The Two-Minuite Verdict
Mel Gibson’s decision to make The Beaver part of his attempted comeback is so weird it just might work: Not only does it address his pariah nature head-on, but in its lunacy, it recalls Tom Cruise’s similar go-for-broke comeback bid in Tropic Thunder. Too bad, then, that Gibson’s got the crime thriller Edge of Darkness coming out first. A trailer for the film was just released. How is it?
I’ll put it this way: If The Beaver is something that nobody’s seen before (because apparently none of you saw Lars and the Real Girl), Edge of Darkness is something everybody’s seen before. (Literally in some cases, since it’s based on a British miniseries.) Gibson stars as a father whose daughter is shot…but they picked the wrong cop to piss off! So, Taken without the sex slavery whatnot, but plus Gone Baby Gone accents.
VERDICT: Pass.


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Posted 15 Oct 2009, 10:05 AM
I can't wait to see this picture. Judging from these two minutes and the way Gibson's accent swings all over the map, it will be hilarious in a two hour form. From the sounds of things, his dialogue coach just gave him Mystic River and said, "Pay attention to that guy Tim Robbins."
Posted 15 Oct 2009, 12:03 PM
Argh, this should not be allowed to put anyone off the original 'Edge of Darkness', which is without exaggeration one of the finest pieces of television ever made. It's available on DVD right now, and anyone who cares about television as something other than a means of pumping Simon Cowell sponsored effluent into the front room should get it right now.
It's the series that made me want to be a writer, and I live in hopes one day I can create something a tenth as good.
Posted 15 Oct 2009, 1:38 PM
Well, there's a really good supporting cast. That's something.