Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic
Director: Martin Campbell
Rating: 3/5
Hollywood can't seem to get enough of adapting TV shows as Edge of Darkness follows in the footsteps of last year's State of Play.
Thomas Craven is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father.
When his only child, 24-year-old Emma, is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target.
But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter's secret life and her killing.
His investigation leads him into a dangerous looking-glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder, and to shadowy government operative Darius Jedburgh who has been sent in to clean up the evidence.
First and foremost it's great to have Mel Gibson back on the big screen, hard to believe that 2002 was the last time we saw him in front of a camera.
It's great to see him back on vengeful form and proves that it's not just the youngsters that can play the hard fighting, tough talking cop.
He completely dominates the movie as a father driven by grief and, to a certain extent, guilt. With all the issues that have surrounding him off screen it's quite easy to have forgotten how good an actor he actually is.
He is at his best when he pushed to his emotional limits as he vows to stop at nothing to discover the truth surrounding the death of his daughter.
Gibson plays Craven as both lethal as well as vulnerable which is an interesting portrayal of the character.
Gibson banters well with Ray Winstone however it would have benn nice to see more of him throughout the movie.
Campbell has produced a movie that is full of twists and turns with a bad guy and a liar around every corner.
It's an engrossing watch and has been adapted well from a six part mini series into a two hour movie and you are left feeling that very little has been left out.
The pace is a little uneven and it does begin to flag towards the end which is a shame but Campbell has packed the movie full of intense and tension which works really well.
Despite it's flagging pace in places Edge of Darkness is a solid thriller that provides an engrossing story line with plenty of gun toting, blood splattering action.
It's good to see Campbell back in the director's chair and he has produced a film that keeps you guessing right up to the rolling of the credits, however I could have done without the slightly cheesy ending.
There are some great set pieces dotted throughout the film but it's the tension the Campbell pours into the movie that is really effective.
With all the layers of lies and characters that you don't know whether to trust Edge of Darkness becomes so much more than the revenge movie it could have been, which is a refreshing change.
But at the end of the day it's just great to see Gibson back on the big screen where he belongs.
Edge of Darkness is out now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Mel Gibson