Detective Inspector Ronald Craven (Bob Peck), driving his activist daughter home from a college rally, watches helplessly as she is gunned down in cold blood.  Seeking revenge, he takes a leave of absence from his Northern England Police Precinct and follows the killer’s trail to London where he learns that both MI-5 and the CIA have taken a strong interest in the case.

As his investigation continues, Craven learns that his daughter’s murder was as a result of her interest in exposing an international conspiracy involving the UK’s nuclear industry.

CRITIQUE

This 1985 6-part/6-hour mini-series (on 2-discs) certainly holds one’s interest throughout, but whether it’s the best British television thriller ever produced (as some people claim) is another question altogether.

Written by Troy Kennedy Martin and directed by Martin Campbell, the series has all the elements necessary for a first-rate action/suspense drama, the sort of story at which Alfred Hitchcock excelled.  There is the determined, hell-bent hero, the mysterious large corporation that is doing dastardly deeds and various clandestine government types, both from the UK and the USA, each of which has their own separate agenda.

One of the problems with the mini-series is that there are just too many elements; too many names and characters, which often makes the plot somewhat hard to follow.  The fact that, with the exception of Joe Don Baker, who plays the CIA agent, all the characters have heavy British accents doesn’t make our comprehension any easier.

There were also three or four rather disconcerting points in the series where, because of the way that a particular scene was directed or edited, I was not quite sure what had just taken place.  Most of these moments were in action sequences, which were not well staged and could have used some more extensive coverage by director Campbell.

As we have come to expect from television dramas out of the BBC, the performances in Edge of Darkness are uniformly exquisite.  Peck is particularly memorable as the widowed father who has lost everything in life that he cares about and now only wants revenge.

Martin’s script has some colorful characters and many tight, well-written scenes, yet it is really too slowly paced for a thriller.  Five hours might have served the story better than six.

It’s my understanding that Edge of Darkness has been adapted into a soon-to-be released motion picture starring Mel Gibson, also directed by Campbell and set in the United States.  It will be interesting to see how this story plays at a shorter, movie length.

THE VIDEO

The 4:3 full screen picture is on the dark side, but since it appears that the weather in the UK was not being the most cooperative, perhaps that is the way the series was filmed, rather than being the result of a poor video transfer.

THE AUDIO

The Mono sound is fine, but it is sometimes difficult to comprehend the various British dialects.

THE EXTRAS

Alternate Ending to the Final Episode: This alternate edit to the show’s final moments adds absolutely nothing to the story or the characters.

Music Only Audio Option: Isolates the Eric Clapton/Michael Kamen score.

Magnox was the original title of the mini-series.  This short featurette includes interviews with writer Martin, plus cast and crew members.

Did You See: Reviews of the original BBC broadcast.

Interview with Bob Peck: The late star of the series in an appearance on BBC’s Breakfast Time morning program.

Awards Highlights: Moments from the BAFTA and Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, featuring interviews with Peck, Baker and producer Michael Wearing.

Photo Gallery: Images from the film.

FINAL THOUGHT