The Edge (1997) Rated R for language, and graphic violence and gore ---------- Out of 4 stars: *** (3 Stars)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Harold Perrineau, Elle MacPherson
I swear I have seen The Edge before. In fact, it reminded me of THE BEAR, THE RIVER WILD, and other various films mixed into an entirely different film. However, The Edge has done something that most action films should do, and that is add heart and characters we like to the plot. In doing so, The Edge draws many more suspenseful moments out of cliched scenes than, say, THE PEACEMAKER. Unfortunately, because of those overused moments, we can pretty much guess the outcome of the film. But leave it to screenwriter David Mamet to add humor and a few surprises to mess with your head. One surprise, in particular, left me smiling just because Mamet actually had the guts to add it to his script.
Action films are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, and while they are somewhat successful at entertaining us, they lack the one thing which would make them a more respected genre: intelligence. Even horror films have learned this, a genre which is probably the least respected of them all. THE RIVER WILD was one of the best action/suspense films I have seen from the 90s. The intelligence of the screenplay, and the suspense drawn from the realistic characters is nearly unmatched to this day. The Edge has the intelligence and smart characters, but this time the lack of originality is the downfall. I must admit that it was very suspenseful, and had an original third half, but the first hour and a half is riddled with cliches and plot holes. This is an example of the final act saving the film, instead of the other way around (as in The Lost World). If only the screenplay had maintained the final thirty minutes' intensity, it could have become a great action film (and I use the term loosely).
The Edge is pretty much a survival-of-the-fittest film. But taking SCREAM's lead, The Edge makes fun of the genre's cliches, and then uses them (though not quite as effectively). Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) is the main character, a rich and very intelligent man who wonders what the accumulation of all this knowledge has brought to him. For once, we don't immediately care for the main character. Instead, we like Bob (Alec Baldwin), a photographer who is going to take pictures of Charles' wife, Mickey (Elle MacPherson), out in the wilderness. They board a plane and head to a cabin somewhere in the Arctic. Charles' birthday is the same day, and he receives a gold watch from his wife, and a pocket knife from Bob. As action films go, these items do have importance to the rest of the story, but quite a bit more than we first expect.
Soon, however, Bob wants to find a native to shoot pictures of because of his "personality." Charles, Bob, Bob's assistant Steve (Harold Perrineau), and the pilot head off to find him, and as shown in the previews, hit a flock of birds flying south for the winter. Down the plane goes, the pilot is killed, and the three are left to survive in the wilderness. Director Lee Tamahori is aware of the silly plot which is about to follow, and therefore has to create original ways to approach the situations. He succeeds often enough for us to enjoy the film. Take, for instance, the entire man-hunting bear plot. This has been done many times in films with different animals, and even bears. But given the Charles' intelligence, and Bob's uncertainty, many of the cliches are given fresh twists. Even Charles himself seems to have seen these action films before. My favorite line of the film comes from Charles: "Most people die in the wilderness because they didn't do the one thing that could save their life... thinking."
Despite the predictability of the main plot, a subplot develops late in the film which took me by surprise, and made me smile when I realized that everything isn't as it seems anymore. I have to write cautiously as to not reveal this surprise, so instead I will avoid it entirely. The first two-thirds of The Edge have many humorous moments to push it along, and some of Charles' survival techniques seem possible, even making fire from ice. Tamahori is able to create a lot of suspense from the stalking bear, but whenever the bear is present, the characters lose all sensibility. I have always wondered why characters in films walk over a log to get across water. Why not do what an intelligent person would and crawl across? I guess getting chased by a bear makes your thought process turn off for a while. Thankfully, we already have begun to care for the characters, and so we let this small detail slide. But some of the technical details are awkward, such as the nice stitching done on the fur coat that Charles and Bob make (where did they get thread and needles?).
The acting of the film is highly above average for a film of this nature, and borders on phenomenal. Anthony Hopkins gives a terrific performance, creating his most likeable and layered character since REMAINS OF THE DAY. Hopkins usually brings greatness to his roles, but here he exceeds at gaining the audiences' sympathy, something he definitely did not do in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Alec Baldwin gives one of his best performances I have ever seen (it sure is better from his FAIR GAME). Baldwin can be a good or a bad character, and here he succeeds at both in a way. You can never quite guess if he is a nice or a vllainous character until the end, and Baldwin is able to handle the double-natured photographer. Elle MacPherson gives a good performance, albeit slight. She isn't in the film all that much, but for the scenes she does have, she handles as an actress, not as a model. Harold Perrineau is a good actor, and his scenes are nice and underplayed. He is eliminated early, and I reveal nothing by saying this because it is inevitable and predictable.
The Edge is rated R for graphic violence, some gore, and language. Some of the violence is a little too disturbing, even for me. This film is a nice change from the mindless action most of us are used to, but too many cliches bog it down. Director Tamahori has created a very smooth and suspenseful action film out of recycled parts. David Mamet's script, though, has a lot of humor to keep the first hour afloat, and the acting is solid. The best thing about the script is the ending which doesn't end with the normal high-strung action sequence, but with a small detail involving a certain gift. It's a nice touch considering what we have had to go through with the bear. And by the way, most people laughed when the film faded to black due to a large credit to Bart the bear. Way to go, Bart.
Reviewed by Respect (respect@aros.net) http://www.aros.net/~respect/movies.html
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