Kurtz (Heart of Darkness) circumstances and remote settings to assert power over others. It is widely believed that Conrad drew influence from these characters, as well as Stevenson's plot lines, when writing "Heart of Darkness". In the 1958 loose adaptation for the CBS television anthology series "Playhouse 90" Kurtz was played by Boris Karloff. This version uses the encounter between Marlow and Kurtz as its final act, and adds a backstory in which Marlow had been Kurtz's adopted son. Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now" (1979) centers on the protagonist's mission to find and kill the renegade Colonel Kurtz (played by
Edge of Darkness (2010 film) Edge of Darkness (2010 film) Edge of Darkness is a 2010 British-American conspiracy political thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell, and starring Mel Gibson. It was based on the 1985 BBC television series of the same name, which was likewise directed by Campbell. This was Gibson's first screen lead since "Signs" (2002), and follows a detective investigating the murder of his activist daughter, while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups in the process. The film was released on 29 January 2010, has a 56% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed $81 million against