Jagged Edge (1985)

A ponderous murder mystery-thriller that plays better than it normally would thanks to solid star turns by an impeccable cast. Jeff Bridges (always an economical and subtle actor) is perfect as the cryptic suspect; and Glenn Close strikes a delicate balance between intellectual aloofness and romantic vulnerability as the defense lawyer who becomes too involved with her client. Nice work also by Peter Coyote as the prosecution, Leigh Taylor-Young as a vengeful woman spurned, and (especially) Robert Loggia as a foul-mouthed, hard-living evidence investigator. The combined intensity of these gifted actors almost camouflages the plot manipulations that plague the script's credibility from beginning to end ... almost.

The digitally mastered DVD transfer is more than acceptable, providing sharp anamorphic visuals and crystal clear sound. The disc provides both letterboxed and pan-and-scan presentations, and includes thumbnail biographical sketches of the director (Richard Marquand), Bridges, and Close. Four theatrical trailers ("Against All Odds", "Arlington Road", "The Natural", "Air Force One") are used to plug other Columbia Tristar videos, but unfortunately the trailer for "Jagged Edge" is not on the menu. Recommended for fans of Bridges and Close, or those interested in the career of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas; other viewers, specifically devotees of tightly plotted mysteries, may find the film less engaging.

"JAGGED EDGE" begins on a stormy night at a beach home. A killer walks through the halls with a jagged hunting knife in his hands. After he has killed a rich woman and her maid, and written the "B" word on the wall with her blood, Jack Forrester, the victim's husband, is arrested. Glenn Close plays his lawyer who falls in love with him. The two have a forbidden affair. Did he do it? Or didn't he? There's plenty of evidence on both sides. Is Glenn Close's character defending him because she honestly believes in her mind he is innocent, or is "another part of her anatomy" doing the thinking? Suspense and mystery are so well done in this film, and it is never boring. What an exquisite movie, with marvelous performances from Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges. The beginning is very eerie and frightening, but it would have been even more frightening had it not been on a "mysterious stormy night" like most thrillers, and it was just a nice, serene night, and suddenly he comes in and kills her. Still, it was very well done. The ending could have included more detail, but really, I loved the movie so much, I don't care. WHAT A MYSTERY! WHAT TWISTS! WHAT A THRILLING RIDE! FOR FANS OF MYSTERY AND COURTROOM DRAMA I DEFINELY RECOMMEND THIS SPECTACULAR FILM!!! P.S. The music perfectly fit the moods of the movie too.

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Forget Showgirls and Sliver, and Flashdance, and Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge gave Big Joe his bones, his legitimacy.

A good suspenseful thriller, a bit dated, a trifle cliché (the suspect's wife had been sleeping with the country-club tennis pro, of all things), but well-paced, and well-acted.

Glenn Close takes her place in rarefied air here, the strong, but attractive adult female lead. An air uninhabited in film throughout the 90s..Susan Sarandon may try best to fill this spot, but she is nowhere near the attractive, desirable lead that Close was during this period.

Beautiful Bay-area landscapes only add to the overall package.

I wouldn't rate this high in the genre, but I see absolutely no reason to diss it either.

A solid overall effort.

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This movie is pure Eszterhas, a combination of salacious sex and violence without being overly gory. Most of the violence is suggested, and the main of the movie is a tight legal drama. Glenn Close plays a divorced attorney who gave up criminal cases but ends up defending a wealthy client (played by Jeff Bridges) who is accused of murdering his wife. The characters are not always believable, but that's part of the fun. Watching this movie had me changing my mind every ten minutes as to whether he did it or not, not really finding out the answer until the final minutes of the film. This movie really built suspense. Some might call it unbelievable, but what does that matter when the movie is so entertaining and keeping you guessing until the very end.

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Other than the performances of Glenn Close & Jeff Bridges, this movie has the intelligence level of a Lifetime TV Movie...maybe even less. Then again, what can you expect from Joe Eszterhas, the writer of "Flashdance," "Basic Instinct," and most dubiously "Showgirls." The story is about Jack Forrester (Bridges), a good looking and charming man accused of killing his wife, heiress Paige Forrester. Attorney Teddy Barnes (Close) comes out of retirement from criminal cases to defend him; the prosecutor for the case is Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote), who is the reason Teddy left criminal law for corporate law. Plenty of bad blood between the two. Naturally (?!?), legal eagle Teddy falls for Jack and crosses the professional line, even though her sidekick, the phlegmy foul mouthed Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia) believes Jack is really guilty. I really found very little suspense and few shocking plot twists...in fact much of the plot is extremely contrived. The ending is almost laughable; without giving away the plot, let's just say it is hard to believe that one of the main characters could be so brilliant and so stupid at the same time. Close's monologue in court at the end is also hard to sit through; it is so out of character for this sharp attorney to drone on unprofessionally about a colleague to the media. Too many "bows" are tied together at the end for this movie to really be plausible. The saddest part is that with some good editing and a better writer, this film could have been fantastic, considering the talented cast.

The picture is decent with good color, but definitely not a super-sharp transfer. This film truly has an 80's look and feel, and the soundtrack is pretty flat as well. Other than a trailer/bonus trailers, production notes, and talent files, no real extras to speak of. Probably not worth purchasing.

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