There’s a grittiness that’s missing from Edge Of Darkness that undermines it’s poignant centre. It’s a crime thriller about revenge and corruption but it’s central preoccupation is in the disruption of domestic quietness by the corruption and greed of absolute power. The film is glossy and elegant where it perhaps should have been murky and rough around the edges. Director Martin Campbell, who also helmed the original British television series with Bob Peck that this is based on, goes through great lengths to be faithful to his original work, but by keeping a steady hand on his camera and composing his frames with a an artist’s eye he lets the soul of the piece drift away from him slightly.
The film also suffers from the now fading paranoia that First World countries murder their own people to cover up conspiracies. It might happen, I don’t have any facts in front of me, but the way these films portray officials and their footsoldiers as mass murdering psychopaths is unconvincing in a contemporary world where information travels too fast for devils such as these to stop it. I may sound naïve, but I just don’t think these people are out there hiding behind their titles and credentials. The greatest corruption comes from laziness and cowardice, not from malevolence.
Mel Gibson has trod the territory of a gnarled, unstoppable vigilante before, only here he’s meant to begin as a placid, unexcitable policeman with no enemies hiding in the woodwork. I didn’t believe it. With great respect to Gibson, who does a fine job, the film needed an actor without such solid action credentials who would surprise us with their sudden turn to violence and frenzied behaviour.
The mood of the film sometimes reminded me of Blade Runner in it’s pace, it’s lighting and it’s switching to quiet scenes of contemplation not only with it’s main protagonist, but also with it’s secondary characters who you wouldn’t be expecting to follow “off camera”. These are nice elements which build on the film’s gripping layers and make it an enduring work that might have risen to the status of a masterpiece had the big budget sheen of Hollywood not polished over a very tragic series of events.
Edge Of Darkness takes it’s time and, like Ray Winstone does at one point in the film, savours it’s 117 minute life with, and like, a fine wine. It’s just a shame Edge Of Darkness’ many conclusions and confrontations have to be so run-of-the mill and familiar.
The biggest surprise in Edge Of Darkness is that it has a genuine heart and it makes you feel something. That the production values try so hard to numb you with their beauty is unfortunate, but you will walk away moved and satisfied and believing that good will prevail, and that’s a nice feeling.
3/5
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