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Mel Gibson, Danny Huston, Ray Winstone, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts ... see more see more... , David Aaron Baker , Jay O Sanders , Denis O'Hare , Damian Young , Catarina Scorsone , Frank Grillo , Wayne Duvall , Gbenga Akinnagbe , Maria Gabrielle Popa , Paul Sparks , Christy Scott Cashman , Dossy Peabody , Gordon Peterson , Peter Epstein , Tom Kemp , Tim Sawyer , Molly Schreiber , Amelia Broome , Celeste Oliva , Scott Winters , Joe Stapleton , Solveig Romero , Ali Farahnakian , Rick Avery , Peter Hermann , Bill Thorpe , Lisa Hughes , Paula Ebben , Kathy Curran , Frank Ridley , Nico Evers Swindell , David Hillman Curtis , Tom Duffy , Caterina Scorsone

Casino Royale's Martin Campbell returns to familiar territory with this adaptation of his own 1985 BBC miniseries -- a mystery starring Mel Gibson as a detective looking into his political-activist da... read more read more...ughter's death and uncovering layers of governmental conspiracies in the process. William Monahan (The Departed) provides the screenplay for the GK Films production, co-starring Ray Winstone and Danny Huston. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

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56% liked it

500,212 ratings

Critics

58% liked it

210 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Release Date: January 29, 2010

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DVD Release Date: May 11, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (12,364)

  • SirPant
    January 4, 2012
    SirPant
    What a strange and varied portfolio of films Martin Campbell has under his belt. I've not always been a fan but good news is, I thought Edge of Darkness was great! Interesting to see him revisiting and remaking his 80's BBC miniseries into a film, a great move (although Green Lan... read moretern was an odd follow up decision). Mel Gibson is brilliant in the lead role and Ray Winstone is great in his supporting role. The beginning of the film totally took me by surprise and I was thrilled throughout - I think this film is somewhat overlooked, it is way above average for it's genres, especially of late.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 30, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Edge of Darkness is a fairly decent conspiracy thriller that though flawed, I enjoyed somewhat. The film starts well enough to grab your attention, and it effectively builds up as the conspiracy unfolds. However halfway through the film, director Martin Campbell's directing becom... read morees a bit sloppy, and the film losses its strength. Edge of Darkness is a decent thriller, but the second half is pretty weak, and it's what sinks this film. The performances on the other hand are great, and Mel Gibson after all his controversies was able to deliver a good performance. I liked the film; however it's unfortunate that the second half was weak because this film could really have been a memorable thriller and one of the best of the genre in quite some time. Despite the fact that the film becomes weak by the second half, Edge of Darkness is still entertaining for what it is. I just think it's a shame that the film couldn't have a stronger second half. The first hour of the film was so thrilling, well constructed and kept you on the edge of your seat. But the second hour, the film is a bit flat, and is not as strong as it could be. Still, Edge of Darkness is a decent thriller, nothing ever great, but pretty entertaining. If only Martin Campbell could have crafted a solid final for his film, Edge of Darkness would have been one of the best, most electrifying thrillers in recent years. A decent film for what it is, but nothing really special.
  • fb1028803305
    October 18, 2011
    fb1028803305
    Edge of Darkness slowly moves forwards with an overwhelming sense of poignancy. Details in the film are subtle and heartbreaking such as the cold look on Gibson's face as he washes his daughter's blood off his face (it happens in the first five minutes) and realizes that that the... read moreir last moment together is her vanishing down the sink. From this point the world is rendered in high contrast, as it has been stripped of its warmth and meaning following her death. The conspiracy element seems like a way of pulling viewers in, as what we're really watching is a heartfelt look at a man whose world has just collapsed. The flashbacks are beautiful without ever being ridiculous (Shutter Island), and Campbell resists the urge to have his film plunge into absurdism (The Ghost Writer).

