Martin Campbell adapted his own 1985 BBC miniseries for the big screen, which also served as Mel Gibson's first leading role in eight years. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the actor's performance, his turn as revenge-fueled detective Thomas Craven is a role he has played numerous times before, and to much better effect. Edge of Darkness is a predictable crime thriller, serving up many tropes of the genre to offer little in the way of surprise or genuine suspense. There is no denying that Gibson excels when playing grief-stricken characters of questionable morals, but here he leaves his charisma at the door to offer a disappointingly one-note performance that pales in comparison to many of his efforts in the genre.