Jagged Edge (1985)

San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack is devastated by the crime but soon finds himself accused of her murder. He hires ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack is devastated by the crime but soon finds himself accused of her murder. He hires lawyer Teddy Barnes to defend him, despite the fact she hasn't handled a criminal case for many years. There's a certain chemistry between them and Teddy soon finds herself defending the man she loves.

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Plot Keywords:

court | neo noir | two word title | giallo esque | lawyer | 

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Taglines:

There are two sides of this mystery. Murder...And Passion.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hearts of Fire

Filming Locations:

1761 Potrero Road, Hidden Valley, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,094,091, 6 October 1985, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$40,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi IV Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An urban folklore exists that suggests that there was an alternate ending that alters the identity of the killer. An alternate ending does not exist, but the original ending was indeed re-filmed, when the initial release audience complained that the face of the killer was not clearly shown. In the original release, the unmasked killer's face was shown for eighteen frames (less than a second). Another nine seconds was later spliced into the corrected version, clearly resolving the mystery and showing the killer.

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Goofs

Teddy's clothes change several times while giving her opening statement to the jury.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofed in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Death by Chocolate (2002)

User Reviews

Courtroom drama plenty of thrills , taut , intrigue and twists

San Francisco heiress Forrester is cruelly killed by a black suit clad murderer . Her husband Jack (Jeff Bridges) , a known publishing magnate , is convicted for cold blooded murder . He contracts an advocate-in-law , Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) , former prosecutor , and now at charge of the criminal defense , in spite of the fact she has not taken a criminal case long time . The widower is allegedly considered guilt , though freed by means a bail until trial celebration presided by an expeditious judge (John Dhener) . Then they fall in love and she's defending the man she loves . The trial takes place and there appears an accusation lawyer (Peter Coyote) , an ambitious district attorney who previously worked for her ...

This court-room drama is a Neo-noir movie with tension , mystery , surprises and , of course , a suspenseful twist in the end . Despite of the fashion-able sex and violence , this is a satisfyingly old-fashioned sort of film that avid fans of the genre will love . Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close are frankly well , there's enjoyable chemical between them . Interesting writing credits by Joe Eszterhas , a successful screenwriter (Basic instinct , Jade , Sliver , Showgirls). The flick is rated ¨R¨ for sexual scenes and some violence . Colorful cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti and sensitive musical score by John Barry . The motion picture was professionally directed by Richard Marquand . He was hired by George Lucas after seeing ¨Eye of the needle¨ and only non-American to direct a Star Wars film: ¨The return of the Jedi¨, though his career failed with flops such as , ¨Until September¨ and ¨Hearts of fire¨ until his early death.