Edge of Darkness

I had seen the original Edge of Darkness back in the middle eighties (around '86 or '87) when I was about 13 or 14. I didn't remember a lot about it but I knew that it was pretty special. I saw the trailer for the Mel Gibson version a few months back and decided to revisit the original for the first time in like 20 years. I just got finished watching a little while ago. My God. I'm speechless. One of the greatest pieces of television ever. What begins as a father trying to find justice and closure for his murdered daughter segues into a surprising and haunting look at the soul of humanity and its future place on this planet. Harlan Ellison would call this a dangerous vision and it is indeed that. One of the most remarkable television series I have ever seen and even with Martin Campbell directing the remake, I just don't see the film having the same gravitas as the original. You know to start commenting on this masterpiece, I feel I have to start with not its primary character, but its secondary one, here played by Joe Don Baker. Outside of the Walking Tall films, I didn't think much of Joe Don Baker. Boy was I wrong. His Darius Jedburgh is one of the most complex and unique heroes/anti heroes to ever grace the small screen. You're a bit repulsed by him at first, but then you fall in love with his character. His wit, cleverness and intelligence is remarkable and all from Baker doing what he needs to do. He is one of the good guys. "Man will always win against nature" he cynically says and that is rebuked near the end of the series by the last friend he will ever have in Bob Peck's Ronald Craven who says, "I think you're wrong. If there is a battle between the planet and mankind, the planet will win." Peck's Craven is what ultimately leads us to Jedburgh. Craven's the central character, a hard nosed yet honorable police detective who happens to be widowed and whose only daughter, Emma, is gunned down right in front of him. That begins a quest for Craven to uncover the truth behind Emma's death which leads what screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin may have envisioned, a battle between the forces of light and darkness for custody of the planet. Peck's performance is cool, reserved, a slow burn but in his eyes, in his eyes is a man losing all hope, all control. Those eyes of his are full of emptiness and pain. The most beautiful thing in his ugly, cynical world has been taken away from him. And what he thinks is a revenge killing against him gone wrong, becomes an investigation into a dark, dangerous world where the future of all of us hangs in the balance. Each layer that Craven uncovers to what at first appears to be simple street crime reveals a labyrithian conspiracy that exists which only a few are aware of and which is edging Craven closer and closer to madness. Peck's Craven rarely breaks down, he's in control of a chaotic situation, but when he lets his character rage at the world, you see a man broken, trapped and drowning. His emotions, his gravity of character takes us truly to the edge of darkness. "I am not on YOUR SIDE," he screams towards the end, letting loose all that he has lost, his daughter, his sanity, his life, his world. The true nature of the world has been revealed to him and he is no better for it. This was and is groundbreaking material. I don't want to spoil the intriguing hard science fiction plot with a pinch of the mystical simply because that would be the series undoing. And this is hard science fiction firmly rooted in real science and real speculation. Just grab on to something or someone and take a ride where darkness envelopes all who enter and where nothing is really what it seems.

unbelievably sophisticated, strikingly intense story of a british policeman trying to solve a mystery behind his daughter's death. the path he follows goes right down the dark woods - revealing an uglier world where personal grief becomes irrelevant to all sides and individual suffering is disposable - like nuclear waste. rarely have the deep human tragedy and impending political scheme been intervened in such a raw, yet subtle manner.

although regarded as a temporal masterpiece, in 14 years the edge of darkness has not lost its credibility and sharpness. one thing you might find funny though is the way computers look and work (oh yeah...). furthermore, in vhs copy one looses the endings of almost all the individual episodes - that is - all the different versions of the theme. beware, that's a big loss!

Edge of Darkness is in a class by itself as far as filmmaking is concerned.

This troubling, disturbing, haunting film is a classic, and a must-see for people who enjoy riveting stories, great performances, and who have more than a few questions about how governments discreetly solve their problems.

Bob Peck gives a tour-de-force performance that encompasses so many different emotions. He represents the average British citizen who finds himself caught up in events he cannot control, nor completely understand. Joe Don Baker is appropriately over the top as Jedburgh, and the rest of the cast sparkles with an adroit script and keen, sharp direction.

I am unsurprised to find this miniseries rated 9.2. It remains one of the most powerful, heart and gut wrenching thrillers of all time. Some other reviewers have commented that Edge of Darkness represents the true potential of television as a dramatic medium. It's length (as a miniseries) probably presaged the future of high quality per hour viewing that has become a staple output of English 'Crime/Thriller' miniseries(nobody does crime better) or perhaps the Sopranos - however -all comparisons aside, the sheer power of the story is remarkable.

If a key to a story is to have sympathy and empathy for its characters, Bob Peck's portrayal of the descent into despair and insanity of Inspector Ronald Craven is a powerhouse. We experience the absolute depths of his personal horror at the loss of his child in curious circumstances and as he delves deeper, we are drawn into his pain and shock at the secret life of his child.

Edge of darkness has so many things going for it , it's hard to know where to start - honest, egdy performances, crisp writing and dialogue, layers of intrigue, the eerie and beautiful soundtrack of Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton - (sigh) - its smart, scary and challenging.

If you are a student of film/tv, see it. If you are jaded with current shows, go back and watch it and see the possibilities. It is an example of the art form at its most effective, making us part of the story and carrying us into its emotion.

A classic piece of 80's BBC thriller/drama (thrillerama?)! Bob Peck as the gritty, p*ssed off cop who's just lost his daughter and wants to find out why - Joe Don Baker as the CIA dude who doesn't give a f***, and an upper class civil servant - Charles Kay - who's got his own agenda ("GET ME PENDLETON!!!").

The filming is superb - excellent settings, and probably the first and most thrilling scene of computer espionage I've ever seen. It may not have a cast of thousands, but you get the feeling of vast scale - and very confined spaces.

This is one thriller you'll keep thinking about and coming back to for many many years. Absolutely awesome.