If you not used to the 1970's 80's television production standards Edge of Darkness might seem a little threadbare. Indeed it's a source of lament that the kind of rough and ready 16mm film stock shoots that they used to get away with back in the 80's is no longer deemed acceptable. Yeah I will admit that the camera shake evident when Craven is driving the Porsche in the final episode goes a little too far in terms of grittiness, on the whole though, the shooting style works to throw the actors performances into relief, it's a kind of content over style kind of deal.
The script is realistic, gritty, grounded in the politics and events of this drama's era but there's also a hint of mysticism in Troy Kennedy Martin's work. The protagonist is depicted engaged in conversation with his deceased daughter and we're not sure if he'd deluded or experiencing a supernatural event. If he's deluded then it's a neat trick to get the audience to experience his delusion with him. The plot takes a twist half way through the narrative with the script more or less pointing out in literal terms that the resolution you were expecting isn't going to happen. A bold move indeed but I can't help but suspect that this might've been an afterthought interleaved into the script to support the final edit. This omission is the only reason I've marked it down to 9 stars because for me it's a significant void in an almost perfect drama.
Things to look out for are Bob Peck of course and an excellent performance from Joe Don Baker that makes Darius Jedburgh a vivid and complex character that jumps out of the screen.
The script is realistic, gritty, grounded in the politics and events of this drama's era but there's also a hint of mysticism in Troy Kennedy Martin's work. The protagonist is depicted engaged in conversation with his deceased daughter and we're not sure if he'd deluded or experiencing a supernatural event. If he's deluded then it's a neat trick to get the audience to experience his delusion with him. The plot takes a twist half way through the narrative with the script more or less pointing out in literal terms that the resolution you were expecting isn't going to happen. A bold move indeed but I can't help but suspect that this might've been an afterthought interleaved into the script to support the final edit. This omission is the only reason I've marked it down to 9 stars because for me it's a significant void in an almost perfect drama.
Things to look out for are Bob Peck of course and an excellent performance from Joe Don Baker that makes Darius Jedburgh a vivid and complex character that jumps out of the screen.