A story of an honest cop whose only daughter is gunned down in a government-linked conspiracy: it is difficult to picture anyone other than Mel Gibson playing the lead role in Edge of Darkness. But no matter how well-suited his appearance feels, few would have predicted his first acting job in five years would be the remake of a British 1980s television thriller.
Directed by the Casino Royale filmmaker Martin Campbell, who also handled the BBC's (5½ hours long) original Edge of Darkness in 1985, it sees a noticeably older Gibson returning to the screen after a decade in which he became as renowned for his personal problems as for his work in film.
After the agonising violence of the movie's opening 10 minutes, in which Emma Craven (Bojana Novakovic) a "glorified intern" at a nuclear testing facility, is shot dead in her father's arms, Gibson's character becomes The Guy With Nothing To Lose.
It's familiar territory for the actor - close to the damaged-revenge-hungry-killer-with-a-heart-in-the-right-place that we know from the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films. But here Gibson seems even more wounded and victimised than ever before. Perhaps his public press savagings in recent years helped him create the sense of detachment and isolation that this character exudes.
Set in Boston, the film's plot is standard stuff. It sees Gibson's Thomas Craven following a trail of clues and attempting to unravel the mystery of Emma's killing. He confronts her friends, her employer, all manner of hired thugs and even a senator.
Almost without exception, the increasingly unstable Craven physically assaults and threatens to murder those whom he believes to be involved.
In a role that feels substantially curtailed for this adaptation, Ray Winstone plays Jedburgh, a grumbling, morally ambiguous agent of some kind, with information about the murder. Despite having relatively little screen time, the scenes he shares with Gibson are some of the film's most memorable and dramatic.
As Craven shoots, punches and threatens his way to the truth, he learns that his daughter's employer was becoming a threat to US national security and that she had attempted to blow the whistle. Because of the company's political connections, however, Craven realises that his daughter's killers will never be brought to justice by conventional means.
Despite nuclear themes that feel conspicuously anchored in the 1980s, the story has enough exciting twists and turns to remain interesting.
Gibson's performance as a man teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown feels like a return to form and the appearances of Winstone and Danny Huston (as the stunningly inhumane corporate villain) are both excellent. But despite all the pieces apparently falling correctly into place, you get the feeling that Edge of Darkness doesn't amount to very much.
Campbell never really sets a foot wrong in creating the tense thriller, but his direction is strangely workmanlike for a filmmaker who's been given a second run at this story. There's also nothing in Edge of Darkness that we haven't seen a dozen times before.
But despite being predictable and slightly short on new ideas, the film holds its own as a conspiracy thriller, thanks to an unhinged central performance that seems to be steeped in Gibson's own personal anguish.
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
