Mel Gibson has been around and done a lot in his thirty-three-year acting career. The fact that he's been acting for as long as I've been breathing is not lost on me, and the resurrection of a career, which seemed to taper off in the mid-2000s, is one I can appreciate. Having enjoyed the conspiracy theories of, well, Conspiracy Theory, Ransom, Payback, and others, it's a pleasure to see the return of the man once handed the keys of the kingdom. And I'll knock off immediately any claims by some that this is a brutal revenge flick; no, this is a good, old-fashioned whodunit with elements of vengeance tossed in (think more Taken, and it's vocal trick in uncovering the guilty party, and less Shooter). But if, in the offing, we also consider that Gibson does carry his age on his sleeve while defying it with the action stunts and violence he inhabits, then we've probably captured the best of fifty-four-year-old Mel.

As you'd know by rolling the trailer, widowed Detective Tom Craven (Gibson) retrieves his daughter from the train station only to find her deathly ill and then executed shotgun-style on the steps of their home. I was instantly struck by the "pieta" of the situation: Craven's daughter bleeds out in his arms, the apparent innocent who shed her blood for what she believed in. Unlike other movies of its ilk (lately), we don't have to worry about the crime-and-punishment aspect for the Craven family: they are good-as-it-gets Catholics who work hard, do no harm to innocents, don't hurt anyone more than they deserve, etc. (even established in one well-placed monologue). Symbolism is everything to Gibson, as the emerging-from-the-dark theater poster shows.

The other striking piece about that moment, when Craven's daughter dies in his arms, is that he attempts to pray, and seems to be unable to utter the words. Has he forgotten? Is heunable to believe? We're never given the answer completely, but it's interesting in light of Gibson's own Catholicism (and a flashback to Signs) that he's unafraid of expressing doubt in the face of conflict. Needless to say (or maybe I should offer fair warning), his daughter's murder is the first of two "oh my goodness" moments that will leave you reeling, much like the stabbing in Mystic River. Which, interestingly enough, is another movie I found myself considering in my reflections on Edge of Darkness: whenever you end up in gritty Boston, it's hard not to consider these types of movies (you might also consider Pride& Glory or another Dennis LeHane ode, Gone, Baby, Gone).

But this is classic Gibson; hard-boiled, alone, angst-ridden, and no holds barred. His Craven finds himself up against the evil nuclear-making corporation, Northmoor, headed by the always evil Danny Huston (as Jack Bennett). But things are complicated because there are layers on layers of conspiracy, and a nebulous Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), shows up as the "fixer" who may or may not be aiding Craven in getting to the heart of the matter. So, if you're keeping track, so far, you have vengeance, conspiracy, and socio-ecological intrigue. Not bad for Gibson's first time back in eight years!

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