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 In
a complete reversal of the plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the very
public sins and foibles of the once-universally beloved star, Mel Gibson
are clearly marked across his face. The stress of Gibson’s recent
self-perpetuated travails have made for one haggard-looking 53-year-old
man. It is jarring when one considers Gibson was quite rightly voted
the sexiest man alive in his prime; the rare beauty from films like
1984’s The Bounty and the admirable handsomeness he maintained through
the entire Lethal Weapon series and in later films like 2000’s The
Patriot. As he takes on his first starring role since his tabloidtastic
errors (- His first acting gig since a stint on his failed TV
production Complete Savages in 2004-05), maybe it’s easier for a
potentially contentious public to face this Gibson of the thinning salt
and pepper hair and lines on his face that are a mapmaker’s dream.
Edge
of Darkness is a would-be noir thriller about a man and his child.
Tommy Craven has raised a smart, loving daughter in Emma, a young woman
with all the gumption and determined sense of right and wrong as dear
old dad. It’s the sudden and violent loss of his adored girl that
forces Craven to investigate some of his daughter’s hidden deeds; a
murky search that will bring him over his head against the rich and
powerful and the shadowy government forces they have at their command.
Gibson positions himself well, playing a single father to an adult
child. The actor’s startling transformation to older age suits Tommy
Craven, the crusty but honest cop. Craven’s only weakness is his kid
and we’re given some actual heartrending moments where Gibson reminds us
that he was always a fine actor with range. That range and more are
needed because Edge of Darkness is so punctuated with pacing problems
and a complete lack of any momentum that the only thing to hold on to
are the performances by Gibson and costar Ray Winstone. There are
gasp-worthy moments of violence meant to shock the audience into
attendance that don’t occur again for ages and scenes of dramatic
tension or emotion are fleeting. Still, the precious few snappy
interactions between Gibson and Winstone are the film’s best and make
the audience yearn for so much more. With the arrival of government
ninja Winstone, the film shows some wry gallows humour in the face of
imminent demise which Gibson excels at, but isn’t savvy enough to
maintain it. Although Gibson’s Bahston accent is pretty good for an
occasional laugh: One scene stands out with Gibson revving up his
well-worn, patented borderline-crazy intensity as Craven accosts a bad
guy; if you close your eyes you can hear Bugs Bunny’s voice coming out
of the character. (The combination of Gibson’s grizzled appearance,
long khaki trenchcoat and determined investigation could just as easily
put one in the mind of another famous accented fellow, Peter Falk as
Columbo.) The entire plot seems like an overburdened excuse;
something to do with an evil rich guy making illegal nuclear weapons.
We’re told more than once that the movie’s big bad is insane, but
there’s so little character development that save for one inappropriate
line early on, you’re just going to have to take the actor’s word for
it. Unable to commit to being either a full-on drama or action film,
we’re given frustrating glimpses of real potential for each at varying
times, yet director Martin Campbell never sticks with either choice long
enough to make an impact. The movie doesn’t know what it wants to be
and in its dithering, Edge of Darkness winds up being not much of
anything.
There’s almost an inevitable voyeuristic compulsion to connect some of
the dialog in Edge of Darkness to Gibson’s famous troubles and it seems
like he’s up for whatever. From the lectures about being a good family
man to Craven’s inexplicable knowledge of Latin and vehement prayers
over his fallen child, Gibson knows much of the audience will come to
see this with reticence or at least an eye to gossip, and doesn’t care.
Unfortunately, while Edge of Darkness has its moments of tension and
excitement, it does so in so many fits and starts that it never comes
together cohesively to make a potboiler palatable enough to reinstate
the public’s belief in Gibson as a star. What Edge of Darkness does is
pique their interest to see what this stripped down and laid bare
version of Gibson could achieve given better material.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
January 27th, 2010
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