Edge of Darkness

Plot synopsis:
=== One: Compassionate Leave ===
Yorkshire police officer Ronald Craven (Bob Peck) is returning home with his daughter Emma (Joanne Whalley) having picked her up from a meeting of an environmental organisation at her university campus. On the doorstep of their home Emma is shot dead. The police concentrate their effort on the theory that her murder was a botched attempt on Craven's life by a criminal he had been responsible for convicting. However, as Craven goes through Emma's belongings, he discovers a geiger counter and a gun. He also learns that Emma's body and her possessions are radioactive. Travelling to London to assist with the inquiry, he is contacted by Pendleton (Charles Kay), a polished official “attached to the Prime Minister's office”, who informs him that Emma was known to them as a terrorist and that it may have been her, not Craven, who was the gunman's target.
=== Two: Into The Shadows ===
As he continues his investigations, Craven is visited by Emma's ghost. The fingerprints on the getaway car used by Emma's killer match that of Lowe, a man Craven arrested ten years previously. Meanwhile, Pendleton takes Craven to meet his colleague, Harcourt (Ian McNeice), who informs him that Emma was a member of a subversive anti-nuclear group called GAIA. A team of six GAIA members, led by Emma, had broken into a low level radioactive waste facility at Northmoor; all are now either dead or missing. After Craven makes a televised appeal for information about Emma's killer, he is contacted by CIA agent Darius Jedburgh (Joe Don Baker), an associate of Harcourt and Pendleton. Jedburgh shows Craven the CIA's file on Emma's activities: GAIA had become suspicious of Northmoor when a nearby reservoir had become contaminated with radioactive material, an occurrence that had also alerted the CIA, leading them to believe Northmoor was illegally storing plutonium. Jedburgh is played as a hard-bitten professional with a wry sense of humour and a passion for ballroom dancing. Along with Harcourt and Pendleton, he is keen to find the source and purpose of the plutonium.
=== Three: Burden Of Proof ===
The police close in on their suspect, Lowe (Roy Heather), who is severely injured in a fall while trying to escape. Dying, he tells Craven he was working with McCroon, a terrorist Craven had had convicted in Northern Ireland. Emma's boyfriend, Terry Shields (Tim McInnerny), tells Craven that she was investigating a hot cell in Northmoor; he is later killed. Craven meets Harcourt and Pendleton at the House of Commons where an inquiry is taking place into the sale of International Irradiated Fuels (IIF) – Northmoor's owners – to the Fusion Corporation of Kansas, owned by Jerry Grogan (Kenneth Nelson). Pendleton tells Craven that he believes Grogan was behind Emma's death. Returning to Yorkshire for Emma's funeral, Craven is refused permission to seek a warrant to enter Northmoor. Returning home, he is observed by McCroon (Sean Caffrey).
=== Four: Breakthrough ===
McCroon breaks into Craven's house intent on killing him. Craven demands McCroon tell him who he is working for but McCroon is shot by a police marksman before he can say anything. Through a contact of Mac (Struan Roger), a colleague from his time in Northern Ireland, Craven gains access to a terminal connected to the MI5 computer. He checks the MI5 records for GAIA, Northmoor and Emma and learns that McCroon was acting on the orders of Northmoor Security. He also obtains a three-dimensional map of Northmoor from the computer. Craven contacts Jedburgh and asks him to accompany him inside Northmoor.
=== Five: Northmoor ===
Craven and Jedburgh penetrate Northmoor and discover the hot cell which has been sealed off following an explosion - a consequence of GAIA's attempted break-in. Jedburgh, under orders from the CIA, enters the hot cell and steals the plutonium. At the House of Commons inquiry, IIF chief executive Robert Bennett (Hugh Fraser) is forced to admit the presence of plutonium at Northmoor and the deaths of the GAIA team.
=== Six: Fusion ===
Craven and Jedburgh escape Northmoor but both are dying from radiation poisoning. Jedburgh makes for the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, which is hosting a NATO conference on directed energy weapons. Also present at the conference is Grogan who announces that the British government has approved the purchase of IIF and speaks with cold passion of harnessing the power of the atom to conquer the galaxy. The audience of military and civilian officials applauds but Jedburgh in U.S. uniform takes the dais to denounce nuclear proliferation and a vainglorious crusade amongst the stars. He finishes by bringing together two bars of plutonium he has removed from Northmoor, causing a criticality accident and irradiating himself and the nearby Grogan.
