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EDGE OF DARKNESSMovie Reviews
Thriller, an adaptation of a 1985 BBC miniseries, about a Boston homicide detective who sets out to solve his daughter's murder and uncovers governmental conspiracies in the process. Cast:Mel Gibson, Danny Huston, Ray Winstone, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn RobertsDirector:Martin CampbellRelease Date:January 29, 2010DVD Release:May 11, 2010From:Warner Bros.Rating:RLength:1 hr 57 min
Edge of Darkness played to good not great reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...a well-crafted thriller.... Gibson's restrained performance as a grieving father and sharp detective is top-notch, but the film's story wavers in its effectiveness." • And Owen Gleiberman wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...a conventional, divertingly propulsive, borderline boilerplate corporate-high-jinks thriller." More Reviews Below...
Edge of Darkness Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Galina Espinoza, People: MODERATE(cg) "After a shocking start, the script turns plodding.... the movie veers toward the ridiculous... Gibson should have chosen better for his comeback."(See all of Galina Espinoza's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 136 words, 01/28/10
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...reduces the story from a panoramic conspiracy to another one-guy-against-the-system thriller, and 'Edge' loses its political edge. Gibson does a sturdy job..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 01/29/10
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Gibson fits well... Hellbent in a beige raincoat, he attacks with little self-regard. There's undeniable catharsis -- albeit an ugly, somewhat unsettling catharsis..."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 01/28/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Gibson remains forceful and magnetic as always. But his character's journey through a matrix of conspiracies is way too convoluted."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 83 words, 01/28/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a conventional, divertingly propulsive, borderline boilerplate corporate-high-jinks thriller.... Gibson's slow-burn fury keeps the movie going..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 01/29/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...the final product lacks momentum and direction... instead of a tense, tightly-plotted thriller, we're saddled with a lumbering misfire."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,026 words, 01/27/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Gibson's acting has deepened. Too bad his comeback vehicle springs so many leaks.... feeds all my needs for a bloodlusting B-movie feast."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 01/29/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a well-crafted thriller.... Gibson's restrained performance as a grieving father and sharp detective is top-notch, but the film's story wavers in its effectiveness."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 01/29/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a cranked-up thriller with chases, fights, conspiracies and all that stuff... Gibson is a credible, attractive hero... if you want fast-food action, here's your movie."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 826 words, 01/28/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...reasonably well executed, but its competence reeks of fatigue. Another dead kid. Another angry dad. Another day at the office."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 951 words, 01/29/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...while the script -- based on a 1985 British miniseries -- is needlessly convoluted, it barely matters, since Gibson stands so firmly at the center of it all."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 01/29/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a tough-minded thriller that treats corporations and governments with the same sort of paranoia as '70s classics like 'The Parallax View.' "(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 01/29/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "The best of the violence carries a brutal jolt.... Campbell's film offers not surprises, exactly, but craftsmanship and low, brute, cunning satisfactions."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 01/29/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Standard conspiracy fare, though Gibson is effectively menacing in his first proper acting role since 2002.... a B-minus thriller with moments of A-plus violence..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 01/29/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...another meathead revenge picture. But it delivers its punches.... Say what you will about Gibson, he has a gift for making bad vibes contagious."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 02/01/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a cranked-up thriller with chases, fights, conspiracies and all that stuff... Gibson is a credible, attractive hero... if you want fast-food action, here's your movie."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 826 words, 01/28/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...propulsive and streamlined... the culmination is that rare shootout that can truly be called cathartic.... Gibson can make this rather unshapely movie seem taut."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 01/27/10
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...never feels padded or drawn out, thanks to Campbell's breakneck pace, a surfeit of nasty villains and a plot filled with plenty of unforeseen twists and turns."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 01/29/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...a political thriller, but with real-world politics removed... a vicarious, violent, wish-fulfilment fantasy, with Mel in a familiar position, in the driver's seat, pedal to the metal."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 762 words, 01/29/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...turns a terrific BBC miniseries into every other Gibson revenge picture... throws out all the juicy ambiguities and complicated politics that gave the original its weight..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 01/28/10
