Edge of Darkness (2010, Blu-ray)
Directors: Martin Campbell
Producers: Various
Writers: William Monahan (screenplay) and Andrew Bovell (screenplay) Troy Kennedy-Martin (television series) (as Troy Kennedy Martin)
Features: * Focus Points Featurettes * Deleted Material * BD-Live * DVD Copy * Digital Copy
Characters:
Mel Gibson ... Thomas Craven
Ray Winstone ... Jedburgh
Danny Huston ... Jack Bennett
Bojana Novakovic ... Emma Craven
Shawn Roberts ... David Burnham
David Aaron Baker ... Millroy
Jay O. Sanders ... Bill Whitehouse
Denis O'Hare ... Moore
Damian Young ... Senator Jim Pine
Caterina Scorsone ... Melissa
Genre: Action/Adventure
Review:
Available on Blu-ray May 11, 2010.
From time to time, DVDFuture will be inviting guest writers to review various films coming to DVD and Blu-ray. The guest writer for this review is Scott Mendelson.
If Martin Campbell's "Edge of Darkness" were released in the 1970s or even the early 1980s, it would have been accepted as a thriller. But, by today's standards, it qualifies a drama with occasional bursts of violence. Foolishly mis-marketed as a riff on "Taken," this film is not a thrill-a-minute action picture but rather a slow and sobering story about crippling grief. Based on a 1985 BBC miniseries (also directed by Campbell and pretty terrific in its own specific way), this project was tailored made for Mel Gibson and he does the material proud. In a season where some of our best talents (Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski) have crashed and burned with critical disappointments, Martin Campbell delivered a genuinely compelling B-movie that emphasized character and story over visceral thrills.
A token amount of plot: The film basically concerns Boston cop Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson), who sets out to investigate why his adult daughter (Bojana Novakovic) was shotgunned to death on his doorstep in front of his eyes. While the initial working theory is that the murder represents payback for something Craven did in the line of duty, the emotionally-crippled detective soon realizes that his daughter may have been the target all along. Craven receives some unexpected assistance from Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a mysterious 'fix-it' man who is apparently having second thoughts about doing bosses' dirty work. Needless to say, the trail eventually leads to a shadowy corporation and its high-level misdeeds. Will Craven uncover just why his daughter was murdered, and what will it cost him in the process?
The film may not reinvent the wheel, but it is a deliberate and pleasing throwback that takes its plot seriously and allows everyone to act like adults at all times. The intermittent violence packs a wallop because it is taken very seriously and viewed in terms of human loss (even the bad guys complain about collateral damage). At the center of the somewhat run-of-the-mill conspiracy plot are two fantastic performances. Returning to onscreen acting after an eight-year absence, Mel Gibson obviously dominates the proceedings as low-key Boston cop Thomas Craven. The usually flashy Gibson internalizes Craven's mourning, letting you see his despair in his eyes rather than through overt monologue. Furthermore, Gibson remains one of the few male actors who can convincingly play a loving parent without laying on the schmaltz. Winstone has the slightly showier role (no one chews scenery here) as a seemingly decent man who has never really given enough thought to the indecent things he has done in his career. Veteran character actor Jay O. Sanders again plays a cop, but even he is given a heartbreaking moment where he must choose between helping his partner and protecting his family. And while Danny Huston threatens to become mustache-twirlingly devious as one of the heads of 'not-Haliburton', the invaluable Denis O'Hare grounds the backroom treachery and brings a welcome humanity to the 'bad guys'.
Martin Campbell again proves that he makes pictures for adults with adult sensibilities. The film is refreshingly R-rated, both for the occasional bits of blood-stained violence and for the fact that it is a genuine adult thriller. The action finale feels tacked-on, and there are signs of behind-the-scenes tinkering with just a few moments of gratuitous 'action', but the film works as an engaging and emotionally-compelling drama. In an age where every big-studio picture is either a tentpole fantasy epic or a low-budget Oscar bait project, "Edge of Darkness" is a refreshingly old-fashioned star-driven genre picture. In the end, it's just a damn good movie.
Final Grade:
B+
HD REVIEW:
Video:
I wasn't able to grab a screenshot for this film. I apologize for the inconvenience. If things change, I'll let you know.
"Edge of Darkness" is presented in 2.40:1 widescreen using the VC-1 codec on a single-layered BD50 disc. Despite being a paltry (likely compressed) single-layer release, the transfer is shockingly stunning. No grain, dust or white specks appear at all. The image is sharp, clean and crisp with no digital artifacts or edge haloing. Black levels are crisp and defined. If I had just one complaint, it would be that certain indoor sequences appear to have a fine haze of digital noise clouding them. It doesn't appear all that often, but it does mildly distract in the few scenes where it's noticeable. Beyond this flaw, this is a stellar transfer.
Audio:
Audio choices are English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 with French and Spanish subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired.
Given the dialogue-heavy nature of this thriller, it's not too surprising that this isn't an expansive surround-dominant listening experience. Still, the film is perfectly mixed with crisp, clean dialogue. The film's score is evenly balanced, soaring around the picture's surround field. Bass is also active, giving weight to the thrills. Overall, this is an impressive mix -- it's not aggressive, just perfectly balanced.
Extras and Packaging:
The BD copy of the film, provided from Warner, came packed in a blue two-disc BD case featuring the film’s theatrical artwork. Sadly, there's very little on the disc. Features found on both the DVD and Blu-ray include six minutes of rightfully deleted material (presented in HD). That's it.
BD-Exclusive Content:
There are a few BD-exclusives, but none of these are particularly exciting. They include:
• Focus Point Featurettes (30 minutes, HD) -- Fans are treated to nine incredibly brief promotional making-of featurettes. The material is fine, it's just not very investigative.
• BD-Live -- Warner's usual web portal is also included.
• DISC TWO: DVD Copy/Digital Copy DVD (SD)
Final Thoughts:
"Edge of Darkness" might not break any new ground, but it's an exciting, rousing thriller that delivers yet another stellar effort from director Martin Campbell. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but the extras are lacking. Given how much this film was allegedly toyed and tinkered with before release, it would have been nice to see those issues addressed here. Such a shame. Still, fans will enjoy what this disc has to offer.
Blu-ray Report Card:
Video: A-
Audio: A-
Extras: D-
HD Content: C-
Packaging: A
Recommendation: Fans should pick this disc up.
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----R. L. Shaffer