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Parents' Guide to

Edge of Darkness

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Violent, convoluted conspiracy thriller isn't for families.

Movie R 2010 117 minutes
Edge of Darkness Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 16+

Grim thriller too violent and intense for kids

This is a very violent, very dark, yet well-made thriller. My only problem with it as it didn't seem epic enough for Mel Gibson's comeback. Parents: This is a very violent and dark movie with shocking, sudden acts of very bloody violence. This is no happy tale. There's also language. Bottom Line: In the end, you don't really feel satisfied, or that happy, but you may be able to think back and appreciate some really well shot scenes. Thanks for reading! - Movie Man

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
age 17+

Great movie for adults, not a good movie for kids!!!

Not for kids 17 or younger. A very good adult movie. Mel Gibson does a great job and I was interested all the way till the very end. Strong language, violent, and has both postive and negative messages.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (7 ):

The thrills are few and far between, and the rest of the movie consists of complex but not particularly clever dialogue. Winstone's character is used to fill in the blanks, but the movie is never sure if he's a mysterious, all-knowing outsider or just another link in the chain. Gibson (with a Boston accent) is very good in the lead role, and his scenes with Winstone make for some of the movie's most enjoyable moments. But as the character spins more and more out of control, the movie seems to go with him.

Talented genre director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale) stepped up in EDGE OF DARKNESS to adapt a BBC miniseries he worked on in 1985; unfortunately, the result feels condensed and convoluted, with too many cheap shortcuts to tie things together. It's a combination of the absurd -- as it deals with cartoonish villains with cartoonish plans -- and grim, as it follows the murder of the hero's daughter and several other gruesome, violent deaths.

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