Edge of Darkness (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  What a strange and varied portfolio of films Martin Campbell has under his belt. I've not always been a fan but good news is, I thought Edge of Darkness was great! Interesting to see him revisiting and remaking his 80's BBC miniseries into a film, a great move (although… More
  What a strange and varied portfolio of films Martin Campbell has under his belt. I've not always been a fan but good news is, I thought Edge of Darkness was great! Interesting to see him revisiting and remaking his 80's BBC miniseries into a film, a great move (although Green Lantern was an odd follow up decision). Mel Gibson is brilliant in the lead role and Ray Winstone is great in his supporting role. The beginning of the film totally took me by surprise and I was thrilled throughout - I think this film is somewhat overlooked, it is way above average for it's genres, especially of late.

• Jeff "

  
  Edge of Darkness is a fairly decent conspiracy thriller that though flawed, I enjoyed somewhat. The film starts well enough to grab your attention, and it effectively builds up as the conspiracy unfolds. However halfway through the film, director Martin Campbell's directing… More
  Edge of Darkness is a fairly decent conspiracy thriller that though flawed, I enjoyed somewhat. The film starts well enough to grab your attention, and it effectively builds up as the conspiracy unfolds. However halfway through the film, director Martin Campbell's directing becomes a bit sloppy, and the film losses its strength. Edge of Darkness is a decent thriller, but the second half is pretty weak, and it's what sinks this film. The performances on the other hand are great, and Mel Gibson after all his controversies was able to deliver a good performance. I liked the film; however it's unfortunate that the second half was weak because this film could really have been a memorable thriller and one of the best of the genre in quite some time. Despite the fact that the film becomes weak by the second half, Edge of Darkness is still entertaining for what it is. I just think it's a shame that the film couldn't have a stronger second half. The first hour of the film was so thrilling, well constructed and kept you on the edge of your seat. But the second hour, the film is a bit flat, and is not as strong as it could be. Still, Edge of Darkness is a decent thriller, nothing ever great, but pretty entertaining. If only Martin Campbell could have crafted a solid final for his film, Edge of Darkness would have been one of the best, most electrifying thrillers in recent years. A decent film for what it is, but nothing really special.

• Max C

  
  Edge of Darkness slowly moves forwards with an overwhelming sense of poignancy. Details in the film are subtle and heartbreaking such as the cold look on Gibson's face as he washes his daughter's blood off his face (it happens in the first five minutes) and realizes that… More
  Edge of Darkness slowly moves forwards with an overwhelming sense of poignancy. Details in the film are subtle and heartbreaking such as the cold look on Gibson's face as he washes his daughter's blood off his face (it happens in the first five minutes) and realizes that that their last moment together is her vanishing down the sink. From this point the world is rendered in high contrast, as it has been stripped of its warmth and meaning following her death. The conspiracy element seems like a way of pulling viewers in, as what we're really watching is a heartfelt look at a man whose world has just collapsed. The flashbacks are beautiful without ever being ridiculous (Shutter Island), and Campbell resists the urge to have his film plunge into absurdism (The Ghost Writer). Surely one of the best films of 2010.

• Mark W

  
  Having concentrated more on his directorial duties with "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto", Mel Gibson had seemingly abandoned acting. This is his first acting vehicle since 2002's "Signs" and straight away he's back to doing what he… More
  Having concentrated more on his directorial duties with "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto", Mel Gibson had seemingly abandoned acting. This is his first acting vehicle since 2002's "Signs" and straight away he's back to doing what he does best; playing unhinged loose cannons. When the daughter of veteran Boston detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is killed in front of him, police assume he was the target. But Craven begins to suspect it's to do with the shady businessman Jack Bennett (Danny Huston) she was working for and begins to start digging to uncover the truth. The poster and advertising campaign for this film is quite misleading. This is no slam-bam actioner like they would have you believe, but if you are familiar with the 1980's BBC television mini-series on which it's based, then you'll have a better idea of what to expect. This is a slow burning conspiracy thriller that's very deliberately paced and certainly in no rush to tell it's story. It's mainly dialogue driven with Mel not giving too much away while teetering on the brink. Then all of a sudden there are graphic bursts of violence and action that have you jumping out of your seat. These moments are highly effective and realistic but unfortunately too few. The performances are good, Gibson can do this stuff in his sleep, the sleazy Danny Huston can do likewise, as can Ray Winstone playing yet another hard man. The problem is, they talk a good game. Sitting around bumping their gums when they should be bumping some heads and leave a few unexplained plot strands along the way. A decent conspiracy thriller with highly effective and unexpected bursts of action. Unfortunately, the action is just a bit too sporadic for it to completely grip.

