Edge of Darkness looks like a real solid thriller. It has tough guys, chases, violence, and Ray Winstone. Ray was the reason pretty boy Leo’s The Departed was a great film (and Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin). Any time you have Ray show up in a supporting role for a crime/ film noir movie you’re in good hands. Sort of like KISS, if you want to rock and roll all night and party every day, there really is no other band to look for.
The film is also directed by Martin Campbell. He’s the guy who re-invented James Bond, twice. First he relaunched the series by putting Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye, and then after Lee Tamahori ruined Bond with Die Another Day, Campbell swooped in and saved the franchise by making Casino Royale (arguably one of the best Bond films in the entire series). I think it’s safe to say that Marty knows how to thrill an audience. It’s also safe to say that Brooke Mueller should have expected anything but a smooth ride when she married Charlie Sheen. As if this weren’t enough, the film was written by William Monahan, who won an Oscar for writing The Departed (which was much deserved until that stupid rat ran by the camera in the last scene).
With so many factors in the plus column you would think Edge of Darkness was a surer thing than a night out with Lindsay Lohan, right? There’s one big point holding me back from heading out to see this film and his name is Mel Gibson. I think Mel is a fine actor, and Braveheart was a fantastic film. But the night that Mel was pulled over for driving drunk on July 28, 2006 changed my opinion of him forever. It wasn’t that he was busted for driving under the influence, if that was the case I would never be able to see another film with an A-list actor. After Mel was arrested he launched into anti-Semitic remarks claiming that “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world”. So I stopped watching Mel’s films, which as a huge fan of Bird on a Wire, was a difficult thing to do (that’s sarcasm folks).
In the past I have always tried to separate artists from their art. When Woody Allen began dating and eventually married his daughter Soon-Yi, I thought it was weird and wrong. More than that, I was confused why a big star like Woody couldn’t meet girls on J-Date. But after thinking about it, I realized the only people Woody really hurt was Mia Farrow, his family, and I guess Soon –Yi who had to go to bed with him. That doesn’t make it right, but it does make it a personal situation that he has to deal with. Long story short, I still watch Woody’s films (although after Cassandra’s Dream I’m beginning to think that might be a mistake). Mel’s transgressions are on a bigger scale. He insulted all Jews. So as much as I would like to see Edge of Darkness, I’m sticking to my principals on this one and will skip it.
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