Thomas Craven (Gibson) is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his 24-year-old daughter Emma's (Bojana Novakovic) train. She doesn't live very far from him, but he's a Boston police detective, and she's a nuclear physicist in training at a company called Northmoor --- they're both busy and Thomas never goes to visit her.

Emma is an only child who must have lost her mother at an early age and, even though she hasn't seen her father recently, they've always been very close. Once at Thomas' home in South Boston, Emma begins to explain why she isn't feeling well, and as they leave for the hospital, she's gunned down in the front doorway. Initially everyone assumes that the killer is after Thomas, until he finds a pistol in Emma's belongings. Then her secretive job comes to light and things begin to point toward the killer really gunning for her.

The screenplay is by William Monahan, who won an Oscar for "The Departed", and Andrew Bovell, but it is actually based on a BBC miniseries of the same name. This "Edge of Darkness", directed by Martin Campbell, is violent, to say the least, with Gibson knocking heads and shooting people at will. However, that doesn't make it all bad, since I detest it when someone is holding a gun and doesn't use it.

The story unfolds implying corporate and government corruption and conspiracy. It's an attention-grabber, especially when Ray Winstone, who plays Darius Jedburgh, is thrown into the mix. He's a master at this kind of film. His very presence gives the movie a special credence. He's so smooth --- one of those actors you never get tired of watching.

Gibson isn't bad, he's just a lot craggier in the face and his impatience at being away from acting for eight years seems to have boiled over into this role. The ending is a tad absurd, but this is, after all, the return of the king of over-the-top cop movies.

Opinion: Mild See It Now!

As Boston Police Detective Tom Craven, Gibson is perfect as the grieving father bent on avenging his daughter's brutal murder. His on-screen persona is probably akin to other fathers who may have experienced such a terrible loss. Craven says, in essence, "don't mess with me --- I've got nothing to lose". And to one of the potential killers he is stalking: "Welcome to Hell!".

All you really need to know about the writing credits is that William Monahan co-wrote the screenplay. Monahan wrote the script for 2006's "The Departed", the no-holds-barred cop story starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. Another actor common to both these films is the extraordinary British tough guy Ray Winstone, who always complements whatever film he's involved with. In "Edge of Darkness", as Jedburgh, he treads the fine line of befriending Craven while also posing a threat as his assassin. It's a brilliantly played role, one that keeps us guessing till the very end.

Be forewarned, this movie earns its "R" rating for its extreme violence. But it is never gratuitous, and like the "Godfather" films, the gore is not excessive, just quality violence at appropriate times in the story. The interweaving of greedy politicos, especially one smarmy Massachusetts Senator Jim Pine (Damian Young), coupled with a mysterious company involved in nuclear weapons production, headed by Jack Bennett (Danny Huston), keeps Craven on his toes and the audience glued to the screen.

It remains to be seen if the public will fully accept Gibson as the screen idol he once was for films like "Braveheart" and the "Lethal Weapon" series. At age 54, Gibson looks more world-weary, his face more lined, as if the burden of being in the middle of a maelstrom of controversy has taken its toll. But In "Edge of Darkness", he lights a bonfire under his old self, and once word gets around about this taut, seamless thriller, his body of fans may come full circle.

Opinion: Strong See It Now!