My Review of "Edge of Darkness"

Two years after the movie Taken had come out, Edge of Darkness came into the theaters. The two movies have somewhat similar plot lines but have their own spins to them. I had heard of this movie when it came out but wasn't very interested for some reason. It's odd because I liked Taken but I only liked it. Revenge movies are usually my cup of tea too.

Well ten years later this movie pops up on Netflix so I thought I'd give it a go. I have to say they don't make movies like this anymore. It's pretty formulaic but something I'm used to for movies back in the early 2000's. It's a murder mystery/revenge movie.

The main character Craven, played by Mel Gibson meets up with his daughter Emma, played by Bojana Novakovic. You can tell the two kind of have a strained relationship but love each other regardless. Emma seems to be keeping secrets from her dad but before she tells her dad what's wrong she seems to be poisoned. All of a sudden they open the door and a guy with a shotgun shoots Emma point blank into her body.

It's a very grueling and visceral scene that had me shocked when it happened. I really didn't expect so much to happen in such a short span of time. It was also such a sudden shock. You know something's going to happen to her because of the trailer for the movie but you don't realize it was this brutal.

Fortunately Craven happens to be a police detective for the good city of Boston. You can tell by Mel Gibson's horrible Boston accent. It's kind of jarring to hear when you first hear him speak but I kind of gotten used to it as the movie went by. It's not like he was acting badly. I think he did a good job as Craven but the accent seemed unauthentic to me.

Throughout the movie Craven uses his wonderful detective skills to understand why someone would come after his daughter like they did. Does this plot sound familiar? Obviously, there are a few twists and turns that will escalate the story-line.

I know some people will think this movie is pretty cookie cutter but if you don't think too much it is genuinely a fun ride. There are a few things in this movie that will have you scratching your head but it's a movie. I don't think it was made to be high art either. It's purely made for entertainment and you can tell the makers of the movie knew exactly what they were making.

All of the actors did a good job. The problem with some of the twists in this movie is that they're pretty obvious because the actors playing the bad guys are hamming it up. They're the usual sinister looking goons and big baddie that you would expect in a clear cut good guys versus bad guys movie.

There isn't much thinking in this movie but I have to give it props because they were still able to place an air of urgency for certain scenes. You didn't know when bad guys would just pop up and kill someone. Sort of like a horror movie but this movie would be considered more a thriller. Some of the deaths just popped up and you're like whoa! I wasn't ready for that even though I knew it was going to happen. That aspect of the movie was quite enjoyable. Props to them for having that edge of your seat feel with their editing.

Overall, I was able to enjoy this movie because they kept me intrigued despite the obvious story and twists. You'll be able to enjoy this if you don't take it too seriously. I think people that liked Taken will absolutely like this movie as well because they're very similar films. I'll have to give this movie a 7 out of 10. It's not a horrible movie but it's not the best either. It's good enough to recommend to others that are looking for a revenge movie that they haven't seen before.