KEY CITIES (15 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...an elaborate -- and not entirely unsatisfying -- revenge fantasy... isn't exactly full of twists and turns, but neither is it a long, hard slog... it serves its purpose."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 01/29/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...strange and gloomy... The pace is languorous, the volume (with the exception of three or four jolting episodes of violence) low, the lighting dim and grim."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 01/29/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...screenwriters William Monahan and Andrew Bovell have crafted a tightly plotted story, loaded (but not overwhelmed) with incident."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 01/29/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "Gibson may be 'back,' but for a movie about a mysterious murder with an 'officer involved,' he needed to be a lot more involved to make us care."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 01/29/10
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...mostly slow going, with sudden and graphic bursts of action occasionally breaking up scenes that drag on with no real purpose."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 672 words, 01/29/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the film depends on Gibson's performance, and he comes through.... he is consistently effective as the wounded, damaged man fighting for justice."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 01/29/10
Sam Allis, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a long, complicated affair that has its moments but suffers from an overwrought plot.... Gibson returns to the screen stripped of his glamour. It's a smart way to go."(See all of Sam Allis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 01/29/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Winstone lends terrific, complicated menace to the role of the English assassin... Gibson remains a uniquely fascinating screen presence as our shattered hero."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 01/29/10
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...crisp, gripping... smart and absorbing in its every nuance... Gibson dominates the elaborate action with an assured performance that's as authoritative as it is affecting."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 518 words, 01/29/10
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: FAIR(cg) "The raw ingredients for a nasty, eye-poking thriller are certainly there.... So why does the end result feel so compromised? And padded out? And vaguely sloppy?"(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 01/29/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "Without action, compelling characters or a coherent point of view, 'Edge of Darkness' doesn't have a glimmer of good qualities."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 01/29/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "...elicits a gigantic wow - as in 'Wow, does this movie suck!' ...Unfortunately, Gibson's revenge consists primarily of talking people to death."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 01/29/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...propulsive and streamlined... the culmination is that rare shootout that can truly be called cathartic.... Gibson can make this rather unshapely movie seem taut."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 01/27/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...exhibits some of the old Gibson mania... Not so edgy are the conspiracy plot and the posthumous, 'Lovely Bones'-like visits by the victim."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 154 words, 02/04/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...turns a terrific BBC miniseries into every other Gibson revenge picture... throws out all the juicy ambiguities and complicated politics that gave the original its weight..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 380 words, 01/28/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...reasonably well executed, but its competence reeks of fatigue. Another dead kid. Another angry dad. Another day at the office."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 951 words, 01/29/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "I liked the pace and the pulse... but it launches no genuine surprise, and despite being irradiated with scenes of sickness and morbid one-liners, has little afterglow."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 984 words, 02/01/10
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the formula comes down to MMM: Make Mel Mad. Make him say You killed my child.... On it's own debased terms, though, it works like gangbusters."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 301 seconds, 01/29/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Brian Lowry, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Gibson's first star turn since 2002 finds him in fine form.... [but] In terms of consistent visceral thrills, 'Taken' this isn't..."(See all of Brian Lowry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 01/24/10
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...largely explosive effect.... Campbell also has the ideal protagonist in Gibson's equally raw portrayal of a man with nothing left to lose..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 563 words, 01/24/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...semi-successful, intermittently entertaining... Gibson gives a terrific performance in a demanding role... the crime mystery works more effectively than the political thriller."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,287 words, 01/24/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...reasonably well executed, but its competence reeks of fatigue. Another dead kid. Another angry dad. Another day at the office."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 951 words, 01/29/10
15.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Edge of Darkness's reviews are separated by an average 15.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Edge of Darkness (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Edge of Darkness's reviews cover 94.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 26,171 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 569 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4.6 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Edge of Darkness's reviews on average broke 4.6 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Edge of Darkness's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Edge of Darkness (46 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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