and one which shifted
Campbell’s career up a few gears, this story has been freshened up for
a post-9/11 2010 audience,
Mel Gibson
(Mad Max / The Patriot)
returns to the big screen from his lengthy and rather fraught hiatus
looking a little older, a little craggier and a little angrier. He has
good reason to be a little angry. He plays cop Thomas Craven, his only
love is his only daughter, and she gets gunned down on his doorstep in
the opening minutes of the film, dying in his arms.
His
hunt for her killer becomes our story, a rather thrilling conspiracy
story as it turns out, and a very compelling one.
Shady
men in blacked-out SUVs speeding through the night, tip-offs from
sources who end up in body-bags, and lots and lots of twists and
turns.
Knowing who to trust is always key in a
story like this. And when Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast
/ The Proposition) turns up, it’s hard to know
whose side he’s on. Winstone really is class, and he nails the nuances
of his character Jedburgh to perfection, rounding off a believable
on-screen chemistry with Gibson. His final scene is the highlight of
the film.
In fact the whole cast is excellent.
Danny Huston (The Proposition / Constant
Gardener) delivers another stylish performance as Jack
Bennett, the suave slippery head of a shady Nuclear facility. And
another actor I always enjoy is Denis O’Hare (Milk
/ Michael Clayton), who pops up as a government
security agent.
The squeamish beware, the R16
rating belts out some moments of hard fast brutal violence, this is not
a film the whole family can enjoy.
But even with
my lily-liver I managed OK, and overall left feeling most satisfied
indeed. Edge of Darkness won’t win awards, and
it’s not a genre-defying boundary-breaker, but as far as conspiracy
thrillers go, this one got my pulse-racing, my eyes glued to the
screen, and was far more than I’d expected.
Four big fat stars.
Edge of Darkness
:: Director: Martin Campbell
:: Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts, Denis O'Hare
:: Running Time: 117 mins
:: Rating: R16 - contains violence & offensive language
:: Release Date: February 4, 2010
::
Trailer: Click
here
