Hollywood Product: Edge of Darkness (1)

GENRE: Revenge as a dish best served by a booming handgun.

THE PITCH: Boston homicide detective Tommy Craven (Mel Gibson) sees his loving daughter (Bojana Novakovic) gunned down in what first appears to be a botched hit on him. He gradually suspects that a sinister weapons research corporation assassinated her, and faces down the likes of a silky CEO (Danny Huston) and a shadowy government “fixer” (Ray Winstone).

Edge of Darkness

2 stars. Directed by Martin Campbell. Stars Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone. Rated R. Opens Fri., Jan. 29. At area theaters.

MONEY SHOTS: Craven bursts into a squalid apartment and fights a knife-wielding assailant. Craven gasps and slowly recovers after kicking said assailant’s ass. Any ominous discovery involving a Geiger counter. Several exciting shoot-outs. Evil company Northmoor has a high-tech campus and a commanding view worthy of a James Bond movie, of which director Martin Campbell helmed two.

BEST LINE: “Since it’s me trying to figure out who’d try to kill me for reasons unknown, I’d rather get paid for it,” Craven says, explaining to his boss his wish to investigate his daughter’s homicide rather than go on leave.

WORST LINE: “This is a cop thing. Officer involved,” Craven’s colleagues say at least twice, so you know it’s important.

MOST LOADED LINE: “You’d better decide if you’re hangin’ on the cross, or bangin’ in the nails,” Craven tells one of the film’s many weaselly authority figures. Did you know that in directing The Passion of the Christ, Gibson gave his hands a cameo literally bangin’ in the nails in the crucifixion scene? Seems like a weird choice for a shout-out.

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(Photo courtesy Warner Bros.)