Jagged Edge (B or 3/4 stars)
One of my favorite film genres is the hard-boiled murder mystery, and Richard Marquand's 1985 whodunit thriller, 'Jagged Edge' fit the bill. There are contrivances & plot holes abounding, but this box office hit received surprisingly decent reviews; thanks mostly to Joe Eszterhas' edge-of-your-seat thrills, the steady performances from an interesting cast, and the 'surprise' ending. The film opens on a dark & stormy night where a man clad in black leather & wearing a ski mask leaps into the bed of San Francisco heiress, Paige Forrester (Maria Mayenset), with a 6-inch, serrated edge hunting knife in tow. Having already killed her maid off screen, he slits Paige's throat open & scurries out of her beautiful isolated beach house unseen.
Paige's husband, Jack (Jeff Bridges), is devastated by his wife's death, but then finds himself accused of killing her for her $$, and is arrested for her murder by district attorney, Tom Krasny (Peter Coyote). Jack hires successful, high-profile attorney, Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) as his defense lawyer, though she hasn't handled a criminal case for 4 yrs. due to a career damning incident with prior boss ... Tom Krasny. In no time, a sexual relationship ignites btwn. divorced-with-2-kids attorney Teddy & her smoothly handsome client, Jack. Though she loves Jack, Teddy contacts her crusty old private eye, Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia), whose instincts tell him that Jack IS guilty. Teddy's office starts receiving anonymous typed letters from a 1942 Corona typewriter naming details of the case; inferring that Jack is innocent. Courtroom antics, red herrings & plot twists ensue; leading to a sweaty-palmed, guessing-to-the-last-minute killer reveal.
Joe Eszterhas - writer of eventual trash thriller cult classics that I happen to enjoy, such as Basic Instinct & Sliver - 1st wrote this humdinger of a thriller. This is an enjoyable, old-fashioned crime mystery/romantic thriller/courtroom drama that is 1 part exploitative gore flick, and 1 part Hitchcock; but Eszterhas & Marquand elevate the trashy material with an air of neo noir sophistication, slick 1980s explicitness, & the engaging performances from a cast of lauded thespians. Jeff Bridges' bereft husband/murder suspect & Glenn Close's tough-but-love stricken attorney are at their best at reeling you into the web of a story, and Robert Loggia nabbed an Academy Award nomination as Teddy's beer drinking, foul-mouth P.I.
As I mentioned above, 'Jagged Edge' gets too bogged down, for me, in campy contrivances, gaping plot holes & over-the-top happenstance {especially near the end} ... but the film works despite all of that because the trial scenes are riveting, the dicey ebb-&-flow of the case keeps changing with each witness, & the 'is Jack guilty or not?' truth revealing conclusion at literally the very last minute makes it a unique movie watching experience. Rare is the movie that keeps you guessing 'til the final frame. It's just that ... once it is all over, you've enjoyed the engrossing ride, but any lasting effect kinda vanishes. Still, this is an intriguing thriller, for sure.
Paige's husband, Jack (Jeff Bridges), is devastated by his wife's death, but then finds himself accused of killing her for her $$, and is arrested for her murder by district attorney, Tom Krasny (Peter Coyote). Jack hires successful, high-profile attorney, Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) as his defense lawyer, though she hasn't handled a criminal case for 4 yrs. due to a career damning incident with prior boss ... Tom Krasny. In no time, a sexual relationship ignites btwn. divorced-with-2-kids attorney Teddy & her smoothly handsome client, Jack. Though she loves Jack, Teddy contacts her crusty old private eye, Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia), whose instincts tell him that Jack IS guilty. Teddy's office starts receiving anonymous typed letters from a 1942 Corona typewriter naming details of the case; inferring that Jack is innocent. Courtroom antics, red herrings & plot twists ensue; leading to a sweaty-palmed, guessing-to-the-last-minute killer reveal.
Joe Eszterhas - writer of eventual trash thriller cult classics that I happen to enjoy, such as Basic Instinct & Sliver - 1st wrote this humdinger of a thriller. This is an enjoyable, old-fashioned crime mystery/romantic thriller/courtroom drama that is 1 part exploitative gore flick, and 1 part Hitchcock; but Eszterhas & Marquand elevate the trashy material with an air of neo noir sophistication, slick 1980s explicitness, & the engaging performances from a cast of lauded thespians. Jeff Bridges' bereft husband/murder suspect & Glenn Close's tough-but-love stricken attorney are at their best at reeling you into the web of a story, and Robert Loggia nabbed an Academy Award nomination as Teddy's beer drinking, foul-mouth P.I.
As I mentioned above, 'Jagged Edge' gets too bogged down, for me, in campy contrivances, gaping plot holes & over-the-top happenstance {especially near the end} ... but the film works despite all of that because the trial scenes are riveting, the dicey ebb-&-flow of the case keeps changing with each witness, & the 'is Jack guilty or not?' truth revealing conclusion at literally the very last minute makes it a unique movie watching experience. Rare is the movie that keeps you guessing 'til the final frame. It's just that ... once it is all over, you've enjoyed the engrossing ride, but any lasting effect kinda vanishes. Still, this is an intriguing thriller, for sure.