The Edge (1997) Review (Favourite Films Series)

The Edge (1997): Favourite Films Series

 

Most of my favourite films are mainstream, big-studio releases with reasonably well-known followings, but I think The Edge might be the least well-known mainstream movie that I count among my all-time favourites. Maybe it’s more well-known than I think, but I just never hear anyone talk about it in the same high regard that I do. Released by 20^th Century Fox and starring two big-name actors in the lead roles, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, it didn’t do much at the box office and received a lukewarm response from critics. I first saw it on TV, and found it really exciting and visceral, but there was just something else about it that really hooked my interest, and I couldn’t quite pinpoint it at the time.

The film opens with a cold winter wind blowing and a few credits in a simple font with the main musical theme by Jerry Goldsmith. Notice I said cold wind? It’s a movie, I have no idea if the wind was actually wintery and cold, but it seems to fill the room with a chill that never lets up until the end, and this first taste of the epic musical score pulls you into the world of the film. We take a short plane ride with billionaire Charles Morse (Hopkins) who is accompanying his wife Mickey (Elle MacPherson), a model doing a photoshoot for photographer Robert “Bob” Green (Baldwin) at a remote lodge in the freezing Alaskan wilderness. Charles is much older than Mickey, and he doesn’t even seem to know why he’s there, but it’s pretty clear he has a sneaking suspicion that his wife and Bob have a little something extra going on in secret. Charles goes with Bob and Bob’s assistant Stephen (Harold Perrineau) in the little float plane that took them to the lodge on an “impromptu adventure” and the plane crashes, leaving the three of them stranded in the wilderness. The tension between Charles and Bob is palpable, because just before the plane crash, Charles hits Bob out of the blue with this question: “How are you planning to kill me?” And as if simply being stuck in the wilderness isn’t bad enough, the trio comes across a hungry Kodiak bear.

The Edge can mainly be classified as a survival drama, and it’s one of the very best of its kind. It’s also an adventure film, and a thriller, nearly verging into horror at times, but what it isn’t, really, is an action movie. Sure, there are action-packed moments, and they hit hard, but for the most part it’s more about the drama and the interactions of the characters, with the other elements mixing in to make a staggeringly intense and emotional tale. 

First off, I have to address the title. What does it mean? The edge of what? Is it like the characters are always on edge, because of how unnerving it is being lost in the woods? Or do they mean that one scene when they’re on the mountain and Charles stands on the precipice overlooking the landscape, when he was on the literal edge of a cliff? I’m joking, of course, but it’s an undeniably generic and vague title—originally it was to be called Bookworm, referring to Charles’ vast education of survival (though most of it is “theoretical”), but this title was felt to lack strength, and I agree with that. A series of other titles were considered before they settled on The Edge. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad title, but it may be part of the reason it’s not more well-known.

If you look up the director, Lee Tamahori, you’ll notice something interesting: he has very few directing credits, with the highest-profile projects being the adaption of James Patterson’s Alex Cross novel Along Came a Spider starring Morgan Freeman and the last James Bond film to star Pierce Brosnan, Die Another Day. It’s a shame he never directed another movie like this, because he did a great job, especially in balancing the action with the drama, somehow striking the perfect balance of both. The writer, David Mamet, might be a little more familiar, having written many stage plays and screenplays nominated for numerous awards. Why this movie wasn’t nominated for any awards I really have no idea.

And then there’s the cast, which essentially boils down to Hopkins and Baldwin, primarily. Both of them are in top form. Charles is a know-it-all without being annoying, Bob is untrustworthy but still someone to root for, and their chemistry is fantastic. I’d like to see them in a film together again. One of my favourite scenes is when Charles is trying to get Bob hyped up about his plan to deal with the bear tracking them. They both get so intense without it ever being over-the-top. Another great scene is when a helicopter flies over and they try to signal it and fail. It happens suddenly, and goes from exciting to disheartening when the chopper just keeps on flying, but then in the aftermath Charles asks Bob if he knows how to make fire from ice. Bob has gone completely hysterical. He’s cursing, stomping—“I don’t want to know, Charles!”—he isn’t having any of it. He’s emotionally and physically devastated that they missed perhaps their one and only chance to be rescued, and by the end of the dialogue exchange, Bob comes around to hearing what Charles has to say. It’s a wonderful combination of great actors working with great dialogue.  

