EDGE OF DARKNESS (UK/USA 2009) **
Directed by Martin Campbell

The ads for EDGE OF DARKNESS with the tagline ‘some secrets take us to the edge’ indicate an action packed revenge movie like the recent TAKEN in which a father goes all out to save his daughter.

The film begins soon enough with Thomas Craven’s (Mel Gibson) 24-year old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) blown away by a shotgun outside the house.  As Thomas was standing beside her at the killing and since he a veteran homicide detective, the investigators assume Thomas to be the target.  But Thomas knows better.  Using his own detective skills and the help of a government operative, Hedburgh (Ray Winstone), Thomas discovers Emma involvement in some conspiracy cover-up.

But once 15 minutes into the movie, it becomes clear that the script by Andrew Bovell (LANTANA) and William Monahan (THE DEPARTED) has the film lead in other directions.  Director Campbell (CASINO ROYALE) juggles three separate narrative ideas.  Though the main point is the vengeance story, EDGE OF DARKNESS also plays the other plot strands of the existing father/daughter relationship, past and present, as well the nasty corporate/government involvement of clandestine activities.

Unfortunately, none of these are handled satisfactorily.  Campbell’s film alternates between action, dull segments and tediously long banter with the protagonist’s musings of regret thrown in at various parts of the film.  Campbell is fond of jolting the audience out of their seats ever so often with an abrupt shock sequence (like the shooting of Emma).

Comparing TAKEN with EDGE OF DARKNESS, TAKEN works because the film is focused with the audience bang on with Liam Neeson’s goal of vengeance and seeking out his daughter’s whereabouts.  In TAKEN the daughter was still alive and finding her was urgent and time sensitive.  In EDGE OF DARKNESS, Emma is already dead and the fact that she might be involved in an activist movement also reduces the audience’s sympathy for her.  The audience feels more for a helpless victim.

On the acting level, Gibson is all over the place.  One is never sure if his Thomas Craven character is going to burst out in anger (like his psycho LETHAL WEAPON cop) at any time.  But Gibson is mostly pouting or just walking around.  Winstone fares better as Hedburgh.  The ambiguity of this role (whether good or evil) plays well in the film’s suspense. 

EDGE OF DARKNESS does contain a neat ending which involves the exposure of hidden secrets and a suspenseful shoot-out.  Too bad, this is marred by a following scene stressing the father and daughter relationship illustrating once again that Campbell should have stuck to one idea and worked it better.  At almost 2 hours, EDGE OF DARKNESS misses its mark way early in its running time.