Emma's ghost appears to Craven and tells him of a time when black flowers grew, warming the Earth and preventing life from becoming extinct. She tells him that the black flowers have returned and will melt the polar icecaps, destroying mankind so that life can continue. Craven goes to dissuade Jedburgh from the next step in his plan, which is to cause a nuclear explosion in Scotland with the rest of the plutonium. He succeeds, though the secret service follow him and kill Jedburgh. Craven, like Jedburgh and Grogan fatally exposed to radiation, wanders into the mountains to die, calling Emma's name. On the mountains, as Emma predicted, the black flowers are growing, foreshadowing the planet's war against humanity.

Tags: revenge, neo noir, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
My friend and I watched the trailer and I thought, "Eh, kinda looks like another 'Taken' or 'Death Sentence.' I'm so glad I was wrong.This is not another "father goes on rampage to kill the guy that kidnapped/murdered his child." It's actually a very involved thriller that has a fair few twists and turns around a conspiracy Gibson's daughter was involved in.
I worked with Mel on this movie so feel that any review I give will be biased - reviews are best left to the viewers, after all, they are the ones who determine its success or failure - but I can assure you he was the ultimate professional - his career has many years left!Bad reviews are of course as welcome as positive ones - as long as they are constructive - they are an avenue not only for others to ascertain the value of a movie but also an avenue for those involved to learn and improve (as well as gather praise where praise is due) - but I would highly recommend you see this one and make up your own mind.
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.
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.
I have seen most of his movies starting with Lethal Weapon and I could not see one potential likeness of Martin Riggs in Edge of Darkness, except for the fact he played a cop.
OK so after x amount of years in the "Lead Actor" wilderness Mel is back with some serious conviction.I have heard mixed reviews and seen a couple on here and of course we would like to say we are not affected but it may make the difference between seeing it at a cinema or waiting for the DVD.Well i for one am i glad i went to see it on the big screen,a big screen remake of a little known TV series from the 80's might surprise a few people but it shows that good writing and strong characters will always impress the powers that be.Anyway i'm slightly drifting off subject, this film holds you from start to finish, it is filmed with a consistent tension that never lets up.A shocking episode and then a world of pain for Mel Gibson lies in store, along the way we are introduced to the kind of shady power hungry people that we know must exist, but we hope as (pretty much) law abiding citizens we never have to lose sleep over.Danny Houston is excellent and Ray Winstone are so convincing in their roles that you find yourself routing for a man who openly admits to killing for a living...The music is subtle but really drives the film along leading to in my opinion a shocking climax,having been to the city of Boston a few times i can see how it makes for interesting and unexplored location, the same way it did in The Departed..OK so lets wrap it up, if you are a Mel Gibson fan, a secret admirer of 1980s thrillers...or planning your next vacation in Massachusettes, go see it!!.
This reminded me of Mel Gibson's 1999 film "Payback" where he plays a rough character on a mission.There is no wasted talk in here, especially by Gibson's character, "Det.Thomas Craven." Although a little shocked because I didn't think I'd see this veteran actor return to these kind of roles, I have to admit he's fascinating in them.
Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a good cop whose only daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) returns for a visit.
His fellow detectives think the hit was meant for him, but Craven digs deeper and believes the nuclear manufacturing company she worked for may have something to do with it.When Edge of Darkness was released this past January, it was marketed as a return for Gibson to the action thriller genre he has always excelled at.
The film's penchant for hyper violence gets far too ahead of itself, and it feels almost like the filmmakers wanted to please the audience with something totally different than what the film sets up for (plus, it feels a bit too close in similarity to the ending of another of William Monahan's previous scripts).Despite all this, the film is still great when it is playing itself as the slow burn thriller it actually is.
***SPOILERS** After an eight year self imposed exile from the movies, in him not staring in them, Mel Gibson is back older grayer and a bit weather beaten, from his wild exploits off the screen, as Boston police detective Tom Craven: A man who's craven actions end up toppling not just a major US Government defense contractor but an extremely arrogant and corrupt United State Seantor as well.It's when Craven's 24 year-old daughter Emma, Bojana Novakovic, fell ill from drinking a glass of spiked, with a fast acting poison, milk and, in the process of Craven taking her to the hospital emergency ward, is then blown away at the front door by an masked assassin that Craven's mind suddenly snapped!
