New 'Edge of Darkness' Commercial and UK Banner

Mel Gibson's first starring role in a movie since Signs is Edge of Darkness, which hits theaters in a few weeks. Here's a brand new UK banner for the film from IMP Awards, and we've got the latest TV spot, too.
Click to Enlarge Pretty basic design, but it's effective enough. What are you selling, really? Mel Gibson and a gun to most people, I'd bet. Actually, in the UK that might be a little different, because this film is a remake of a BBC miniseries from the 1990s, also directed by Martin Campbell. There is also the very real consideration that audiences just don't want to see Gibson anymore, thanks to a decade in the news primarily for the wrong reasons. I don't think we'll see that outcome, but the Lethal Weapon days are probably well behind him. Still, the film comes from solid source material, has a great writer (William Monahan), an established action director, and a movie star who also happens to be a good actor to boot. So, unless some combination of those influences just isn't up to snuff, I don't see how this could be really, really bad. I think the studio is hoping it does what Taken accomplished last year, but that might be a lot of wishful thinking. Here's the new commercial:
Video courtesy of Trailer Addict

Comments

[Lengthy Johnson]

This could be good. There are a few pitfalls. First of all, the miniseries format fit the story like a glove. It was about character and suspense, more than action. The story also had some very strong political leanings, which (whether you agree or not) provided much of the food for thought.

I agree that the director, lead and scriptwriter all ring true but I am a bit unsure about Ray Winstone replacing Robert de Niro. A cockney seems a bit out of place in New England. But in the origial, Jedburg was a Stetson-wearing Texan in London, which is about the same, I guess.

[Get The Big Picture]

At this stage in their careers, I'd take Winstone over De Niro for a role like this, although it's still strange that he kind of just walked off the set after four or five days or whatever it was. I do agree with the miniseries structure for this story, though, which I didn't even see until about two or three years ago. I doubt this will be as thought-provoking, and they've probably stripped it pretty bare to maximize bang for the buck. That could be something to watch, too, but it's always tricky paring something down by such a big percentage.

[Sarah]

Mel Gibson is still a racist d!ck. I hope this movie fails.