Edge of Darkness (2010)

As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the murder of his activist daughter, he uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers:

William Monahan (screenplay), Andrew Bovell (screenplay)

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Craven
Ray Winstone	...	Jedburgh
Danny Huston	...	Jack Bennett
Bojana Novakovic	...	Emma Craven
Shawn Roberts	...	Burnham
David Aaron Baker	...	Millroy
Jay O. Sanders	...	Whitehouse
Denis O'Hare	...	Moore
Damian Young	...	Senator Jim Pine
Caterina Scorsone	...	Melissa
Frank Grillo	...	Agent One
Wayne Duvall	...	Chief of Police
Gbenga Akinnagbe	...	Detective Darcy Jones
Gabrielle Popa	...	Young Emma (as Maria Gabrielle Popa)
Paul Sparks	...	Northampton Police Detective

Storyline

Thomas Craven is a detective who has spent years working the streets of Boston. When his own daughter is killed outside his own home, Craven soon realizes that her death is only one piece of an intriguing puzzle filled with corruption and conspiracy, and it falls to him to discover who is behind the crime.

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Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | political corruption | remake by original director | 2000s | activist | 

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Taglines:

Some secrets take us to the edge

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Jedburgh is a British-accented secret operative of some sort. "Jedburgh" was also the name of a well-known British WWII program whereby they covertly inserted 3-agent teams, called "Jedburgh Teams," of covert Allied operators into Nazi-occupied France.

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Goofs

When Craven is following Bennett into Boston's Central Artery Tunnel the scene show them getting off at exit 24, Government Center, which exits to Faneuil Hall. The next scene however show Craven pulling Bennett's car over on Rutherford Avenue which is North of Boston.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Darius Jedburgh: You got a family?
State Trooper #2: Yeah.
Darius Jedburgh: Kids?
State Trooper #2: Yeah.
Darius Jedburgh: [lowers his weapon]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Ashton Kutcher/Them Crooked Vultures (2010)

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Soundtracks

Embraceable You
Written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Performed by Charlie Parker
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Mel is Back as a detective with drama, intrigue and action

I saw this movie at an early screening and was delighted.

I give this movie three stars out of four, or 8 of ten points for great characters, intrigue, and some startling action scenes. It looses the 2 points because it does tend to slow down a little and become more dramatic at times but if you are a Mel Gibson fan you probably won't mind that at all. This movie reminded me a little of Taken, with a whole lot of Enemy of the State, and just a touch of Jason Bourne. Mel Gibson is engaging in his first acting role in years, although he definitely looks older now. It's hard to watch Gibson here without thinking of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon and there is some carryover but here Craven played by Gibson is the older, caring, Father who is also a cop although there is still some of of the craziness that made Mel so dynamic in a number of his roles. In some ways Mel reminded me here a little of Clint Eastwood in movies like Absolute Power and In the Line of Fire as the more mature protagonist who combines maturity and cunning with a fierce side that comes out in battle.

It's not giving anything away to say that the story is about Mel Gibson's character trying to find out who killed his daughter as that much is in the trailer. Mel plays a veteran detective and so has skills and resources we civilians don't. The movie takes a while to develop and takes great pains to show the love of Craven for his daughter in the opening scenes and then periodically remind us in flashbacks. There are a lot of characters which seem to be critical to building the intrigue of the movie; activists, defense contractors, government officials and various henchmen. The movie does a good job for a while of hiding who is working for whom. Suspense does build for most of the movie but a good bit before the end it is evident what is going on and the movie shifts from an action thriller to more of an pure action movie.

Ray Winstone plays an intriguing role as Jedburgh, deftly showing protagonist and antagonist sides at different times in a mysterious role. Danny Huston plays a multi-dimensional character, Jack Bennet, that is fun to watch. Bojana Novakovic as Emma Craven is a sweetheart. Jay O. Sanders plays a solid role as Detective Whitehouse.

The movie is definitely heavy on violence and acting independent of authority although I don't remember any swearing or sex scenes. Still it requires a mature audience as the hero's actions are probably not ones you want your kids emulating in your house. As with so many movies it portrays sides of business and government at their worst. So,since it is light on sexuality and vulgarity I would suggest that if you let your older kids go that you still discuss the extreme portrayals of the police, use of force, business and government.

It's good to see Mel back in action.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Latin French

Release Date:

29 January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Edge of Darkness

Filming Locations:

Lo Presti Park, East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,214,384, 31 January 2010

Gross USA:

$43,313,890

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$81,126,522

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., GK Films, BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1