• Kase V

  
  Credit must be given to Martin Campbell's 'Edge of Darkness', mainly because it gives a solid effort to do what it was meant to. Gibson turns in a respectable performance, even if some may cringe at some of his lines. Campbell's vision on the revenge thriller… More
  Credit must be given to Martin Campbell's 'Edge of Darkness', mainly because it gives a solid effort to do what it was meant to. Gibson turns in a respectable performance, even if some may cringe at some of his lines. Campbell's vision on the revenge thriller falters when he tries for jolting scares on his audience, which are used to good effect but seemed to be thrown into the film to keep the audience awake. The film fails largely by alienating its audience with a story that's simple but haphazard. Gibson seems to be just running around and 'interrogating' suspicious people, and it's not fascinating. Still, some may be drawn in by Gibson's performance and the intrigue of the bloody-revenge-thriller world.

• danny d

  
  the story never even approaches any depth of dealing with grief and loss, and the conspiracy was a bit simple and formulaic, but the violence was stunning but tasteful, the tone was brooding, and the pace of the film was perfect for entertainment value. overall, an above average and… More
  the story never even approaches any depth of dealing with grief and loss, and the conspiracy was a bit simple and formulaic, but the violence was stunning but tasteful, the tone was brooding, and the pace of the film was perfect for entertainment value. overall, an above average and well executed thriller.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"I'm the guy with nothing to lose and doesn't give a shit."</i> As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that… More
  <i>"I'm the guy with nothing to lose and doesn't give a shit."</i> As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> "Edge of Darkness" isn't anything masterful (and not as well-made as "Casino Royale" from director Martin Campbell), but it is a solid genre film -- it's intelligent and takes its time and is essentially "Taken" for adults. Make of that what you will. Prior to the studio attempting to re-edit it and force its advertising as another action-packed revenge thriller, this is essentially a very "talky" remake of the BBC series (which Campbell had some involvement in originally producing). There are punctuations of brutal violence that are rendered more effective because they're spaced out and inconsistent. When Mad Mel finally gets his revenge, there's some weight to it because it's been building up for nearly two hours. Mel's been gone almost a decade but you wouldn't know it from how adept he is here. His personal issues aside, he's still a likable, charismatic leading actor -- and despite some traces of over-acting (particularly toward the end), and an inconsistent Boston accent, he does well here. The movie isn't perfect and does get a bit long in places, but I enjoyed it. It's not something I'd necessarily go out and see again, but if it showed up on TV I'd probably watch it again.

• Richard C

  
  I really liked the movie. I loved that the movie takes it's time to get to the action then it just jumps at you and catches you off gaurd. I thought that it was a good slow moving thriller with a good story and some action for intense scenes. This isn't an action movie as… More
  I really liked the movie. I loved that the movie takes it's time to get to the action then it just jumps at you and catches you off gaurd. I thought that it was a good slow moving thriller with a good story and some action for intense scenes. This isn't an action movie as the trailer would suggest, it's a drama with suspense and some action but I enjoyed the movie. B+

• paul s

  
  Edge of Darkness has a certain Hollywood sheen to it, dispite being a BBC production - whether that is a pro or a con is up to you. I found the way in which this story was presented to be original and inventive, with enough whoah! moments to keep the first half of the film going.… More
  Edge of Darkness has a certain Hollywood sheen to it, dispite being a BBC production - whether that is a pro or a con is up to you. I found the way in which this story was presented to be original and inventive, with enough whoah! moments to keep the first half of the film going. The second half is a little too pat, with a bit of momentum wrecking interplay (but no less interesting - getting into a deeper back story of corporate greed supported by our lovely government). At the core is good old Mel, who is truly more than an action figure. He shows good depth here as a veteran cop who is trying to cope with a sudden loss. Stirring up the pot further, and adding a certain spookiness to the proceedings is a masterfully nuanced performance by Ray Winstone, playing a brooding fixer/assassin with a strong moral code. He speaks in riddles and is menacing as he deadpans most of his dialog in a voice barely above a whisper. I read that DiNiro was originally slated for the role and I can definatly see that working as well, but am equally happy with what Winstone brought to the table. I enjoyed the opening shot of a moonlit lake, all very idyylic until bodies start rising to the surface. This was spooky, and set a nice tone for the film, but it wasn't revealed until at least half way through what it meant (in a definite "ah" moment - I was wondering if it was a metaphor or.... but I'm not saying. Ultimately, this is the kind of story you've seen before - grieving man goes up against the greedy corporate machine/government, but I found this film entertaining, with enough coming at you from off angles to keep me interested. It also runs high on the plausability scale, with motivations properly explained and very little in the way of bs moments (you know, the ones where a charactor has access to things he shouldn't have, or seems to know things he couldn't possibly know - the kind of things that often seem to appear in action/thriller type of films).

