Mel Gibson plays a Boston detective whose MIT-educated daughter is killed right in front of him. As you would expect, his daughter's murder is escorted by very suspicious circumstances. As you would even more expect, Gibson is determined to spend the next 117 minutes finding his daughter's killer and exacting his own revenge. After all, he's now a man with nothing to lose and he just doesn't give a poop. Get out of his way, because when Mel's upset, people get hurt!

 
There was a time when Mel Gibson was on a short list of about five actors who, when they released a movie, I was in the theater. Braveheart remains my favorite Gibson movie, with Ransom and Payback being sweet little entries in the revenge genre.

But then Mel decided to go on a binge of directing, alcohol, and other craziness, and he hasn't seen a starring role since 2002. So as y'all know (because just about every article and ad trumpets it), Edge of Darkness marks Mel's big return in front of the camera. The only two relevant questions here are, 1) How does he do? and, 2) Is it worth my money? Fortunately for all you fine readers, Johnny is here with answers.

Overall, I enjoyed Edge of Darkness. Mel is in excellent form. His Boston accent (especially when it reaches higher-than-necessary pitches) is a little disconcerting, but he takes the role and gives it everything that it requires. Let's face it - crazy-eyed Mel is not a guy you'd want to meet in an alley, and when he's dartin' those crazy eyes at those he suspects might be involved with his daughter's murder, you can see the inner rage seething beneath the surface. You know the guy is going to explode at any moment, and you're eager for it.

However, you might want to check your expectations at the door. The commercials I've seen really paint this as a testosterone-driven action fest with Mel killing one baddie after another. While there are some deaths, this fits more comfortably into the drama/thriller category. Mel's is a slow burn. Rather than guns ablazin', he methodically unravels the puzzle to determine what exactly happened to his daughter, why, and who needs to die because of it. The suspense is great, and I love how Mel is deliberate, yet menacing in his search for justice.

But is it worth $10 a pop to see it on the big screen? Well, while I'll gladly slap the "pretty good" label on this puppy, I do have to say that it came with a couple of disappointments. Mainly, the story itself isn't all that intriguing. It's another "big business is bad and doing things to kill its employees" story that pretty much played out its course around 1985. The bad guys are monotone corporate types with no personality who exude not even an ounce of true threat. Sure, one guy creeps us out when he wears his robe and double gold chain ensemble, but he looks more like an aged gay porn star than he does someone we should treat as a true adversary to Mel.

The story is a little too trite, has few too surprises, and becomes a bit jumbled when it attempts to make sense of itself. And part of that directly entails my second main disappointment - the last 20 minutes or so. The climax is not as powerful as I hoped. I maintain a strict "no spoilers" policy in my reviews, so I can't reveal too much about why I was so disappointed, but let's just say the resolution is rushed. Mel's revenge on those directly responsible for his daughter's death is not as sweet as I desired. I wanted death by chocolate, but instead I was given vanilla with a little chocolate syrup on top.

It happens too quickly. Them bad guys needed to suffer! Mix in a couple of pointless scenes, and the needless throwing under the bus of one character, and I got the vibe that the director was under pressure to hurry up and get the film in post production. The film's build-up is effective and efficient; why the quick and sloppy tying up of loose ends?

In conclusion, I enjoyed 75% to 80% of the film. Mel is great, and the tension will hold you in anticipation. Unfortunately, the lackluster climax prevents me from awarding Edge of Darkness my overly enthusiastic approval. Is it worth seeing? If you're a fan of Mel Gibson and/or thrillers then yes, it is. Is it worth seeing at the theater? Not at evening prices. But I am eager to see what Mel does next. Let's hope he uses this as momentum and keeps those crazy eyes as shifty as ever.

• Mel Gibson is currently working with Josh Brolin on the film Under and Alone.
  
  
• Jay O. Sanders was in an episode of The Young Riderswith Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language, Edge of Darkness definitely earns its rating. There is blood, bullets to people's heads, folks gettin' all killed and stuff, about 30 f-bombs, one G-d**n, and a few other profanities sprinkled about. Please don't bring your child. What's wrong with you? A couple of scenes of violence caught me off-guard and made me jump; they're the kind of scenes that'll give your kid nightmares. Please, just don't.

The trailers and commercials I've seen made this seem more action-packed than it truly is. You get more drama than you do action. I'm not saying that is a bad thing; I'm just saying you need to know what you're getting.

Gibson is great, and Edge of Darkness is an effective thriller - for about 75% of its runtime. The less-than-inspired story, rushed ending, and one-dimensional bad guys keep it from rising above anything greater than "pretty good."