Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone in "Edge of Darkness"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“Mel Raises Hell”

We haven’t seen much of act9or/director Mel Gibson of late. He made his name in movies like “Mad Max” and the “Lethal Weapon” series. Then after his career was established as an actor he got sidetracked into directing and scored big with “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto.” Now he is back in full acting mode in a new DVD release as a man with a mission in “Edge of Darkness.”

Thomas Craven (Gibson) is a Boston police detective. He has one child, a daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic), and she is everything to him. The movie starts with him picking her up at the train station for her first visit home in some time. She is working as a research intern in a huge plant, and Craven knows very little about what her job entails. 

When Emma is gunned down as she and her father are leaving his home the first thought is that she was killed accidentally by someone after her father. But as Craven investigates the murder he becomes more and more convinced it is Emma who was the target. That is when he really gets mad.

“Edge of Darkness” is a movie with a lot of edge and most of it comes from Gibson’s performance. He is very effective as a distraught father looking for his daughter’s killer. In order to play this grieving, stressed man Gibson lets the age lines show and the bleary eyes work for him. His weariness is almost tactile and his dedication is obsessive.

Equally good in the film is Ray Winstone who plays a mystery clean up man. The scenes which focus on him and Gibson together are the best in the movie. These two come across as old war horses who have seen it all and are worn out by it. Also good is Danny Huston as the leader of the NorthMore group. If you need someone to play a smarmy villain then Huston is your man.

The film is based on a BBC miniseries and is directed by Martin Campbell who steered “Casino Royale” And “The Legend of Zorro” to success. The sometimes difficult to follow script is by Andrew Bovell and William Monahan. There are some questions that are never answered in the plot but happily they don’t interfere with the overall enjoyment of the film.

Mel Gibson is a talented actor and a man of tremendous charisma and charm. “Edge of Darkness” is a welcome return to his dramatic roots and he is fascinating throughout the length of the film. He may look a little older and a little more worn around the edges, but he is still Mel and audiences have not forgotten him.

You will be totally drawn into the story of “Edge of Darkness.” It has brilliant acting, a suspenseful story, and provides an emotional outlet for all who are mad as hell and not going to take it any more. This is one DVD you want to get now.

Another DVD out this week is “Daybreakers,” a movie that is fun to watch but don’t try to make too much sense out of any part of its story. Just accept the fact it is all about vampires and their desire to keep a running blood supply. That leads to a lot of grizzly action on the screen in a plot made more intelligent by the inclusion of Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe in the cast.

The film takes place in 2019 when vampires rule the world. They survive on the blood of humans and in some cases the blood of animals, but humans are the preferred drink of choice. Edward Dalton (Hawke) is a scientific researcher trying to find a blood substitute as the supply of humans is running low.

Dalton works for Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), the CEO of a huge conglomerate dedicated to supplying blood and blood products. Dalton does not like being a vampire and wishes he were still human. This is a point of contention between him and his younger brother Frankie (Michael Dorman).

One night Dalton runs into (literally) a car filled with humans. Rather than turning them into the police he helps them escape capture. This leads to his being introduced to their leader Lionel “Elvis” Cormack (Dafoe). Elvis offers Dalton a chance to become human once again but it has to happen quickly as the police are hot on their heels.

In the film there are regular vampires and those who are extreme vampires. These extreme types have wings and are totally barbaric. Some of the regular vampires have given into their blood thirsting ways but others, like Dalton, have managed to keep their urges under control. Why there is this disparity is not explained.

Also some vampires burst into total flames upon stepping into sunlight while with others the burning is more controlled. Again no answer is given for this differentiation. In this movie you just have to accept that what is, is what is.

Ethan Hawke is good in his role. He starts out looking like Harrison Ford in Amish garb for “Witness” and ends up looking like Harrison Ford in action hero mode in “Star Wars.” Dafoe also adds to the fun of the film with his quirky personality and out of the ordinary ways. Neill is as menacing as can be.

You can’t watch “Daybreakers” and apply logic to what occurs in the movie. You just have to accept it as an action movie that will keep you entertained for two hours. Hawke, Dafoe and Neill make sure you get your thrills and send you out into the bright sunlight of day thankful it is there.

Keeping with the thriller theme of this week, Hollywood is also on a roll of religion mixed with violence. The powers that be understand that religion can attract a key audience, as can movies that are violent and profane. So taking the easy way out, we are seeing a glut of movies that are religious, violent and profane.

Such was the case with “The Book of Eli” and such is the case with “Legion,” a new movie to DVD that features angels as the villains. In this new film God has gotten sick and tired of the human race and has decided to destroy it. Instead of sending a flood or something else like that, he decides to let loose his angel population to infest hordes of humans and have them destroy each other. But in true God-like fashion he leaves a loophole. There is a baby boy that is going to be born who can save the world.

The angel Michael (Paul Bettany) decides to go off on his own and try to save this yet to be born baby. His main adversary is the angel Gabriel (Kevin Durand) who is intent on carrying out God’s orders.

The main battle is brewing outside a diner located on an isolated strip of road. Inside the diner are the owner Bob (Dennis Quaid) and his son Jeep (Lucas Black). There is also a short order cook named Percy (Charles S. Dutton), as well as a pregnant waitress named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki). The customers are the Anderson family who are there because they are having car trouble. This family includes the mother Sandra (Kate Walsh), the father Howard (Jon Tenney) and their daughter Audrey (Willa Holland). There is also an enigmatic stranger named Kyle (Tyrese Gibson).

Michael soon arrives to protect the baby Charlie is carrying. She is only eight months pregnant so it might be a long wait. Jeep is not the father of the baby but he is devoted to Charlie and will do anything to help her.

The enjoyment factor for this film lies in the variety of the characters and the action sequences that ensue. There isn’t a big star among the cast but each is perfectly suited for the role in which they are cast. Particularly interesting is Lucas Black. He has been learning his craft for years now and is a very competent young actor. All those indicators in “Slingblade” that he was an actor with a bright future are still there.

Bettany is also good as Michael. He has the requisite super-hero physique and the mystical demeanor the role requires. If you are going to believe someone is otherworldly then Bettany is the right choice for the part.

The plot of the movie never makes sense but in this type of film you just have to go with the flow. If you want to pick apart the theology then you are going to have a field day, but if you just want to enjoy an action movie that has some solid performances you will be entertained.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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