"Edge of Darkness" is a revenge movie with not much new to offer. But it's smart, and packs a punch!
A-list action director Martin Campbell knows his stuff. He did two really good Bond movies, "GoldenEye" and the recent reboot "Casino Royale." And though there are a few not so great (the "Zorro" films and "Vertical Limit"), he can pack a wallop: scenes brimming with tension and heightened action. And it helps he has a good script from William Monahan (writer of the Oscar-winning "The Departed," among others) and Andrew Bovell, and also that Campbell himself knows the material better than anyone ("Darkness" was an award-winning TV miniseries that he directed back in the 80's). Also, the mass of emotion and brute-killing force from Mel Gibson, back in form after nearly a decade off the job while helming mass-popular films "The Passion of the Christ," and "Apocalypto," and I wouldn't really count "Signs" much of an actor's movie, so it's been longer. So, let's forget the gap. Mel Gibson is back! With a vengeance! Literally. I guess a revenge piece seems appropriate for Gibson's return, and he doesn't disappoint. Welcome back, Mad Max!
Also, a great acting nod to Ray Winstone, who has one of the best characters in the movie next to Gibson's Craven as shady corporate assassinator Jedburgh. I could watch a whole movie centered around Winstone's Jedburgh. Ray was a great choice for the role, and it's easily his best.
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