Fridae

Like last year’s State of Play, this Mel Gibson vehicle is a feature film adaptation of a UK television serial. Edge of Darkness was made in the 1980s, and its political and corporate thriller angle along with its environmental theme have made it a seminal television serial in its own right, and remains relevant and eerily prescient given today’s pressing issues. Its director Martin Campbell has returned to helm the movie, ensuring that the original’s vision remains intact in the translation to the big screen.

As with the serial drama, Detective Craven, a laconic cop becomes embroiled in a political and military-industrial conspiracy when his daughter is gunned down in cold blood, in front of their home by a professional hitman. Who were they really after? What damning evidence did the cop or his daughter know that warranted the cold-blooded hit? What other measures will the hitman’s employer resort to when the cop embarks on his own investigation?

As a remake, it is inevitable that comparisons will be made between Edge of Darkness and the original. Mel Gibson plays the bereaving cop who experiences rage, despair, and an aching lost – but nevertheless makes a supreme effort of keeping his feelings in check. It’s a joy to see Mel Gibson portray this character, finely balancing himself on the edge of rage and deadly calm. His performance makes a nice counterpoint to Ray Winstone’s portrayal of a shadowy “clean-up man” who is tasked to cover up the developing scandal, and begins to take an interest in Craven’s investigations.

Script-wise, the setting has been transposed to the US – an appropriate move given that any military-industrial complex and corporate/governmental scandal in the modern era would have to take place in the United States. Compressing the six-part serial down to 110 minutes seems to have done no damage to the pacing or the coherence of the film – there’s hardly any loose ends, flabby sections, or even pointless digressions.

If anything, Campbell appears to have been too uncompromising in his vision. While this is a thriller, there are no expensive set-pieces or convoluted action sequences. It’s not that Campbell doesn’t know how to make a big screen picture – he did make the Bond reboot Casino Royale – but he seems to prefer a taut, claustrophobic and gritty film with tight angles and low shots over a slick, high explosives affair like State of Play. And somehow, you might just agree with his vision by the end.