I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the other smaller roles, like Larry Musser as the pilot, L.Q. Jones as the grizzled hunter/lodge owner Styles, and Gordon Tootoosis as his friend Jack Hawk. Jack Hawk doesn’t even have any speaking lines, and not only that, he appears in person for like a second and the rest of his screen time is in a photograph. Harold Perrineau (who’s had plenty of roles over the years but never starred in any major mainstream films) is great as Stephen, too, and more than holds his own alongside Hopkins and Baldwin. But there’s one other cast member who I have more to say about, because he gives every actor in this movie a run for their money in terms of best performance.

Bart the Bear is perhaps the most famous bear actor to ever work in Hollywood. If anything, Bart and his trainer should have won Academy awards for his performance in The Edge. Early on in the film, the danger a Kodiak bear poses to a human is made clear (as obvious as it may be) and there’s a great bit of suspense with the “bear” that ends in one of the only jump-scare-false-scare combos in a movie that I actually enjoy. Even though the bear is such a major factor in making the film so scary and suspenseful and exciting, he only actually appears in four scenes/sequences. Apparently his total screen time clocks in at about four minutes, which really speaks to how effectively he’s used throughout.

A review on the back of the DVD cover calls The Edge “Jaws with claws!” which isn’t that far off. I can’t think of another movie to feature a killer animal other than The Edge that manages to be so close to Jaws in terms of quality filmmaking, memorable characters, extreme thrills, and genuine entertainment. Just like Jaws, The Edge isn’t a traditional horror movie, but manages to be as scary as one. The scene where the bear attacks the men at night is absolutely terrifying, and one of the most realistic animal attacks in any movie. This is the scene I came into when I tuned in to it on TV for the first time, and I was glued to the screen right then and there until the end credits rolled. It still twists my stomach in knots every time I watch it.

A combination of effects were used in the scenes featuring the bear, including old standbys like stuntmen (though Hopkins and Baldwin are actually in the scenes with Bart, often in very close proximity) and an actor in a bear suit in select shots. The direction and editing are so on point that all the techniques blend together to be nearly seamless—and it’s still achieved without stooping to the lows of using shaky cam or senselessly rapid cuts. The music also plays a big part in the intensity of the bear scenes, with a simple but haunting motif—and the score makes emotional moments even more emotional, as well. 

One thing I feel is worth noting is the balance of realism with “movie-isms” that may or may not displease some viewers. I’m all for realism in films whenever possible, but I also recognize that what I’m watching is meant for entertainment purposes, so I don’t fault a film for being overly bright at night, for example, because if it were exact real-life night-lighting, I wouldn’t be able to see what’s going on, which would defeat the purpose of me watching the movie. You can pick certain things apart in The Edge like how the bear would have easily killed all three characters right away because they probably wouldn’t have been able to fight it off or even run away from it, but I have an easier time suspending my disbelief because of all the other smart moments of writing, like when Charles makes a compass out of a needle to find magnetic north and help them hike out to where they might get rescued. The characters make logical decisions that have logical repercussions, and events have real impacts that leave lasting impressions. Even though the film is shot in a very traditional matter, it feels completely real, thanks to being filmed on-location in some truly stunning areas of wilderness. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in British Columbia my entire life, but I feel a personal connection to the cinematography in The Edge, and marvel at the shots of the scenery. Most of it was shot in Alberta, but some footage was shot in B.C. as well.

I’m not going to spoil anything else about The Edge, even though there are plenty of other scenes, moments, aspects, and twists I’d like to highlight and praise, but so many people have yet to see this film that I think it’s better if I sum up my review/analysis and let those who haven’t yet just enjoy the experience. The Edge is a thoughtful, impactful story of survival, with great characters pitted against a fearsome animal, relying on their wits and cunning to conquer the wilderness and try to get back to civilization. There are no dated aspects, no crappy effects, and no lapses in quality. The Edge is an excellent film, and deserves more recognition than it’s received.