Here's how things really work in Hollywood - if you do something well, then all you get are offers to the same thing over and over again. Take Mel Gibson - what movie launched him to stardom? Yes, the "Mad Max" series - basically, the story of a loner guy with a sad past out for revenge. Now, because Mel made it so big for a while there, he got to call his own shots and did whatever he wanted, but now that he's had a few tough years in his personal life, Hollywood has come calling with the "Mad Max" role again.

          The slight change is simple - Mel is a pretty old guy now, so lets make it a revenge movie without overlooking the fact that our hero has slowed down a bit. Mel plays a cop again- Detective Tom Craven of the Boston police, and within ten minutes of the picture's opening, his daughter is gunned down and dies in his arms.

           Being she's all he's got - there are only a few references to the mother, she's clearly long gone, Craven, seemingly near retirement, has nothing left to live for but to find the killer or killers. As he's a cop, and she's some lowly "intern" at a large corporation, all eyes are on who would want to kill Detective Craven.

          Or so it would seem- but, since Tom is the wise old cop, he quickly figures out that if anyone wanted him dead, they could have easily done it many other times over the years, so he settles in on his daughter as the target. And he would be right.

          This takes us down the path of corporate and political conspiracy, all wrapped around the military-industrial complex and an environmental message. Very nice, but not particularly creative- the story was actually a BBC mini-series some time back, somebody in Hollywood must have seen it and said "a Dad out to avenge his daughter's murder- call Mel".

          So if this all sounds like I hated this movie, well, that would be wrong. The way it's put together is actually quite compelling - it's a slow build and much time is devoted to Mel's suffering over his loss, something that makes you root for the revenge all the more. Plus, he just looks like a tired old drunk, one that can still pack a nasty punch, and that happens a few times. The violence is selective, but I've got to say, when it does come up, it's quite jarring. There is one scene when someone Mel is talking to suddenly gets hit by a car and I did jump up in my seat. Talk about special effects - I felt like I was dragged away too.

          The other important elements in this movie are the villains - the most notable being a corporate executive played by Danny Huston. You rarely see a bad guy like this - he's a pudgy faced coward who plays it all rather deadpan, especially when he asks Mel "how does it feel" to see you daughter die. You know what's coming to him and it feels good.

        Then there's Ray Winstone as Jedburgh - how would I explain this character, other than to say that without him this movie would have been only half as interesting. Jedburgh is hired to keep an eye on our man Craven - I guess to make sure he doesn't get to close to exposing the conspiracy. It's the way Winstone plays the role that makes it riveting - you never sure what he's going to do, and with his sometimes indecipherable English accent and less than imposing physical presence, it's remarkable he still kind of scares you. Is he a friend or foe to Craven? He'll keep you guessing, and that alone makes you want to get to the end of this movie.

       "Edge of Darkness" is not classic Mel Gibson, but it's not supposed to be. They score a point for not hiding his age or his exhaustion, while managing to still make him look like a one man wrecking machine. I give the movie an "8.0"