The Edge (1997)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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 | Bear | Mind Game | Crash | Model

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:

Until the first day of shooting it was unclear as to whether Alec Baldwin would shave his beard, which was described by Art Linson in his book "What Just Happened?" as being akin to that of Grizzly Adams. Baldwin was furious at the idea at first, but did go on to shave by production. A similar incident is dramatized in the film adaptation of What Just Happened (2008) with Bruce Willis as the 'celeb refusing to shave'.

Goofs:

Continuity: Charles is pinching Stephen's nose when giving him CPR, but in the reverse shot he is not touching Stephen's face at all.

Quotes:

Charles Morse: We're all put to the test... but it never comes in the form or at the point we would prefer, does it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday

A Morality Play in an Immoral Age

A very strong performance by Tony Perkins, Bart the Bear, and Alec Baldwin, in that order, in a film that deals with the important subjects of virtue, wisdom, and morality. I can understand why some of the modern audience might find that to be a turn-off. The sets and locations alone are worth a rental, especially of the DVD, the haunting Goldsmith score lingers in the memory and enhances the viewer's pleasure in the film. What a joy it is to see a film that is tautly and expertly written, that tells the salient details of the plot but leaves you guessing--through repeated viewings--of the whys, wheres and whens of the development.

If you favor serious drama--if you relish philosophy--if you don't need a film spoon fed to you or so puerile that they try to stun you with explosions--you will enjoy The Edge. My choice of a collegiate vocabulary in this review is deliberate.