I Am the Edge (2014) User Reviews

Well Made, Suspenseful Thriller

[Pycal · 8/10 · 30 November 2014]

As a film, I AM THE EDGE doesn't bring forth anything that's particular new to the thriller genre. The plot is relatively straightforward and there's a lot that we've seen elsewhere. Mainly it's the idea of a successful, but currently struggling author brought into a situation that resembles the thrilling nature of their novels. Think of the times Stephen King has explored a similar theme for instance. Aside from the plot being more on the "safe" side (at least in terms of what director Michael Fredianelli tends to deal with), I AM THE EDGE is such an entertaining, suspenseful, and just generally well-made film (especially for a lower-budgeted indie) that its abundance of genre conventions throughout do not detract. In fact, the film's more straightforward nature is maybe one of the film's best assets as it's expertly executed and paced. It's less about what the story is here than how well it's told.

Serving as the film's director of photography again, Fredianelli makes a nice looking film with some really moody black and white cinematography. With the choice of color perhaps aiding in this, the film's special effects are virtually flawless and there are some real grizzly shots that played much more effectively than those used in a lot of massively budgeted Hollywood pics. The film is pretty consistently well acted with frequent Wild Dogs collaborator Jeremy Koerner getting his most screen time yet as the lead. Koerner's performance is a bit more understated than what we're used to seeing from him, but he carries the film well.

As a film, I AM THE EDGE is one of Fredianelli's best looking and best made movies. It's also the director's most successful go at telling a mystery type story in a suspenseful manor and delivering the plot-twists in a way that's satisfying to the viewer (MONEY FOR ANGELS and the hunter vignette in COIN come to mind as examples to the contrary). I AM THE EDGE will no doubt keep you entertained from beginning to end and ultimately leave you feeling satisfied.

One cut away from perfect

[carlvelas · 9/10 · 10 June 2018]

I love this film. It is what a film should be: good story and good acting. The characters are well developed. You don't need to spend 100 millon dollars to get people to sit through a film. One surprise is that the use of black and white is incidental. It doesn't appear to have been chosen to create a mood. For this reason I would not categorize the film as film noir: in fact it is all shor during the day. And yet I think it works better than in color. The film also shows that big name stars are not always needed to carry a film. There is a scene in which the two main characters confront each other at the kitchen table that is as effective as the classic encounter between robert de niro and al pacino at a restaurant table in the film classic "Heat". The following comment is a film spoiler: I wish the director would cut one scene from the film- the one which shows that the whole thing is like a dream. For me that scene killed the movie. Also the explanation for why the bad guy is after the good guy was just thrown in at the last minute as if it wasn't important. The explanation tied everything together and would have made for a perfect film.