This thriller starring Mel Gibson and directed by Martin Cambell, is a most unexpected triumph. Trailing Detective Thomas Craven as he delves into the conspiracy and suspicion surrounding the shooting dead of his activist daughter, Gibson is utterly believable in the role. He plays a morally inflexible though thoroughly flawed and vulnerable character. There is an element of the 'nothing left to lose', gung-ho, revenge that we so often associate with Gibson, though this time with the back story it seems to heighten his vulnerability and loneliness as opposed to highlighting the righteousness of his cause. This film stems from a five hour BBC mini-series in the 1980's about nuclear contamination and high ranking corruption in Britain, and although remade in an American context, it does a fine job of highlighting the issues and presenting the moral dilemmas for mass digestion.
A notable performance from Ray Winstone as "Darius Jedburgh"- a government 'fixer'. The only character in the piece to retain an English accent : a tip of the cap to the original perhaps, he is the conscience of the film. He has been recently diagnosed with cancer and begins to question the role of 'kingmaker' which he has so often played for high ranking officials. His chemistry with Mel Gibson in this film is electric (akin to that spark between Robert De Niro and Jean Reno in 'Ronin') and he exudes a kind of empathy and fraternity towards 'Craven' although both are on opposite sides.
Overall- A masterful casting, a well acted film and a poignant story, as relevant now as it was in the 1980's.
Rating 9/10
