New England Cop Kills His Way Through Political Conspiracy

This paragraph only contains a SPOILER if you haven't seen the trailer or TV spots, visited the official Web site, or, probably, read any other review. As most everyone already knows, Edge of Darkness hits the ground running with a slam-bang early scene where the daughter of Boston police detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is gunned down in front of him. Even the frequent schmaltziness woven throughout the film did not, for this viewer, blunt the initial impact of that well-rendered scene. When I saw Mel holding his dying daughter in his arms, I have to tell you: it got me. I wanted him to kill everybody.

It's not all smooth sailing after that. Gibson wanders around Massachusetts like a mopey version of Liam Neeson from Taken harassing powerful people yet never endangering his job, and having clues handed to him by a succession of helpful allies... Periodically he'll just show up somewhere and you'll go, “huh? How'd he find out about that place?”

But still, it had me. As Mel untangles the evil corporate/government conspiracy that done him wrong, danger percolates... who can he trust?

His buddies in the Boston police department? The mysterious quasi-government fixer played by Ray Winstone? The Republican Senator in liberal Massachusetts? (As if!) How about the smiling nuclear power company CEO played by Danny Huston? (Okay, that's an easy one: as movie survival rule #8 states, no matter how helpful he seems, the character played by Danny Huston does not have your best interests at heart.)

Is Edge of Darkness a blindingly original work of cinema? No.

But director Martin Campbell (currently prepping Green Lantern) and editor Stuart Baird have some exciting tricks up their sleeves... when the violence comes, it's quick, sudden and satisfying. The script, by William Monahan (The Departed) and Andrew Bovell (Lantana, a personal fave) is, for the most part, smart and snappy. And the loose ends tie up in a delightfully bloody way that's worth sticking around for.

Edge of Darkness isn't likely to enter the canon of all-time great gritty cop dramas, but it's a solid, satisfying thriller and a fine way to spend two hours at the movies.