REVIEW: Edge of Darkness

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED REVENGE SAGA

There's a comforting familiarity to Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness, a '90s style crime caper involving a cop out to avenge his daughter's death. Along the way, he unravels an elaborate plot involving a technology giant that apparently manufactures nuclear weapons on the sly, corrupt senators and lawyers who shield the corporation and freelance hit-men on the prowl. Against the might of all the forces of evil that are unleashed on him, detective Tom Craven (Mel Gibson) of the Boston police department stands alone, and, as we know right in the beginning, will eventually outsmart them all.  

It's a regular day at work for Gibson then. And it is to his credit that the film manages to remain engaging despite the predictable zone in which it operates. There are a few thrilling moments, a couple of flip-flops and a sentimental end. Before which, there's one wonderful scene between father and daughter (Bojana Novakovic) -- he awkwardly trying to reach out to her, she tentatively groping for a way to tell him what's wrong. She has nose-bleed and vomiting, he opens the door to take her to the hospital, she gets shot dead. In the aftermath of her death, Gibson's Craven cuts a poignant picture of bereavement. He's numb with grief and consumed with rage. The creases on his forehead, the lines on his face and those big sad eyes carry the weight of his devastation. 

So the father who's also a cop must visit the mortuary to clinically examine the body of his own daughter. Another crushing moment when Gibson chews up the screen with his intensity. Campbell too elevates the proceedings with the a few deft touches -- Craven keeps reminiscing of his daughter as a little girl. One scene in particular stands out. He's shaving and she's watching him with fascination. He applies foam on her cheeks and hands her a comb to scrape it off just as he's shaving his with a razor. But even as you start smiling benignly, he snaps out and it's back to the mindless action.

Keeping Gibson company is British actor Ray Winstone as a shadowy fixer called Darius Jedburgh who rises above the rest of the cardboard cutout bad guys. As for the head of the corporation, he looks like a regular '60s style villain with a cold, unflinchingly impassive face. And the company's headquarters look exactly the way you'd imagine evil corporations to be. 

There's no danger of any brush with reality here. Yet, you enjoy the ride while it lasts. And certainly a lot more than contemporary CGI-heavy soulless adventures.