Edge of Darkness
So how did Mel Gibson’s dive back in front of the camera go after a seven year absence?…… Ehhhhh.
Slowly paced and under scored, Edge of Darkness moves along at even clip. The little action that’s in this film feels under baked and tame compared to what I expect from a Mel movie. The acting was all fine enough, but the movie itself just felt so slow, which is odd considering it’s a compressed version of a mini series.
If your going to make a revenge move of this kind it either needs to be tightened up, actioned up, or smartened up. Taken is a good example of a film that plays to the base. It’s not fantastic but it delivers as advertised. Now i’m not suggesting that Edge of Darkness needs to be dumbed down. This is fact would seem to go against the source material it’s based on. However, it’s original mystery does need some pruning if your going to fit it into it 2 hour runtime.
I also never felt a sense of fun and revelation as the facts were uncovered. Every time Mel found a clue my reaction was always… “umm hmm, and?” It lacks the power of a good mystery drama, and the satisfying over the top action and violence of a good revenge picture. Edge of Darkness just is, and what it is just isn’t enough.
The Book of Eli
The Book of Eli is a movie that I can see causing a bit of polarization when it comes to ones enjoyment of it’s main ideas. This split may come from the viewers religious beliefs, and depending on those the ending may come off as preachy, or an uplifting tale of faith. I myself fall into the category of one who thought of the whole movie as a bit on the preachy side, but I also feel as the middle and end of this film were week regardless of my beliefs. The bad guy Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman, I thought was not convincing. This was not because of his acting but because of his motivation. The idea that he is willing to do the things he does for the possession of a book seemed down right silly.
The effects were ok, and the violence was fun and over the top, and sometimes boarding on cartoonish, but these few action scenes represent the few points at which I took away some entertainment value from this movie.
The acting was ok. Denzel did his Denzel thing. Gary Oldman did fine acting with the material he was give, and Ray Stevenson, who plays Carnegie’s right hand man was one of the more compelling bad guys to watch due in part to his limited use of action. On the other hand, Mila Kunis, who played Solara was not so good. There was nothing really unique or compelling about her, and some of the sequences with her towards the end of the movie were super cheesy. This may be more of a product of the writing and direction, but that character was one of the worst in the movie.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty week, and almost forgettable presentation, where great actors appear to suffer under shotty writing and direction. There are some fun moments to this movie and a few surprises that I admit I never saw coming, but the total package is just to flawed. I personally found it a tad on the preachy side, but you may not want to listen to me. I’m what they call a Liberal Elitist.
