Edge of Darkness

I appeared to like Edge of Darkness more than most critics. The skinny: Mel Gibson doing a slightly better version of his “seething pot of suppressed anger” thing; seriously competent direction; some awesome dialogue.

Dialogue’s no surprise, since it was cowritten by William Monahan, writer of The Departed. I didn’t know he’d contributed to this one going in, but about halfway through Edge of Darkness, I thought “Huh, this writing reminds me of The Departed. Sweet.” I’m not sure I’ve ever had that experience before; movies, given how collaborative they are, tend to disguise a writer’s style on several layers. For his voice to ring out through the differing interpretation of director, actors, editing, etc. is remarkable.