Blu Ray review: Edge of Darkness (2010)

Edge of Darkness
2010
118 minutes
rated R
Available on DVD, Blu Ray, OnDemand, and iTunes download

The original theatrical review can be found here.

The Blu Ray looks and sounds pretty terrific. Obviously this is not a reference-quality transfer, but the 2.40:1 picture is an accurate representation of how the film looked in theaters. The colors are bright and accurate, with proper black levels and clear distinctions between light images and dark ones. For better or worse, the razor-sharp picture shows every bit of Mel Gibson's age (he turned 54 about three weeks before this film opened in theaters). The English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio mix sounds perfectly fine on my non-existent set-up. Sound effects and dialogue are evenly balanced and every line is perfectly audible. The extras are pretty sparse. The set comes with a second disc, which contains a standard-definition DVD copy of the film which also doubles as a digital copy for those so inclined. There are about five minutes worth of deleted scenes. Nothing terribly important, but it wouldn't have killed the pacing to toss them into the under-two hour-picture anyway. The only other feature is a series of 'Focus Points' featurettes (the return of Mel Gibson, the original miniseries, writing the new screenplay, etc). Available separately or as 'PLAY ALL', they run a combined length of about 30 minutes, comprising a relatively solid talking-heads documentary.

Good film, great transfer, all-too few extras. Unless you're a big fan of the film or anyone involved (Martin Campbell, Mel Gibson, etc), this is strictly a rental.

Scott Mendelson