Blu-Ray Reviews: Invictus & Edge of Darkness

Edge of Darkness
Written by: William Monahan and Andrew Bovell
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, and Bojana Novakovic

Special Features:  Revisiting the Edge of Darkness Miniseries, Mel's Back, Director Profile: Martin Campbell, Boston As A Character, additional and alternate scenes, plus a digital copy of the film.

From the box:

The bullet that killed his daughter was meant for Boston cop Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson).  That's what Craven and police brass think, but that's not what the investigation finds/ In fact, the search leads into a shadowy realm where money and political intrigue intersect.  Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) directs from a screenplay written by Andrew Bovell and The Departed's William Monahan.

Edge of Darkness marks Mel Gibson's return to the big screen.  Unfortunately, it's not that an impressive a return.  It's not Mel's fault. In fact, I enjoyed his performance.  It was intense and made the film bearable.

Edge of Darkness is a muddled mess of a film that pales in comparison to its predecessor, the brilliant BBC mini-series of the same name, despite having the original director at the helm.

His daughter is murdered right next to him (in a particularly brutal shooting) and Mel goes on a hunt for the responsible parties.  He doesn't accept the theory that the shooter was gunning for him so he searches for the truth and discovers his daughter may have been involved in something she shouldn't have been.

I'm still not exactly sure what that was.

The film looks great but the sound leaves much to be desired.  I could hardly hear the dialogue and had to keep turning up the volume to catch a word of what they were saying.  Of course, when a fight or shoot out happened I nearly went deaf.

Special features are so so.  There isn't anything too terrible interesting here which pretty much sums up the entire experience of watching the film.

It's a confusing, not terribly interesting movie with an intense performance from Mel Gibson.

Fans of his should check it out, otherwise, wait for cable.

Invictus
Written by: Anthony Peckham
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

Special Features: Picture-In-Picture - explore the movie's creation with those who lived the real-life saga as well as the cast and filmmakers, Mandela Meets Morgan - get to know the legendary world keader as the actor meets with him to prepare of the film, The Eastwood Factor - Clint Eastwood looks back at his films and career, Matt Damon plays Rugby - turning a Hollywood star into a rugby player, Invictus Music Trailer, and a digital copy of the film.

From the box:

What does Nelson Mandela do after becoming president of a divided South Africa? He looks for hope of national unity and finds it in an unlikely place:  the rugby field.  Clint Eastwood directs an uplifting film about a team and a people inspired to greatness.  Morgan Freeman is Mandela, who asks the national rugby team captain (Matt Damon) and his squad to do the impossible and win the World Cup.  Prepare to be moved - and thrilled.

Clint Eastwood seems to churn out movies at a speed that can only be matched by Tyler Perry. His latest, Invictus, is an inspiring true story about how rugby can unite a country.

The difference is that Clint Eastwood rarely misses the mark on his movies.
 is no exception, despite my sort of shruggedness.

It's a rather interesting story about Mandela putting his faith in a rugby team to bring his country together and the film isn't bad by any means.  It's just  little...well...dry I guess.

The acting is top notch. Both Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon deliver admirable performances. Clint Eastwood again directs with his own masterful touch. I think the biggest problem may lie with the script.  There just doesn't seem to be much conflict.

It's a fascinating story and one told reasonably well.  I just didn't find myself jumping for joy or even loving what I was watching.  Invictus is entertaining, it just doesn't resonate.

As for the specs, well, it looks wonderful.  The colors are vibrant and clear and the sound makes full use of my speaker setup. Special features are a little light but what there is is pretty interesting.

Overall, Invictus is worth watching with its interesting story and phenomenal performances it.  It just doesn't quite reach the "must see" territory that I was hoping for.

Edge of Darkness and Invictus are available now.