6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A cop and widower witnesses what first appears to be the accidental killing of his daughter, Emma. Distraught by the loss and further troubled by his conviction that the bullet was intended for him, he takes on the murder investigation with an obsessive zeal to see justice done. The investigation leads him to uncover an illegal plutonium stockpile.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts (II)Thriller | 100% |
Crime | 66% |
Mystery | 6% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3520 kbps / 24-bit
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Brash, thrilling, and unapologetic, director Pierre Morel's Taken arrived in style in 2008, dishing out a delicious helping of faux-gritty genre fun. But let's not delude ourselves. While it was immensely quotable ("what I do have are a very particular set of skills") and terribly satisfying, it wasn't groundbreaking by any means. It just did what it did extremely well. Casino Royale director Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness is a different beast entirely. Oh, I know its "Me Too!" theatrical trailer takes every opportunity it's afforded to pilfer the revenge-cinema handbag -- stringing together whatever action beats, gunfire, and squealing tires the film has to offer -- but don't be fooled for a second. Edge of Darkness isn't Gibson's return to action cinema, nor is it a blood-pumping thriller overflowing with shootouts and car chases. More Ransom than Lethal Weapon, it's actually a contemplative, character-driven, slow-roast thriller that boasts a pair of outstanding, arguably crystallizing performances and a digestible, if not predictable story. Sadly, it's also hampered by early '90s genre conventions, burdened by preachy subtext, and slathered in distracting political intrigue. Is it better than Taken? Not quite. It isn't nearly as focused or resonant. Is it still worth watching? Thank the genre gods for Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone.
"I'm not celebrating just now..."
Like Campbell, director of photography Phil Meheux appears to have approached Edge of Darkness with a more singular, purposeful focus: stripping each shot down to its bare essentials, thereby allowing Craven's emotional state to dominate the screen. As such, Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer isn't the most eye-popping, three-dimensional presentation you'll see this year, but it is a dark, faithful, proficient offering that does Campbell's chosen tone justice. The warm, hearthy hues of Craven's home slowly give way to a somber palette bathed in shadow, making every glint of sunlight and peaceful hillside a welcome respite. Skintones are well-saturated and lifelike, black levels are inky (albeit susceptible to crush), and contrast remains strong and stable throughout. More often than not, detail is just as striking. Sharp, refined textures are the norm, softness almost always traces back to Meheux and Campbell, and object definition is crisp and clean. Ringing and smearing are nowhere to be found, and a fine veneer of grain permeates the entire film. Backgrounds occasionally get washed away by the darkness and source noise shakes its fist here and there, but rarely at the expense of the otherwise polished presentation. Artifacting, banding, aliasing and other anomalies aren't apparent, and Warner's efforts make a fairly sizable impact overall. Fans of the film should be pleased with the results.
Contrary to what its trailers might suggest, Edge of Darkness isn't brimming with ear-shattering gunfire, throaty car chases, or screams of the dying. Death and indignity abound, mind you, but not as often as some s might expect. Quiet and intense, Campbell's slowburn thriller is marinated in a tasty, cinematic blend of hushed threats and nuanced orchestral pieces, restrained political intrigue and sudden eruptions of violence. The results are most effective, as is Warner's excellent, reasonably immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. First and foremost, Monahan's manic dialogue takes center stage (figuratively and literally) and makes the most of each actor's lines. Gibson's voice is clear and commanding (even when Craven is overwhelmed by emotion), Winstone's most elusive warnings are never lost in the mix, and notable prioritization shuffles everything that enters the fray into its proper place. Granted, neither LFE output nor rear speaker activity is going to leave sensitive late-night filmfans diving for their remotes, but each one is satisfying in its own right, combining exceedingly reliable low-end support with convincing ambience and acoustics whenever sequestered. Action beats are especially impressive -- an impromptu apartment scuffle, Craven's highway pursuit, a shocking hit and run, and a pair of third-act shootouts are welcome wake-up calls to say the least -- and Howard Shore's score is given subtle reign of the proceedings. To top it all off, dynamics are decidedly decent, pans are smooth, and directionality is commendable. Edge of Darkness may offer genre junkies a somewhat subdued sonic experience, but Warner's high-quality lossless track does a fine job handling everything that comes its way.
Despite a rather impressive list of special features, the Blu-ray edition of Edge of Darkness includes less than forty minutes of content. The bulk of the material arrives in the form of nine, rapidfire "Focus Point" featurettes (SD, 31 minutes) -- "Craven's War of Attrition," "Mel's Back," "Director Martin Campbell," "Making a Ghost Character Real," "Boston as a Character," "Adapting the Edge of Darkness Miniseries," "Revisiting the Edge of Darkness Miniseries," "Edge of Your Seat," and "Scoring the Film," -- that provide a fairly decent overview of the production. A commentary or Picture-in-Picture track would have complemented the shorts nicely, particularly since each one was decidedly promotional in nature, but I was surprised by how much I learned about the film. A small collection of redundant "Deleted Scenes" (HD, 6 minutes), a few BD-Live bonuses, and a DVD/Digital Copy combo disc rounds out the package.
Edge of Darkness isn't what I expected -- Taken, minus Liam Neeson, plus Martin Riggs -- but that isn't necessarily a good thing. Simultaneously convoluted and overly simplistic, it amounts to a solid revenge thriller that doesn't hit as hard as its filmmakers intended. Still, between Gibson and Winstone's absorbing performances, Monahan's smartly penned dialogue, and Campbell's capable direction, Gibson's so-called homecoming is certainly worth watching. Warner's Blu-ray release is more commendable, albeit only in part. While the studio's impressive AV presentation delivers most everything high definition enthusiasts have come to expect from a new theatrical release, its supplemental package is an easily exhausted letdown. Unless you have extra cash lying around, give it a rent and see if it's worthy of a spot in your collection.
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Special Edition
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