Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness (above) opened today. Directed by Martin Campbell and written by Academy Award winner William Monahan and Martin Bovell, the revenge thriller is Gibson's first starring vehicle since M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 Christian sci-fier Signs, one of the worst movies of the first decade of the 21st century — or of any decade of any century. (Unless, of course, you believe it's okay for most human beings to perish just so God can make sure Mel Gibson will recover his Faith.)
Good or bad, Signs was a sizable hit ($227.9m domestic; $180m overseas as per Box Office Mojo) and, accusations of anti-Semitism notwithstanding, so was Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which he directed in 2004.
But then came the Malibu drunken driving arrest in 2006. According to Time, the arrest report read "Gibson yelled out, 'The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.' Gibson then asked, 'Are you a Jew?'" The officer in question was indeed Jewish, and was later investigated by his own police department in case he was the one who had leaked that info to the media.
The 53-year-old actor mostly kept a low profile until his much-publicized divorce proceedings in early 2009. He has since fathered a child with his current companion.
Just a week or so ago, Gibson became embroiled in another tangle, this time with Los Angeles TV station KTLA's entertainment reporter Sam Rubin. During a taped interview, Rubin said that some moviegoers would probably welcome Gibson back, while others felt "he should never come back."
"Why?"
Gibson leans toward Rubin.
"Because of what happened before," Rubin replies.
"What happened before?"
"The remarks that were attributed to you."
"That were attributed to me. That I didn't necessarily make. O.K.? But — and I gather you have a dog in this fight.
"Pardon me."
"You have a dog in this fight? Or are you being impartial?"
Rubin is Jewish.
The journalist later remarked he should have given Gibson an adequate response at the time — especially considering that Gibson appeared to be contesting the anti-Semitic remarks attributed to him — but he had initially failed to understand what Gibson's "dog in this fight" remark meant. (You can watch a clip from the interview here.)
Back in the early '90s, Gibson was accused of making anti-gay comments to a Spanish journalist. He later claimed something had been lost in the translation and refused to apologize to gay men. Either way, his fans were unfazed. The actor starred in several hits throughout the decade and even went on to win the best director Academy Award for Braveheart (1995).
Next for Gibson is The Beaver, directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster. The film has a tentative 2010 release date.
Photo: Edge of Darkness (Warner Bros.)
Bravo Mel!
Rubin is just another parasite of the press, unworthy to shine your shoes…
I refused to go see Edge of Darkness. Itlooked stupid. A friend saw it and fell asleep despite all the noise. For people to stay awake they have to make the gun blasts louder these days. Everyone seems to be going deaf. I stayed home and slept in my own bed. That was very comfortable. Movie seats are more comfortable than they used to be, but not as comfortable as my bed.