BOTTOM LINE: Mel Gibson does his best to hold this bland and slow-paced effort together, but the film barely resonates either dramatically or emotionally, and is a far cry from the revenge thriller it tried to sell itself as.

THE GOOD: After the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s off screen antics and private life, it is a surprise to see him pop up and deliver another decent performance despite the setbacks. He plays Boston police detective Thomas Craven who watches helplessly as his daughter is gunned down at his home, and in his arms. At first believing that he was the target, he slowly learns that his daughter was the actual target, which prompts him to investigate a conspiracy surrounding a nuclear research facility and its connections to foreign nations and politicians at home. The set up for the film is a classic one, providing an opportunity to give its lead character a journey that we as an audience can go along with. Gibson does a great job of conveying a professional, yet distraught father trying to learn the truth, and he is surrounded by a solid cast, with Ray Winstone in particular working well as the mysterious, yet sympathetic character of Jedburgh whose background and connection to the story are a mystery. The film deviates from the traditional revenge flick by offering a deeper conspiracy theory story line, and as such, it becomes something of a detective hunt as Craven puts together all the clues. The film looks wonderful, with director Martin Campbell composing some of his wonderful trademark wide-angle images, along with some more stylised moments. “Edge of Darkness” starts from a good place, and Mel Gibson does a great job in carrying us along his character’s journey.

THE BAD: The film was promoted as a revenge thriller, and while that is technically true, the film is riddled with problems, least of which that the requisite action is absent. This film is slow paced and dialogue driven for most of its run time which contradicts the sense of urgency it tries to impart through its revenge thriller motifs. Who wants to watch the lead character talk and ponder about when you want to see him take out the bad guys as much as possible? The decision to go this way was a bad one, and leaves a film that is about as close to boring as possible without quite getting there. When the action does come, it’s usually for shock treatment; the scene where a girl connected to the conspiracy is killed literally moments after she offloads her information to Craven is an excellent example of a silly shock moment that throws you out of the film, particularly without the proper sense of build up and tension. The film also starts and ends in a negative place; Craven has nothing to hope for because his daughter is dead. If he could save her, we would have something to cheer for. The only resolution from this is to find out the truth about his daughter, but regardless, his life is still shattered. In the end, the combination of all these factors leaves you feeling seriously underwhelmed, with a film that has not taken you anywhere close to compelling.