• Derek D

  
  It seems like we've seen this before (and if you're British then you probably have as it's based on a U.K. TV series). Gibson plays a vengeful Boston detective who is after the murderer of his activist daughter. Eventually, he becomes involved in a conspiracy about the… More
  It seems like we've seen this before (and if you're British then you probably have as it's based on a U.K. TV series). Gibson plays a vengeful Boston detective who is after the murderer of his activist daughter. Eventually, he becomes involved in a conspiracy about the U.S. and nuclear weapons that takes him much further than he ever intended to go. Gibson still has what it takes to carry a movie (especially one like this) and Winstone still talks in his stuffy British accent that makes it hard to understand what he's even saying half the time without the use of subtitles. I enjoyed Taken, so I really liked this one even if it's not the most original film to come out in years.

• KJ P

  
  Disturbingly Great! Mel Gibson gives a gut wrenching performance and it will have you stuck on the edge of your seat. The plot could not have been executed any better than it was. I would have never thought a revenge story could be this good, but I was severely wrong. It's… More
  Disturbingly Great! Mel Gibson gives a gut wrenching performance and it will have you stuck on the edge of your seat. The plot could not have been executed any better than it was. I would have never thought a revenge story could be this good, but I was severely wrong. It's brutal, intense, and thrilling. The action scenes that are resent do not disappoint and I love Edge of Darkness!

• Douglas W C

  
  Just okay

• Dean !

  
  A very good, solid well made film with an intriguing story. Mainly classed as a thriller but it has plenty of action and even a few bloody scenes. Gets a bit political to but you will be engrossed until the outcome. A perfect role for Mel Gibson.

• Chris W

  
  This is a pretty decent thriller. It's Mel's first screen appearance in 8 years (and might end up being his last), and he does apretty convincing job. It was cool seeing"that guy" Jay O. Sanders in asupporting role, and Danny Huston, given his screen time,… More
  This is a pretty decent thriller. It's Mel's first screen appearance in 8 years (and might end up being his last), and he does apretty convincing job. It was cool seeing"that guy" Jay O. Sanders in asupporting role, and Danny Huston, given his screen time, isn't bad either. Ray Winstone is good, but things seemed a bit too murky and underexplained with his character. I already knew that Monahan was involved with the script, but I had not, I still would have picked up on the several parallels to The Departed. Campbell does adecent job with direction, andI liked how they handled the flashback/hallucination scenes. There were a few bits of sudden unexpected violence that were also much appreciated, as were the unglamorous brutal depictions of violence. This isn't aperfect movie, but it's done quite well, and is pretty entertaining, so yeah, you should give it a watch.

• Dean M

  
  Excellent thriller adaptation of a 1985 BBC mini-series that has a firm emotional core, as hardboiled cop Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) stops at nothing to find out who killed his daughter and why. Having also directed the original, Martin Campbell lets Gibson be tough and brittle, as a… More
  Excellent thriller adaptation of a 1985 BBC mini-series that has a firm emotional core, as hardboiled cop Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) stops at nothing to find out who killed his daughter and why. Having also directed the original, Martin Campbell lets Gibson be tough and brittle, as a rich conspiracy takes hold. After eight years of self-imposed, above-the-title retirement, Gibson returns. Craggier, but with the same hair-trigger energy... It's always seemed, on screen and off, like he might just do anything - it's his blessing and his curse. here he's as dangerous and empathetic as ever. It's good to have him back. The violence is certainly not soft-focused, with the initial murder shocking, even though it's expected. Another road-side set-piece is impactful, if somewhat nonsensical, while the obvious use of stunt doubles mars some scenes.

