Set in Boston, Thomas Craven (Gibson) is a police officer awaiting the arrival of his daughter, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), at the train station. The reunion is short, as Emma begins experiencing nosebleeds and is suddenly shot in the chest.

Assuming the bullet was meant for him, Thomas goes through his old cases but can't find a clue. It's only when he starts going through Emma's belongings and finds an unlicensed gun that point he gets a lead.

Soon after, he discovers that his daughter was poisoned to keep certain company secrets from being leaked. Seeking vengeance for Emma's death, Thomas breaks laws until justice prevails.

As a director, Gibson's films have been successful, from the Oscar-winning 'Braveheart' to 'Apocalypto,' which pulled in decent box office numbers. Yet, it's been nearly 10 years since he last acted in a studio film (2002's 'Sign') and even longer since he acted in a vengeance frame of mind ( 1999's 'Payback,' 'Lethal Weapon'). While he still has the same intensity as the film's focal point, 'Darkness' is filled with too many uneven sublots. As terrific as co-star Ray Winston is in his supportive role as a rogue government agent, his motives are unclear. It's almost as if he walked in from another movie set.

Much like 2009's 'State of Play,' which was also based on a BBC miniseries, 'Darkness' takes away a lot of key scenes from the original series it's based on that would have made fully developed. Nevertheless, Gibson's driving force makes this one compelling thriller.