BY CHARLIE MCCOLLUM
Mercury News

Any fan of ``Witchblade,'' a smart, edgy comic book from Top Cow Productions, is going to come away disappointed with TNT's new TV film that airs Sunday night.

It's not that TNT's version is a total failure. In fact, for the first 20 minutes or so and then sporadically throughout the rest of the film, director Ralph Hemecker (a veteran of ``The X-Files'') and screenwriter J.D. Zeik (``Ronin'') manage to capture much of the mood and energy of the comic.

But in the end, ``Witchblade'' totally comes apart and ends up looking exactly like what it is: a mediocre pilot for a television series. Still, ``Witchblade'' -- the saga of a New York detective who becomes heir to a mystical weapon once controlled by the likes of Joan of Arc -- has its moments.

Most come from some fine ``Matrix''-like action sequences and a bewitching performance by Yancy Butler (``Drop Zone,'' John Woo's ``Hard Target'') as Det. Sara Pezzini. Butler not only looks good -- although her clothes don't get torn off quite as often as in the comic book -- but she is a smart actress and buff enough to carry off the action scenes.

It's hard, as an actor, to project credibility as a superhero with powers far beyond those of mortal babes but Butler manages the feat. Butler, however, can't carry the film by herself -- no matter how hard she tries -- and ``Witchblade'' ends up being no better than an interesting disappointment.