** ½ (out of 5) Mel Gibson is back, and the years have not been kind to him.

OK, it’s unfair to point out how he’s aged, or whether he can overcome the stigma of his infamous drunken rant. But kudos that he manages a convincing, muscular performance, never losing audience sentiment and interest in his character’s harrowing journey.

What isn’t unfair to point out is the film’s by-the-numbers revenge melodrama-cum-thriller plotting, its laziness in creating believable villains, and its overall gutlessness. The bravest thing here is Gibson, just for showing up. It hints at the classic bleak ending of similar espionage thrillers, but then cops out with a shootout almost as laughable as ‘The Departed’s (also from co-writer William Monahan) and a wishy-washy sentimental tag to the overarching tragedy.

It feels like an extremely low-rent ‘Constant Gardener’. Which is a shame, because it wastes Gibson’s comeback and fellow tough guy Ray Winstone’s subtle and top-notch performance. It may promise to take you to the ‘Edge Of Darkness’, but you’ll never even make it to the edge of your seat.