    Surely one of the best films of 2010.
  • MrMarakai
    October 15, 2011
    MrMarakai
    Having concentrated more on his directorial duties with "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto", Mel Gibson had seemingly abandoned acting. This is his first acting vehicle since 2002's "Signs" and straight away he's back to doing what he does best; playing unhinged loose ca... read morennons.
    When the daughter of veteran Boston detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is killed in front of him, police assume he was the target. But Craven begins to suspect it's to do with the shady businessman Jack Bennett (Danny Huston) she was working for and begins to start digging to uncover the truth.
    The poster and advertising campaign for this film is quite misleading. This is no slam-bam actioner like they would have you believe, but if you are familiar with the 1980's BBC television mini-series on which it's based, then you'll have a better idea of what to expect. This is a slow burning conspiracy thriller that's very deliberately paced and certainly in no rush to tell it's story. It's mainly dialogue driven with Mel not giving too much away while teetering on the brink. Then all of a sudden there are graphic bursts of violence and action that have you jumping out of your seat. These moments are highly effective and realistic but unfortunately too few. The performances are good, Gibson can do this stuff in his sleep, the sleazy Danny Huston can do likewise, as can Ray Winstone playing yet another hard man. The problem is, they talk a good game. Sitting around bumping their gums when they should be bumping some heads and leave a few unexplained plot strands along the way.
    A decent conspiracy thriller with highly effective and unexpected bursts of action. Unfortunately, the action is just a bit too sporadic for it to completely grip.
  • fb100001048934982
    June 19, 2011
    fb100001048934982
    Credit must be given to Martin Campbell's 'Edge of Darkness', mainly because it gives a solid effort to do what it was meant to. Gibson turns in a respectable performance, even if some may cringe at some of his lines. Campbell's vision on the revenge thriller falters when he trie... read mores for jolting scares on his audience, which are used to good effect but seemed to be thrown into the film to keep the audience awake. The film fails largely by alienating its audience with a story that's simple but haphazard. Gibson seems to be just running around and 'interrogating' suspicious people, and it's not fascinating. Still, some may be drawn in by Gibson's performance and the intrigue of the bloody-revenge-thriller world.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 26, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    the story never even approaches any depth of dealing with grief and loss, and the conspiracy was a bit simple and formulaic, but the violence was stunning but tasteful, the tone was brooding, and the pace of the film was perfect for entertainment value. overall, an above average... read more and well executed thriller.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    December 11, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "I'm the guy with nothing to lose and doesn't give a shit."

    As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with clea... read morening up the evidence.

    REVIEW

    "Edge of Darkness" isn't anything masterful (and not as well-made as "Casino Royale" from director Martin Campbell), but it is a solid genre film -- it's intelligent and takes its time and is essentially "Taken" for adults. Make of that what you will. Prior to the studio attempting to re-edit it and force its advertising as another action-packed revenge thriller, this is essentially a very "talky" remake of the BBC series (which Campbell had some involvement in originally producing). There are punctuations of brutal violence that are rendered more effective because they're spaced out and inconsistent. When Mad Mel finally gets his revenge, there's some weight to it because it's been building up for nearly two hours.

    Mel's been gone almost a decade but you wouldn't know it from how adept he is here. His personal issues aside, he's still a likable, charismatic leading actor -- and despite some traces of over-acting (particularly toward the end), and an inconsistent Boston accent, he does well here. The movie isn't perfect and does get a bit long in places, but I enjoyed it. It's not something I'd necessarily go out and see again, but if it showed up on TV I'd probably watch it again.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    November 25, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    I really liked the movie. I loved that the movie takes it's time to get to the action then it just jumps at you and catches you off gaurd. I thought that it was a good slow moving thriller with a good story and some action for intense scenes. This isn't an action movie as the tra... read moreiler would suggest, it's a drama with suspense and some action but I enjoyed the movie. B+
  • paulsandberg
    November 23, 2010
    paulsandberg
    Edge of Darkness has a certain Hollywood sheen to it, dispite being a BBC production - whether that is a pro or a con is up to you.