Cravan on what is best describe as a suicide mission doesn't seem to care at all what happens to him only wanting to get to those who murdered his daughter and exact his kind, brutal and sadistic, of justice on them!***SPOILERS*** Getting help from an unexpected source the company clean-up man Jedburgh, Ray Winston, Craven uncovers the fact that both Bennett and Massachusetts United States Senator Jim Pine played by Damian Young, looking like the real Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts but with a much shorter haircut, are involved in this corrupt arms dealing.
E of D is everything I cannot find in twenty different action thrillers, the acting is not superfluous, just right and in the right time, and Martin Cambell delivers, on this serious movie, in a way that I would love to see the original series, also directed by Cambell.
He gets an even bigger shock when she is murdered right in front of his eyes, shattering his world- he takes it upon himself to investigate her death only to be approached by a mysterious man named Darius (Ray Winstone) who shines some light on her former employers which casts circumstances in a whole new light.It is really quite surprising just how long Mel Gibson has been out of the limelight- most notable for his role in The Singing Detective, but the most recent film of his I saw was Signs in 2002.
As another big screen adaptation of a story that was originally a BBC series, it's easy to make comparisons with the recent Russell Crowe vehicle State of Play, but while there is a fairly gripping and complex story here, it doesn't quite manage the tension and excitement of that film.Edge of Darkness is ultimately an unremarkable but more than passable thriller that Gibson could have done much worse to make his comeback with.
Back after six years between acting gigs, Mel Gibson stars in Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness, a sorrowful, gritty and intelligent revenge thriller.
Being a good father except from a hero is even better since I believe it's a quality he has in him.Sometimes he is a little over dramatic when he wants to show he gives more than 100% in his effort, but he is still way better than the average father character we see.Apart from Gibson, the story is good even though to much of a conspiracy theory for my taste, and the plot is solid.It is definitely a movie worth watching (at least once)..
Political/economical thrillers are often too moralizing and conspiracy-related (= cloddish) but I had a feeling that Director Martin Campbell and stars like Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone did not opt for such a movie.
Gibson gives one of his best performances, as a cop, along with Ray Winstone who is excellent as a cross between a CIA agent and a hit-man.The directing is sharp and the filming locations add realism,(as against been on set).There are plenty of twists with clever action/stunt scenes and a decent story,my only negative would be the sound editing,i had to rewind occasionally and use teletext as i could not make out the lines,Winestones thick London accent does not help,but its also hard to understand lines from the rest of the cast.Throughout i believed in Gibsons role of a cop and a father in turmoil, with no other the top action scenes,just good acting.I highly recommend this movie..
You'll root for this vigilante all the way and was quite entertaining seeing Mel Gibson being such a bad@ss and he was great in his role as the grieving father on the edge to get justice for his murdered daughter.
Edge of Darkness heralds the return of Mel Gibson back to the front of the camera, and it's been 8 years since he last left a starring role for the director's chair, having to make films like Passion of the Christ, and Apocalypto.
I would have hoped he might have taught Martin Campbell a thing or two about how to deliver a film that can hold an audience's interest, because Edge of Darkness is just so boring, that you'll find tracing the lines on Mel's face a lot more interesting than to tune in to a bunch of characters that you couldn't care less about.Mel Gibson stars as Thomas Craven, a lowly Boston detective whose daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) comes to visit during her break from work.
Except that Thomas spends most of the time walking wounded emotionally and hallucinating, trying to piece together disparate clues in order to find the bastards responsible for his daughter's demise.Also based on a British television series, this is no State of Play, which also got itself transplanted across the Atlantic into a big budgeted Hollywood film, where one would expect thrills, spills and plenty of twists and turns.
If it didn't have Mel Gibson's face on, I could swear it was a straight to video front cover.I genuinely do not know (and why would I?), Mel's intention for acting in the movie, he plays a decent role, I mean, I've seen worse, but overall he is a far better actor than this movie needed.The story is decent, although seems to be rather rushed, and the rhythm and pacing of the action is rather erratic, now, this can be, again, down to the production team, but don't expect this to be an exhilarating action movie, like Besson's excellent "Taken".The dialogue is a little misconstrued at times, there is a few moments in the film, where you do think.
And now look at Tom, he has been forced to Rebrand himself, as major production companies won't touch him with a barge pole until he cleans up his act.This film feels as though Mel has had to go back to his roots and kind of start from the beginning, it's as if he has been seen to lose touch with his roots, and as a result, has been advised to try and win back some of his fans of old.I don't want this to sound like I am berating him in any way, I do like Mel Gibson, I think as both an actor and director he can "Tell it like he see's it" and lest we not forget that on occasion, we are not all of the same opinions and morals.
