Jagged Edge (1985)

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas (written by)

Release Date:

4 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust... your emotions or the evidence?

Plot:

San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Murder | Knife | Miscarriage Of Justice | Gold Digger

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Maria Mayenzet	...	Page Forrester
Peter Coyote	...	Thomas Krasny
Dave Austin	...	Policeman
Richard Partlow	...	Policeman
Lance Henriksen	...	Frank Martin
William Allen Young	...	Greg Arnold
Ben Hammer	...	Dr. Goldman
Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Forrester
James Karen	...	Andrew Hardesty
Sanford Jensen	...	Scott Talbot
Woody Eney	...	Austin Lofton
Al Ruscio	...	Carl Siegal
Sharon Hanian	...	Assistant D.A.
Sarah Cunningham	...	First Judge
Glenn Close	...	Teddy Barnes

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The typewriter is the exact same one Joe Eszterhas used to type up the script of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sam comes into Teddy's house and asks, "Why are you sitting in the dark?" Teddy is then revealed to be sitting on the floor, almost directly beneath two burning light bulbs.

Quotes:

Thomas Krasny: The guy had a rap sheet as long as my dick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in In the Cold of the Night (1990)

has a better cast than it deserves; Ezstherhas hadn't hit his stride yet

Let's face facts, folks, Joe Ezstherhas is one of the guiltiest pleasures in screen writing of the 90s, or just in general in the past twenty or so years. His work is so trashy it's close to being the essence of pot-boilers, even if one has to remember that it's good for being so rotten, in its own way (Basic Instinct and Showgirls are the most notable examples). Jagged Edge, on the other hand, tries to be somewhat respectable despite its pulpier roots. He throws in several curve-balls (all of them, sadly, can be seen before they're pitched), and delivers some good, solid courtroom drama, but mostly the actors have to carry much of the picture to keep from getting too... well, bland, really. The first half hour feels the most of this brunt of not really being very exciting, as its predictable story develops like we've heard it dozens of times before.

As I mentioned, by the time the courtroom drama picks up, and the intrigue gets juicier, there are some moments of interest. But it's trying to be a legitimately "good" movie, when if trashier it could be just as crazy and awfully lovable as other scripts by him. Thankfully, and this is more-so to director Richard Marquand's credit (keeping a steady hand at the helm, not doing anything too flashy), it's cast so well that one just goes along for the ride. Bridges is the kind of actor that works perfectly, as a guy you want to like so much that it gets tricky to figure out if he's good or bad- his charisma and talent is that strong. Close also fits in well, if a tad TOO well, as a lawyer with a lot to prove and a lot to lose emotionally with the murder case. And also of note is Robert Loggia as her partner/counsel, who provides the bulk of the cursing and most of the common sense. And lest not forget Peter Coyote (only better choice would've been the main prosecutor from Law & Order Sam Waterston).

It's maybe worth a look-see on a Sunday afternoon, and if one is fans of the actors or interested in other things from Return of the Jedi helmer Marquand. But for Ezstherhas... it's meh.