    I found the way in which this story was presented to be original and inventive, with enough whoah! moments to keep the first half of the film goi... read moreng.
    The second half is a little too pat, with a bit of momentum wrecking interplay (but no less interesting - getting into a deeper back story of corporate greed supported by our lovely government).

    At the core is good old Mel, who is truly more than an action figure. He shows good depth here as a veteran cop who is trying to cope with a sudden loss.

    Stirring up the pot further, and adding a certain spookiness to the proceedings is a masterfully nuanced performance by Ray Winstone, playing a brooding fixer/assassin with a strong moral code. He speaks in riddles and is menacing as he deadpans most of his dialog in a voice barely above a whisper. I read that DiNiro was originally slated for the role and I can definatly see that working as well, but am equally happy with what Winstone brought to the table.

    I enjoyed the opening shot of a moonlit lake, all very idyylic until bodies start rising to the surface. This was spooky, and set a nice tone for the film, but it wasn't revealed until at least half way through what it meant (in a definite "ah" moment - I was wondering if it was a metaphor or.... but I'm not saying.

    Ultimately, this is the kind of story you've seen before - grieving man goes up against the greedy corporate machine/government, but I found this film entertaining, with enough coming at you from off angles to keep me interested. It also runs high on the plausability scale, with motivations properly explained and very little in the way of bs moments (you know, the ones where a charactor has access to things he shouldn't have, or seems to know things he couldn't possibly know - the kind of things that often seem to appear in action/thriller type of films).
  • middleeasternfilms
    October 24, 2010
    middleeasternfilms
    It seems like we've seen this before (and if you're British then you probably have as it's based on a U.K. TV series). Gibson plays a vengeful Boston detective who is after the murderer of his activist daughter. Eventually, he becomes involved in a conspiracy about the U.S. and n... read moreuclear weapons that takes him much further than he ever intended to go. Gibson still has what it takes to carry a movie (especially one like this) and Winstone still talks in his stuffy British accent that makes it hard to understand what he's even saying half the time without the use of subtitles. I enjoyed Taken, so I really liked this one even if it's not the most original film to come out in years.

View All Edge of Darkness Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rafer Guzman
July 6, 2010
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Gibson, of course, snaps and snarls and blows out some brains with a joylessness that is thoroughly enjoyable. It's like he never left. Full Review

Anthony Lane
February 1, 2010
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

I liked the pace and the pulse of the film, but it launches no genuine surprise and, despite being irradiated with scenes of sickness and morbid one-liners, has little afterglow. Full Review

David Edelstein
February 1, 2010
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Edge of Darkness is a meathead revenge picture, but it's very satisfying. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
January 29, 2010
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Campbell and his cinematographer, Phil Meheux, create a pervasive sense of dread, with danger lurking around every corner of Boston and its environs. Full Review

A.O. Scott
January 29, 2010
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Edge of Darkness is reasonably well executed, but its competence reeks of fatigue. Another dead kid. Another angry dad. Another day at the office.

Richard Roeper
January 29, 2010
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

Gibson looks every bit his age, but he can still bring the fierce determination as well as anyone in the business. Full Review

Liam Lacey
January 29, 2010
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Edge of Darkness is offered as a political thriller, but with real-world politics removed. What we're left with is a familiar mechanism for delivering a vicarious, violent, wish-fulfilment fantasy. Full Review

Tom Long
January 29, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

The only edge here is in the title. This is indeed your father's thriller. Full Review

Cliff Doerksen
January 29, 2010
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader

A conspiracy that extends to the highest levels of tedium and confusion. Full Review

Kathleen Murphy
January 29, 2010
Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

The plotline... is so convoluted, it goes way past silliness; the big reveals are obvious, and by the time they come to fruition, suspense has long since leaked away. Full Review

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    • Craven: Welcome to hell.
    • Craven: Everything's illegal in Massachusetts.
    • Craven: Well you had better decide whether you're hanging on the cross or banging in the nails.
  • Some Secrets Take Us To The Edge
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