At the Movies with Fatwayne

It is good to see Mel Gibson back in a starring role. He’s been missing since 2002 but he seems to be in fine acting form for this offering. Gibson plays Thomas Craven who is a detective working for the Boston Police Department’s homicide division. He lives alone but has a daughter named Emma (Bojana Novakovic) who is the light of his life. The movie opens with Emma coming to visit her father but there seems to be a problem with her health as evidenced by severe vomiting and nose bleeds. As Thomas becomes concerned he decides to take her to the hospital and as they are walking out of the front door of his house an assassin opens fire with a shotgun killing Emma. As he is shooting Emma he yells “CRAVEN”.

The authorities assume that the killer was out to get Thomas but killed his daughter instead. Thomas goes into a deep depression but eventually starts to snoop around and through a series of discoveries, determines that his daughter was the intended victim. His problem now is to ascertain why someone would want to kill her. His investigation leads him into a world of cover-ups, politics and big business all in league with each other and attempting to keep their evil deeds out of the public view at any cost.

In almost all movies of this ilk, the bad guys usually get what is coming to them. We are not disappointed in this regard!  The ending is somewhat of a surprise but totally believable considering what Thomas Craven must endure in his search for the truth.

Ray Winstone, who you may recall from The Departed, Beowulf and other movies, does a terrific job of making this a more memorable film. The British actor is unforgettable as Darius Jedburgh, a CIA “shadow man” who is charged with preventing Thomas from finding out the truth or killing him. Although each of these men are very different from one another, they form a bond and Jedburgh allows Craven to continue his investigation.

Gibson and Winstone carry this movie and the storyline is enjoyable as is the action which does it’s fair share in keeping us entertained. The only negative I have to offer is that Gibson’s character does a little too much thinking (via flashbacks) about his deceased daughter. It starts to get a bit trying after a while. All in all, a good flick!

Quotes from Edge of Darkness
• Watch Edge of Darkness right now for $3.99 on Amazon.com Video on Demand
• Watch Edge of Darkness free with a Netflix trial subscription
• Buy Edge of Darkness on DVD from Amazon.com

Fatwayne’s Rating   -    -