THE EDGE (1997) - Movie Review

Director: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Elle Macpherson, Harold Perrineau
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Writer: David Mamet
Runtime: 117 min
Rated: R for language and some adventure gore/violence
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

A plane crash in the freezing Alaskan wilderness pits intellectual billionaire Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) against self-satisfied fashion photographer Robert Green (Alec Baldwin) in a brutal struggle for survival. Each soon discovers that the greatest danger resides not in nature, but from human fear, treachery, and quite possibly murder.

Review:

"The Edge" is an underrated gem that aimed to be a brainier alternative to the loud, brawny blockbusters of the 1990s. Directed by Lee Tamahori ("Once Were Warriors". "Along Came a Spider", "Die Another Day") from a script by the great playwright, filmmaker, and author David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross", "The Spanish Prisoner", "Wag the Dog"), the film is a survival thriller that finds Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin fighting both the elements and themselves when their plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness.

Hopkins intensely proclaims that "What one man can do, another can do!", and indeed, when confronted with the edge of civilization, the protagonists form strong bonds to overcome adversity. Unfortunately, humanity is also prone to division before unity for any number of reasons, which also applies to our heroes, but I will not reveal any more to keep this review spoiler-free. What I will say is that at the edge is where we discover the true nature of man, and the moral of the story is that intelligence and wisdom are equally if not more important than strength when it comes to survival. The story's psychological and moral complexities are right up Mamet's alley, with well written dialogue and nuanced characters that give Hopkins and Baldwin meaty roles to play as well as some very quotable lines.

While there's plenty of heady material to explore, the movie is also a respectable adventure film with thrilling set pieces, the best of them involving a ferocious man-eating Kodiak bear, and stunning nature photography lensed by veteran DP Donald McAlpine ("Moulin Rouge!", "Clear and Present Danger", "Medicine Man"). Also worth mentioning is Jerry Goldsmith's majestic score which features one the greatest themes ever written that will be stuck in your head long after the movie ends, and was even ripped off by Klaus Badelt for the 2002 sci-fi flick "The Time Machine".

Bart the Bear, who previously worked on movies like "The Bear", "White Fang" and "Legends of the Fall", is the movie's greatest asset. With the help of daring stuntwork and crafty editing, the imposing bear provides the film with a uniquely tangible sense of danger. I can't even imagine what this movie would have looked like today. They would have probably employed CGI for the creature and it would have looked awful. I still cringe when I think about the animated bear in 2022's "Prey".

"The Edge" is among my favorite survival movies, and one that I revisit almost every year. Its perfect balance of insightful depth and man-versus-nature thrills gives it a timeless quality, and while it's not without its flaws, it deserves its place in cinema history and needs to be seen by more people.

SCORE: 8.5/10