The Edge (1997)

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writer (WGA):

David Mamet (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

They were fighting over a woman when the plane went down. Now, their only chance for survival is each other.

Plot:

A billionaire and two other men are stranded, unequipped, by a plane crash in a dangerous wilderness. How many will survive to be rescued?

Plot Keywords:

Photo Shoot | Supermodel | Crash | Alaska | Wilderness

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Charles Morse
Alec Baldwin	...	Robert Green
Elle Macpherson	...	Mickey Morse
Harold Perrineau	...	Stephen
Bart the Bear	...	The Bear
L.Q. Jones	...	Styles
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Ginny
David Lindstedt	...	James
Mark Kiely	...	Mechanic
Eli Gabay	...	Jet Pilot
Larry Musser	...	Amphibian Pilot
Brian Arnold	...	Reporter
Bob Boyd	...	Reporter
Kelsa Kinsly	...	Reporter
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Jack Hawk

Also Known As:

Bookworm (USA) (working title)
The Wild (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some adventure gore/violence.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | USA:R (certificate #35275) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (w) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Art Linson Productions

Trivia:

"Bookworm" was considered as a title for this film, other titles considered and ultimately rejected were; "Wild"; "Wilder"; "The Wild"; "Into the Wild"; "Wilderness Now"; "Deadhunt"; "Deadfall"; "Edge"; "On the Edge"; "Bloody Betrayal" and "The Bear Roared".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the bear's attack on Stephen: Bob and Morse attempt to scare the bear off with torches lit from the campfire. However, there was a major downpour in the moments before and during the bear's attack. One wonders how the campfire, which can be seen burning well, would not have been extinguished by the rain.

Quotes:

Charles Morse: What one man can do, another can do.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday

In A Word: Intense

Boy, here's an intense film, a survival-in-the-wilderness adventure/thriller starring the unlikely duo of Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. It's not hard to guess who's the villain, in addition to a man-eating bear who stalks the two of them after their plane crashes in the woods of Alaska.

The sophistication of Hopkins, playing an extremely smart man, battling the crude Baldwin, who is insanely jealous of Hopkins' possessions, including his gorgeous wife (Elle McPherson), is intriguing to watch. So is the great scenery and best-of-all, a great action story that has you focused intently for the full two hours.

A human characteristic so often ignored in films the past half century is put on display here: compassionate forgiveness. Seeing forgiveness demonstrated instead of revenge is almost shocking to see. Kudos to the filmmakers, too, for not going overboard on the brutality in this adventure.