This is a decent little Big Hollywood picture that may, like Michael Clayton, remind you of classic thrillers from the 1960s and early 1970s. Despite what the trailers show you, it relies more on characterization and engaging dialogue than on flash, chase, and sizzle. And probably no CGI whatsoever. The heart of this Darkness is the surprisingly moving and convincing tale of a father’s relentless love for his daughter. The tension is derived from the narrative invention that this particular father is a Boston police detective. The wheels within plot wheels concern eco-terrorists, dirty-bomb terrorists, conspiratorial politics, and slimy corporate schemers. Oh, and little dashes of radioactive isotopes thrown about for good measure.

The Dukes is a rare bird: a film that features people of faith pressed into doing wrong. “You find people like that,” says director Robert Davi. “It’s a combination of their own circumstances and just being lost, in terms of being able to re-enter once something is taken away. I mean, look at what the car industry is going through right now, and the totality of the economy. What if those guys got laid off? And this is not a harsh reality, because most people don’t have that: not one where there’s actually a survival aspect to their lives. They’ve still got things together in some way. But I find it funny that you consider them schlubs. To me, they’re just regular guys.”