Alec Baldwin is just creepy
The Edge is an interesting tale about a billionaire named Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) that gets stranded in the woods, thanks to a plane crash, with one of his associates Robert Green (Alec Baldwin). The situation, while already grave, gets worse when Charles finds out that Robert is plotting to kill him and takes his wife and money. Having Charles stranded in the woods just makes the ordeal possibly easier, so Robert thinks. The dilemma here is that without Charles’ help then Robert may not make it on his own, especially when they come face to face with a kodiak bear that is hungry for human flesh. Both are struggling to survive and ultimately find their way back home alive.
I like and dislike this movie; those feelings are pretty much 50/50. I really like The Edge because having Alec Baldwin play the villain to Anthony Hopkins is perfect. He plays the part he was given so well that you the audience have no idea when Baldwin’s Green is going to spring up and do what you assume he wants done; killing Hopkins’ Morse. The tension it creates and the subtle hints here and there that there is something amiss really puts you in an uncomfortable situation. It does this from the beginning of the film to the end. The addition of the damn bear makes you over the ‘edge’ uncomfortable. If you’re looking for a movie to feel stressed then The Edge certainly delivers.
Now, I dislike this movie because of how long it all takes to develop. I think that Baldwin should have come out with the ‘killing’ instinct well before it happens. Not to give it away for those that have never seen it, but the climax of the film happens twice (haha — okay, grow up!) and the second time just makes it all exhausting. For a movie like this to work perfect you would want to reveal Baldwin’s intentions then immediately bring in the bear as the new antagonist. So, the story would have the two men depending on each other then one turns on the other then both have to depend on each other again. It’s not a typical formula, but it’s a logical one. The movie does the opposite and the end result is that the film’s conclusion gets cluttered and diluted just a bit.
While this Blu-ray has no features (booo!) it does have one of the most gorgeous set of visuals out there. The Alaskan surroundings are stunning in Blu-ray. Truly this is one of the more visually appealing re-releases that I’ve seen in some time. Most companies simply push a movie like this out with no real care for transfer quality, but 20th Century Fox really hit at least a triple on the The Edge. It looks really sharp. Also, wait until you hear the damn bear in 5.1. Have fun with that creepiness.