• Candy R

  
  Mel's estranged daughter returns home. She is sick and he tries to take her to see a doctor but she is gunned down on the front steps. As Mel is a cop he suspects that he was the target. However, he discovers his daughter was working as a researcher for a nuclear weapons company… More
  Mel's estranged daughter returns home. She is sick and he tries to take her to see a doctor but she is gunned down on the front steps. As Mel is a cop he suspects that he was the target. However, he discovers his daughter was working as a researcher for a nuclear weapons company and she wanted to expose them. The movie is quite slow and heavy going. Mel has done similar roles in Payback and Conspiracy Theory.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  CAST: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts, Caterina Scorsone, David Aaron Baker, Jay O. Sanders, Denis O'Hare DIRECTED BY: Martin Campbell SUMMARY: As a seasoned homicide detective, Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) has seen the bleakest side of… More
  CAST: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts, Caterina Scorsone, David Aaron Baker, Jay O. Sanders, Denis O'Hare DIRECTED BY: Martin Campbell SUMMARY: As a seasoned homicide detective, Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) has seen the bleakest side of humanity. But nothing prepares him for the toughest investigation of his life: the search for his only daughter Emma's (Bojana Novakovic) killer. Now, he is on a personal mission to uncover the disturbing secrets surrounding her murder, including corporate corruption, government collusion and Emma's own mysterious life. MY THOUGHTS: "I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was a pretty good mystery thriller. It even had just enough action in it for me. Fit the mold of the movie well. Great performance by Mel. He always gives a good performance though. Liked the story-line, and it kept me guessing right till the end on how things would go. His daughter ended up being a complete mystery to him, and it was nice to go on the "ride" of knowing who his daughter was and what she had come to do that had ended her life in such a gruesome way. Really enjoyed watching Roy Winstone in this film. You never really knew who's side he was on. Liked that. Kept his character interesting. Really enjoyed the pace of the movie too. It wasn't rushed or to slow for me. All in all a good flick."

• Phil H

  
  Government cover ups, crooked politicians and Mel Gibson shooting the lot haha sums it up pretty well, its not a bad film its just rather dull accept for the moments when Mel does shoot people. The plot is OK with a strong emotional hook between Mel and his daughter but the film just… More
  Government cover ups, crooked politicians and Mel Gibson shooting the lot haha sums it up pretty well, its not a bad film its just rather dull accept for the moments when Mel does shoot people. The plot is OK with a strong emotional hook between Mel and his daughter but the film just sleepwalks through the motions until the rather obvious baddies get blown away, I lost the plot to be honest, was so uninteresting. I think Mel directs much better these days.

• A.D. V

  
  Top notch conspiracy thriller with both Gibson and Winstone turning out memorable performances. It gets a little long in the middle otherwise this would be a solid four star film.

• Chris G

  
  Fresh from his anti-Semitism world tour Mel Gibson is back in the role that made him a star- a vengeful father seeking justice. Gibson stars as Thomas Craven, whose daughter (Bojana Novakovic) returns for a visit home only to be gunned down walking out the front door of his home.… More
  Fresh from his anti-Semitism world tour Mel Gibson is back in the role that made him a star- a vengeful father seeking justice. Gibson stars as Thomas Craven, whose daughter (Bojana Novakovic) returns for a visit home only to be gunned down walking out the front door of his home. Distraught, Craven begins his own investigation that seems to go beyond the original idea of someone aiming for vengeance against him. We’re talking real hard core conspiracy here- something that may end up killing him as well. Edge of Darkness is a nice thriller directed by that 007 savior Martin Campbell. Gibson hasn’t lost much of a step since we saw him last, though his Boston accent is a little too Boston if you ask me. The acting isn’t really a problem with Edge of Darkness; it boils down to the plot. The thing about a revenge movie such as this is that it’s a very basic formula. Let’s look at a few that came before it. Death Wish, for example, has Charles Bronson’s wife murdered, his daughter raped, and him on a rampage killing nameless thugs in the dead of the night. Let’s look at Mel’s Mad Max. The second half is basically his wife and son getting ran over by the Toe Cutter and his crew with Max snapping and picking them off one by one in the leathers that all the ladies like. Let’s do one more- Taken from a couple of years ago. Daughter goes to Europe, gets kidnapped, Liam Neeson shows up, shoots the wives of old friends, kills numbers of people, rescues daughter. Do you notice the basic pattern with these films? The key word in that last sentence is BASIC. Revenge isn’t a complicated matter. It’s rather simple when you get right down to it. Where Edge of Darkness falters is that it becomes way too complicated for its basic premise. You’ve got a huge conspiracy with left wing whackos, the right wing whacko, and the national government in general. You’ve got hidden computers and dead witnesses. Instead of a lone act in the night causing a seemingly normal man to snap you get a huge conspiracy that even Woodward and Bernstein couldn’t crack. This premise is good for a political thriller, but not the vengeance tale that this bills itself as. I know I’m being a little picky about this. It just seems like a cheat, trying to make itself look like Taken, but really playing like a poor man’s Tom Clancy. The complicated plot really drags the film down from a father trying to bring closure to his daughter’s death. It’s still an OK thriller, but that’s all. And who the hell was Ray Winstone supposed to be?

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