Starring: Glenn Close, Maria Mayenzet, Peter Coyote, Jeff Bridges, Dave Austin Directed By: Richard Marquand Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 02, 2000 Running Time: 108 minutes Theatrical Release Date: October 04, 1985
Amazon.com: Before screenwriter Joe Eszterhas wrote the ridiculous Showgirls, he crafted some entertaining if porous thrillers along the lines of the 1985 Jagged Edge, a taut mystery about an attorney (Glenn Close) who defends a newspaper publisher (Jeff Bridges) accused of murder. The fact that Close's character falls for him is more convenient than plausible, but it is a necessary emotional bridge for Eszterhas and the late director Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle) to build toward a powerful finale. Scary, fun as courtroom dramas go, the film is well serviced by the two lead stars and has impressive support from costar Peter Coyote and especially from Robert Loggia, who plays Close's cop buddy. --Tom Keogh
Keeps You Guessing! This is a very satisfying murder Who-Dun-It. Jeff Bridges (the murder suspect) leads an unsuspecting lawyer (Glenn Close) into a labyrinth of lies and love in a story you will say sounds familiar.
A beautiful divorced lawyer, highly respected, Teddy Barnes (Close) falls for her client, Jack Forrester (Bridges) while defending him on a murder wrap. Jack is handsome, rich and smart, with charm to spare. Teddy agrees to defend him. Jack is accused of murdering his wife with a jagged edge knife. Jack is adamant he is innocent and did not put a knife to his wife's guts - he wants the best lawyer to prove he did not do it. Teddy is highly recommended. She reluctantly takes the case, however once involved, Teddy is completely convinced of his innocence.
The mystery deepens as Teddy's love and doubt increase. The script is tight as the plot thickens and keeps you guessing about Jack until the very last shot. After the revelation, you still have to think the movie through to grasp how the puzzle fit together so well. Both Close and Bridges are excellent actors hard to separate from their character's perfect chemistry. The film is a classic and one you can watch again it will grip you to the last startling revelation.
A thriller not to be missed... Glenn Close delivers a masterful performance as the guilt ridden attorney who lives through the turmoil of having dealt the wrong sentence to a man and now having to defend a man that she is not sure is innocent.
A thriller that keeps you on the edge... the jagged edge... you will love the performances, the court give and take between prosecution and defense, and end up scared out of your wits, and yet, enjoying each and every minute of this film.
Jeff Bridges delivers a fine performance. Don't miss it!
Drama That Keeps You Wondering About Character I LOVED this movie and could not find it for years--thought it was called "The Razor's Edge" (but that was a Bill Murray movie made around the same time).
This is exciting and it seemed realistic in the grisly parts and the scenery. It was thought-provoking and it made me really wonder if Glenn Close was falling in love with a murderer or if he was truly innocent and earnest, like she hopes.
It helped me realize that others struggle with judging a person early on in seemingly dynamic, relationships and I thought Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges played their attraction well, with lots of electricity & sparks they tried to deny, between them.
Glenn looks particularly feminine and beautiful in this role and Jeff Bridges looks sexy and handsome and I liked the horseback scene a lot. I LOVE this movie. Close plays drama well and Bridges is also GREAT in these character-flawed angst, roles: "The Vanishing," and "The Fabulous Baker Boys."
Should have been a Lifetime TV movie 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.
Please,someone tell me why this movie is so well liked Even when it came out in the 80's I found myself amazed that so many people loved this movie. If you love it then I'm about to make you mad and I'm sorry. The plot is very thin(you can see where it's going in the first 10 mins) and so the "thrill" is lost and as for the acting, Peter Coyote and Oscar nominee Robert Loggia steal this movie when they are on screen. Jeff Bridges is always good but has little to do as the accused killer and must sit quietly in court and that leaves Glenn Close to carry the film and while she is a great actress this is far from her best work. The film making is very sloppy here also as continuity is thrown out the door. Characters pop in and out of the movie with no explanation just to serve the plot and in some scenes Glenn Close's outfit changes walking from the jury box to the Bench. There are even a few times that you can see the boom mike in the shot. Now that is bad for an A-list project like this. Now if you like it, then you like it and that's OK because I like some stinkers myself, but this one was a real let down to me. The supporting players rate the 2 stars.
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