Gibson's return leaves fans snoring
Ian Clemente
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Arts and Entertainment
In Mel Gibson's latest film Edge of Darkness, the only darkness I could feel here was the one behind my drooping eyelids. . .
Don't get me wrong; the premise for this movie is exactly what any Mel Gibson fan has begged for since he was last on the big screen. Playing a hardened detective named Thomas Craven, Gibson 's character finds himself in a tailspin after his only daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) is killed right before his eyes.
Throughout the movie, we are given a traditional cat-and-mouse story that revolves around Craven coming to terms with his daughter's death and ultimately learning why she was killed in the first place.
Now, Gibson does a fine job in the action scenes after an eight-year absence. But, more importantly, he is entirely believable as a grieving father and a good man who is pushed-well, I'll avoid the cliché here. Oddly enough, the scenes he is playing the loving father figure to "his girl" (at the movie's start and in flashbacks) are by far the most impressive. The fact that I could find myself liking Gibson's character and even tearing up at his immediate reaction following the shooting says a lot about Gibson's stage presence remaining intact.
However, that ultimately cannot save a movie that simply has too many faults to put it even on the same level as, say, Liam Nesson's Taken (released last January). Despite the efforts of actors like Ray Winstone (as intriguing mumbler Jedburgh), it was pretty clear early on who was responsible for Emma's death. But it was still treated like a complete uncertainty, which made the film predictable and meandering.
Although the final sequence of action was adequately impressive, there is honestly not enough fighting shown on the screen to pull viewers in. The confrontations are too spread-apart to create any momentum.
But worst of all is the complete lack of music for about eighty percent of the movie, thus failing to build any sort of mood during any of the discussions. For God's sake, even messes like Transformers 2 knew better than to leave silent stretches like we see in this borefest!
All in all, Gibson's performance saves this movie from completely failing. But it felt like this was a popcorn cop flick that was trying way too hard to be an intellectual movie. Maybe Nesson's Taken was simpler, but there is something to be said about knowing what type of show you should be giving your viewer. And frankly, riding with Craven just left me on the edge of snoring.
Even after a restful nap that's leaving me feeling generous, I cannot give this more than 2.5 broken car doors out of 5.
Don't get me wrong; the premise for this movie is exactly what any Mel Gibson fan has begged for since he was last on the big screen. Playing a hardened detective named Thomas Craven, Gibson 's character finds himself in a tailspin after his only daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) is killed right before his eyes.
Throughout the movie, we are given a traditional cat-and-mouse story that revolves around Craven coming to terms with his daughter's death and ultimately learning why she was killed in the first place.
Now, Gibson does a fine job in the action scenes after an eight-year absence. But, more importantly, he is entirely believable as a grieving father and a good man who is pushed-well, I'll avoid the cliché here. Oddly enough, the scenes he is playing the loving father figure to "his girl" (at the movie's start and in flashbacks) are by far the most impressive. The fact that I could find myself liking Gibson's character and even tearing up at his immediate reaction following the shooting says a lot about Gibson's stage presence remaining intact.
However, that ultimately cannot save a movie that simply has too many faults to put it even on the same level as, say, Liam Nesson's Taken (released last January). Despite the efforts of actors like Ray Winstone (as intriguing mumbler Jedburgh), it was pretty clear early on who was responsible for Emma's death. But it was still treated like a complete uncertainty, which made the film predictable and meandering.
Although the final sequence of action was adequately impressive, there is honestly not enough fighting shown on the screen to pull viewers in. The confrontations are too spread-apart to create any momentum.
But worst of all is the complete lack of music for about eighty percent of the movie, thus failing to build any sort of mood during any of the discussions. For God's sake, even messes like Transformers 2 knew better than to leave silent stretches like we see in this borefest!
All in all, Gibson's performance saves this movie from completely failing. But it felt like this was a popcorn cop flick that was trying way too hard to be an intellectual movie. Maybe Nesson's Taken was simpler, but there is something to be said about knowing what type of show you should be giving your viewer. And frankly, riding with Craven just left me on the edge of snoring.
Even after a restful nap that's leaving me feeling generous, I cannot give this more than 2.5 broken car doors out of 5.
Be the first to comment on this story