I feel like I'm not supposed to like Mel, but...

I'm quite excited to go watch "The Edge of Darkness."

I have this vague sense that I should be embarassed to admit that I'm thrilled over the Return of Mel after a protracted seven-year hiatus, particularly because I land squarely in the middle of that demographic that ought to be permanently offended by him. I'm in that Female & Evangelical camp that should probably just say "no thanks" to drunk, misogynistic anti-semites that leave their wives and fifty children in favor of younger, more nubile euro-home-wreckers.

Hmmm, when I look at that in writing.....

Ok, wow - pausing for a moment because I'm looking at a Jack-in-the-Box sidebar add that's making me ridiculously hungry for lunch and it's only 9:45. Forget anti-semetic misogyny for a minute because that $3.49 Jumbo Deal (that also includes two tacos - !!!) looks too damn tasty. Mmm. I've been out of the fast food loop for too long. Think it's time to fall off that "No Wendy's" wagon like I really mean it. My car hasn't smelled like french fries in too long.

But back to Mr Apocalypto.

Remember the movie "Ransom?" Waaaay back before "The Passion of the Christ" (which I patently refused to watch much in the way I refuse to read anything by Dan Brown or see Avatar. If everyone else is doing it, I'll politely decline and feel vaguely culturally superior) and back before "Signs" and back before "The Patriot" and back before field sobriety tests and twitpics of Mel with Beer and Blonde Groupies and that uncomfortable movie "What Women Want" we had "Ransom."

Mel's kid gets kidnapped, he and Renee Russo spend an hour and a half trying to find Gary Sinise and get their kid back. Great movie. Probably some of Mel's most watchable screen time - he played an "average guy" in "extraordinary circumstances." He was vulnerable. Human. Sort of the Anti William Wallace. A reluctant hero. A father doing what any father would do.

That's the comparison "The Edge of Darkness" has drawn. It's a slightly political crime thriller that pits Detective Mel against the government while he tries to figure out who killed his activist-daughter. Apparently makes the most of the fact that Actor-Mel is older now, the hairline a little further back, the lines around the eyes a little deeper. He's Middle-Aged Mel now. Seems like the role of road-weary detective caught up in a struggle against the big bad powers that be would be a good fit. And a good way to test the waters of the public's good graces. He's not trying to cover new cinematic ground or completely re-invent himself, he's just easing himself back into the public consciousness by playing a sympathetic character in a formula that's held up well for him over the years. Hollywood.com box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian puts it this way: "In revenge roles, Mel Gibson has few peers...If you've been away for awhile, it's smart to go back to what people are comfortable seeing you do."

Public opinion on Mel's return is mixed. USA Today likes the film plenty well, seems to think he's in fine form, calls it a "restrained performance," which seems like a welcome change of pace from the high-intensity, high-concept attempts he's made over the past five years or so.

Huff Post offers a sort of mixed bag retrospective of the last seven years of his absence from the big screen while pondering his chances at a successful comeback. On the one hand, he's had moments of seeming defiantly un-repentent (which is fine, I don't think every overrated celebrity necessarily needs to choke on crow to be welcomed back into America's warm and fuzzy folds - sometimes they just need to disappear until we forget). On the other hand, he's been reasonably gracious in a subtly self-deprecating way when he's made recent public appearances (the Golden Globes come to mind).

Film reporter Lewis Beale put it this way: "As a Jew, I have to say Mel Gibson's my favorite anti-Semite...He's an incredibly talented guy both behind and in front of the camera." In the same Huffinton Post article, film historian David Thomson is quoted as saying "Gibson's not a tidy person. There's an authenticity to the unhinged characters he plays that sets him apart. Whether you like him or not, there's a daring there that makes him compelling."

I like that sentiment.

So, he's another imperfect Hollywood personality. Join the brotherhood, Mel. Welcome back to the movies.