Plot: What’s it about?
There’s something about movies that take place out in the woods that I’ve always liked. It’s the fact that the characters seem a little more real when they’re faced with a situation dealing with “Mother Nature”. This is certainly the case in “The Edge”. While the real enemy isn’t exactly “Mother Nature” herself, but rather a 9 foot Kodiak bear that’s stalking our stars through the mountains. How did they get in this situation to begin with, you might ask? Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) plays a billionaire out on a photo shoot with his model wife, played appropriately enough by Elle McPherson. Morse suspects some fould play between her and the photographer, Robert “Bob” Green (Alec Baldwin). Morse is a smart man, of course you have to be if you have the title of “billionaire” attached to everything that you do. He has a habit of retaining odd facts and tidbits that have never really paid off, but when you have everything…you have to find something to do!
Looking for that “perfect shot”, Bob and crew head up to find a local Indian to capture the essence of what they want. Of course once they get there, they find he’s out bear hunting (how ironic). They decide to trek even further North to find Jack (the Indian) only to have their trip cut short by a flock of birds that crash their plane. After the initial shock of the plane crash wears off, Bob, Charles and (assistant) try to figure out how in the world they are going to get rescued with no food or shelter. The only evidence was taken with them by mistake, so now it’s anyone’s guess as to their whereabouts. It’s at this point that they start treking to what they believe is towards their last known whereabouts. Of course, they end up right back where they started and the dissent between the three grows even stronger. Morse, being the leader and only level head among the group, takes another reading and they’re all set to try once again… This is when the bear shows up.
(assistant) having suffered a knife wound earlier in the day had his khakis supposedly buried, but come to find out that they’re neatly hanging on a nearby branch. Of course, this literally puts the smell of blood in the air and it’s not long that their survival party is whittled down to two men (Baldwin and Hopkins). All along Morse is suspecting that Bob has it in for him so he can make off with his wife and money. To tell any more would certainly give away the plot, but I’ll say that only one makes it out alive. Writer David Mamet, in addition to being one of the better screenwriters around, is also know for his endings with a twist so stay tuned until the last minute to see how this one ends. One thing though…it’s worth the wait!
Video: How does it look?
One of Fox’s earlier releases and it shown at it’s original 2.35:1 ratio. The image is not enhanced for widescreen TV’s, but still looks very good. Colors are bright and sharp and the picturesque scenery looks great, as there are some beautiful shots of the mountains and countryside. A few shimmering lines and very little artifacting was seen, but it’s nothing too distracting. Overall, a good picture.
Audio: How does it sound?
For what the video lacks, the audio more than makes up for. The scene in which the plane crashes is one of the better demonstrations of Dolby Digital 5.1 that I’ve heard to date. Surround effects, and there are a few, sound great as does the dialogue which is also clean and free of errors. A very, very nice overall mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Not that much here, the original theatrical trailer and some cast bios. I do remember seeing a thirty minute television show on how they made the whole plane crash sequence on “Movie Magic” or something like that, that would have been neat to have on the disc. The material is out there if Fox (or any other studio that puts out bare bones DVD’s) would just look for it. How cool would a commentary with David Mamet be? Oh well…still, The Edge is a great movie and one of my more liked discs, but at $35 you might buy a used copy of rent it first.
