Reel Critic:

Not that long ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Mel Gibson needing a comeback vehicle. While he has been in the public eye as a director of controversial movies and for his highly publicized personal problems, he had only starred in one major film this millennium until the release of “Edge of Darkness.” His last starring role was in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” in 2002.

In “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson returns to the avenging patriarch persona he has employed previously in such films as “Ransom” (1996) and “The Patriot” (2000).

Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a homicide detective with the Boston Police Department. Craven is a single father. As the film opens, his only child, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), an MIT graduate, arrives home for a visit.

Shortly after arriving, Emma becomes violently ill and must be taken to the emergency ward. Rushing out the door, they are confronted by a gunman who fires a shotgun, killing Emma almost immediately. The gunman jumps into a waiting car and disappears.

Because Craven is a veteran homicide detective, police at first assume he was the gunman’s target and Emma the unintended victim. Craven is willing to accept this theory for a while, but the discovery of a handgun in Emma’s belongings prompts him to investigate on his own.

Running the gun’s serial number through the police weapons database reveals it is registered to Emma’s boyfriend, Burnham (Shawn Roberts). Craven finds Burnham hiding in the apartment he shared with Emma and is attacked as he comes in the door. After subduing the young man, Craven finds out Emma worked for Northmoor, a top-secret government facility supposedly charged with safeguarding the nation’s nuclear stockpile.

Craven makes an appointment to see Jack Bennett (Danny Huston), the smarmy executive in charge of Northmoor. While seemingly forthcoming, Bennett does not offer any helpful facts due to the sensitive nature of Northmoor’s government work. Unsatisfied, Craven continues to poke around and is eventually visited by Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a mysterious government operative.

“Edge of Darkness” is a violent and wild ride through a labyrinth of conspiracies and cover-ups. Working against a mostly unseen adversary with seemingly limitless resources, Craven’s grief-driven determination and the savvy garnered by more than 30 years as a homicide detective allow him to slowly claw his way to his daughter’s killers.

Gibson looks every one of his 50-plus years, but his lined face and haunted visage are perfect for the part of a grieving parent turned avenging angel. Despite his age, Gibson still carries enough of a physical presence to be believable as the tough detective not afraid to use his fists or his gun if needed.

While “Edge of Darkness” may turn out to be an effective comeback movie for Gibson, the best performance is undoubtedly turned in by Winstone.

It soon becomes apparent that Jedburgh is a “fixer,” and his government overlords just want the entire Emma episode to disappear. However, Jedburgh isn’t a robot, and on some level he identifies and empathizes with Thomas Craven. Not knowing exactly who Jedburgh is or what he does is one of the mysterious pleasures of this film.

The screenplay was co-written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell. Monahan won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Departed” in 2007. Although “Edge of Darkness” was adapted from a British television show, there are understandably similarities in tone, and both films are set in Massachusetts.

It remains to be seen if “Edge of Darkness” can propel Gibson back to the A list. He must be fairly confident that it will, as he has several projects in development. In any event, it is good to see such an iconic actor back in front of the camera in a role for which he is well-suited.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.