Taken was a flawed movie. It was incredibly fun to watch, had terrifically choreographed action sequences, and put to rest any doubts that Liam Neeson was one of the coolest of today’s older generation of actors. Produced by Luc Besson it had a pedigree in the school of action few other films can hope for. Now, look at Edge of Darkness. For all intents and purposes it is the same film as Taken, but less cool in every single way. In place of a solid, unrelenting story of vengeance we get a similar one polluted with a convoluted political subplot and a bunch of cheesy dialogue that would have been acceptable had the film not tried to take itself so seriously.
Tomas Craven (Mel Gibson) has a troubled relationship with his daughter (Bojana Novakovic). She’s made some bad decisions in her life and shows up on his doorstep with a bad cough and the ability to avoid candid conversation that every problem child has. As Thomas and his daughter are heading out the door, two men with a shotgun unleash a shell right into her chest killing her quite quickly. Was the hit meant for Thomas? Perhaps one of the enemies he’s made in his years as a cop? Nope, nothing so simple, even if that simplicity would have mirrored the barebones plot of Taken that made it such an enjoyable ride. What happens instead is Craven’s die hard determination to unravel the plot that led to his daughter’s murder and all of the political ramifications buried beneath.
You can’t help but want to empirically compare the performances of Mel Gibson here with that of Neeson in Taken. The roles are so similar (one a hardened cop, the other a hardened security expert); the basic plots are night identical save for the fact that in Edge of Darkness knows his daughter is dead in contrast to Neeson only hoping his is not; and both old timers get to show off the action chops that have helped them gain fans over the years. The latter may prove to be secondary in the film’s undoing, coming just behind the film’s unnecessary inclusion of a scheme of corporate greed, but for the fans tuning in for an action flick it’s easily the most disappointing. The action beats are few and far between and the filming style just doesn’t capture the action in the same visceral way that made each body blow in Taken resonate with the audience. You genuinely felt it when Neeson put a man’s head through a wall or shot him numerous times in the chest. In Edge of Darkness, Gibson never gets to fully unleash the fury of which you would think a bereaved father with training in violence is capable. It all just feels soft.
Maybe the story wouldn’t have been so bad were it not couched in layers of objectionably clichéd dialogue that sounds like the lines Frank Miller threw away because they were over the top. It’s no Punisher: War Zone in that sense, Gibson never asks to “get his hands on God”, but you’ll notice that everyone’s favorite ‘f’ word was used as a tonic to add “authenticity” to dialogue of the rough and tumble characters on the screen. For example, Craven ambushes an ex-acquaintance of his daughter’s where he lives and the ensuing conversation has “man” at the end of every sentence and a few expletives thrown in just so you know this guy is a real hard case. But Craven? He just speaks in a low menacing growl and the point is well made. The writers of Taken understood that it’s not what you say, but how you sound when you say it that makes a piece of dialogue more or less impactful. Gibson isn’t a bad actor, he just didn’t have much to work with; it was a second-rate script with a hand-me-down plot from a much more thrilling film from only a year before.
What helps the film are the performances. Most of them rise above the script (though that only helps so much) and keep the proceedings moving along. Eventually you stop worrying about the weak plot and you just enjoy watching Mel back doing what he used to do year in and year out. Danny Huston does a decent enough job playing his usual smarmy character. He doesn’t shine, but he gives the corporate face the right amount of sleaze. Ray Winstone does what he can, but he never really has a chance to do much to help the film.
While the cinematography and direction don’t help the action sequences in the film, the hi-definition delivery of the Blu-ray transfer counts for something. The picture is crisp and in a few key moments the imagery it produces makes it worthwhile. Most notably a moment in the finale with Gibson attempting to drown a man with milk. If ever there’s a dark, gritty film in hi-def about murdering Santa, this scene needs to be reproduced, albeit with better direction.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
This combo pack includes the film on Blu-ray and digital copy. The Blu-ray has a healthy supply of extras in the form of a mini-series worth of extras covering every conceivable part of production. The score, the locations, the actors, everything gets covered in this 30-minute collection of shorts. You can choose to view them piece by piece, or you can them all at once. Martin Campbell, writer William Monahan, and many others pitch in to offer the two cents on the making of the film. Even if the film isn’t that notable, it’s more extras than you typically get. Deleted and alternate scenes are also included.
"Edge of Darkness" is on sale May 11, 2010 and is rated R. Action, Drama. Directed by Martin Campbell. Written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell. Starring Bojana Novakovic, Caterina Scorsone, Danny Huston, Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone.
