The Edge (1997)

An intellectual billionaire and two lesser men struggle to band together and survive after getting stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with a blood-thirsty Kodiak Bear hunting them down.

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writer:

David Mamet

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Elle Macpherson

3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Charles Morse
Alec Baldwin	...	Robert Green
Elle Macpherson	...	Mickey Morse
Harold Perrineau	...	Stephen
Bart the Bear	...	The Bear
L.Q. Jones	...	Styles
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Ginny
David Lindstedt	...	James
Mark Kiely	...	Mechanic
Eli Gabay	...	Jet Pilot
Larry Musser	...	Amphibian Pilot
Brian Arnold	...	Reporter
Bob Boyd	...	Reporter
Kelsa Kinsly	...	Reporter
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Jack Hawk

Storyline

A model has her rich, much older husband come with her to a photo shoot. But when their plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, a strong mind game erupts between the clever husband and the jealous young photographer as they try to get back to civilization.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | wilderness | crash | survival tactics | billionaire | 

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Taglines:

They Were Fighting Over A Woman When The Plane Went Down. Now, Their Only Chance For Survival Is Each Other.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some adventure gore/violence

Details

Official Sites:

Fox

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bookworm

Filming Locations:

Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,733,445, 28 September 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$27,779,888, 21 December 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,300,000, 22 February 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Art Linson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Anthony Hopkins was suffering from a slipped disc throughout filming, and incorporated the pain he felt from this into his performance.

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Goofs

The fire that Charles and Bob make at 1:11 would theoretically work, and it'd sure be nice, but it wouldn't probably happen. The amount of dryfall that would be needed to sustain just ONE fire would be an ambitious endeavor. That part of the continent gets a lot of rain, therefore anything inland is liable to be wet. Areas on the riverbank may have some wood to get started. What a person would do is get something lit - anything - and they'd be smart to use the benefit of that heat to then help dry future wood (fuel). A person could then gradually move inland, but keeping any fire going in a damp climate is an enormous task. There's little chance in those conditions, at night, without huge stockpiles of fuel, that a person could keep up with it. Not because of lack of desire, just lack of practicality.

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Quotes

Charles Morse: Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he's smarter than the panther.

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Crazy Credits

Just before the end credits start rolling, a caption appears on the screen: "Twentieth Century Fox and the producer wish to thank Bart the Bear and his trainer Doug Seus, for their contribution to this film."

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Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: 100: Part 1 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill

User Reviews

Are men more than animals?

The Edge reminded me of the old Kipling quote, that to be a superior man means to keep your head when everyone around you is loosing theirs!Its is my favorite survival film, & one of the best of Baldwin & Hopkin's careers. In addition to a great cast (check out Michael from LOST!), interesting characters & great action, the film asks many questions of the audience - Why do some succeed where others fail? How do we look at success - when we see it in others, do we feel envy or admiration? I think that the central message of the film is that in order to prevail in any difficult endeavor, people must rise above their "lower", "animal" instincts like fear & selfishness, and embrace "higher" qualities like self-control, intellect, compassion, & sacrifice.