After having helmed the reboot of the James Bond franchise, the only direction the quality of director Martin Campbell’s work could really go is down. With Casino Royale being such a success, it’s not surprising that Edge of Darkness is disappointing. A promising premise- a cop investigating the death of his activist daughter- is turned into another generic action film.
The issue with Edge of Darkness is not that it’s a horrible film on its own, but the fact remains that it could have been as complex and thrilling as The Constant Gardener. Instead, it’s simply a vehicle for Mel Gibson to attempt to recapture his former action-film glory before his infamous DUI.
The best part of the film is The Constant Gardener’s Danny Huston, an actor who has perfected the art of being both slimy and sympathetic simultaneously. The film’s tension is barely palpable, a product of a manipulative score and lackluster plot points. Edge of Darkness could have been a much better film than what it wound up being: Mystic River on steroids. Just because a film has the director of James Bond and the writer of The Departed does not mean the end result will be particularly good.
Rating: 1.5/4 stars
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Huston
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Sarah B. Pilchick may be contacted at sbpilchick@themiamihurricane.com