That experience provides some memorable set-pieces which define this film, as opposed to the series which was defined by the plot twists.Mel Gibson stars as Police Officer, Thomas Craven who unravels the mystery of why his daughter was murdered as she visited his home.
After a seven year acting hiatus from the big screen – in order to make that little movie Passion of the Christ, followed up with Apocalypto – Mel Gibson is back in front of the camera for this Martin Campbell-directed thriller.
All the supporting cast are fine, and Winstone pops up in possibly my favourite performance from him, but this is Gibson's movie, and for me, in Edge of Darkness, he remains a likable man with a natural screen presence, whose character I didn't have too hard of a time getting behind.
I liked Edge of Darkness as Mel Gibson makes his return to the screen.
They killed the wrong person - surely they were trying to kill the cop.Or did they?If you don't like Mel Gibson, don't see this movie because it's basically all about Mel. Craven goes on a no-holds-barred manhunt to track down the people who murdered his daughter, and make them pay as only a father seeking revenge can, especially a cop.
This was a decent enough cop revenge thriller with an old-school 90's vibe to it and extreme bursts of violence that made me jump and say things like "holy sh*t!" Mel plays a Boston homicide detective and is essentially angry-cop-dad for the entire movie, showing only one emotion (grumpy) in a very Harrison Ford sort of way.
This is an adaptation of the 1985 BBC TV series regarded as one of the great British dramas that won a fistful of awards.This movie was by the same director of the TV show, Martin Campbell now better known for relaunching James Bond twice as well as being co-produced by the BBC.The action has located to the USA, Mel Gibson has gone mad with the death of his daughter and aided by Ray Winstone who stepped in the shoes of Robert De Niro at the last minute as De Niro reportedly walked out of the film on the first day.The cerebral and atmospheric aspects of the TV series have gone and with a reduced running time we are left with an action thriller with some uneven pace, lack of nuances especially from the villains who telegraph that they are villains in capital letters and choppy editing leaves the story a tad confused.Gibson is in his element in this type of film and Winstone does well in the reduced role of Jedburgh who had a more important part in the TV series.Shame it is a bit run off the mill..
But for sheer determination and raw power, Thomas Craven ranks side by side with the finest performances of Mel Gibson's career.And a truly extraordinary job by Ray Winstone as Darius Jedburgh amplifies the impact of this highly underrated movie.For those who find the plot and portrayals as too "over the top" and overdone, I would simply pose this question: If you had a wonderful child, an only child, a loving child, who was gunned down in a murder that was either totally senseless or diabolically conspiratorial, how would you react?
I saw the new thrilling and yet very sad movie Edge of darkness last weekend witch was the long waited return of Mel Gibson's acting career.
But Edge of Darkness differs from the rest with its interesting layered story.As "Tom Craven" (Mel Gibson) peels away the truth, so we also get wrapped up in the complexity of this story which touches on political thriller, tenuous loyalties, and--most intriguing--a mysterious character "Jedburgh" (Ray Winstone) who sips whiskey and smokes cigars with our hero, but (as our hero is fully aware) could at any minute put a bullet through his head.And what's the point of all this madness?
Martin Campbell—who's arguably best known as James Bond director extraordinaire—has done an admirable job with his latest work, Edge of Darkness.The action/drama follows Boston Police detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) as he attempts to track down his daughter's murderer.
Say what you will about him as a person, but when it comes to a dark, action thriller, there is still no one better than Mel Gibson.
Welcome back, Mel.In Gibson's first starring role since 2002's Signs, he plays Thomas Craven, a Boston Homicide Detective who's daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) is shot and killed by a masked assailant, right before his very eyes.
When I heard about Edge of Darkness I thought it was a good option, then I knew Mel Gibson was in the leading role of an action movie I definitely wanted to watch it, so I did.
Edge of Darkness tells the story of Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father.
Sad to say, the stereotype fits Edge of Darkness like a glove.Held out some hope for a pleasant surprise when Mel Gibson returned to acting with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell at the helm.
Mel Gibson is a powerful actor and this is i think one of his best movie roles.
It is what it can be made to look like."Edge of Darkness is the story of a Massachusetts cop (Mel Gibson) who witnesses the apparently accidental murder of his only daughter.