The Edge (1997)

Directed by: Lee Tamahori

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Elle McPherson, Harold Perrineau, and Bart the Bear

Genre: Action, Drama, Survival, Thriller

Rated: R

Billionaire, Charles Morse (Hopkins) and his two companions, Bob (Baldwin) and Stephen (Perrineau) find themselves stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after their plane crashes. With little food or supplies and being chased by a man-eating Kodiak bear (Bart), they soon find they have to lean on each other in order to survive.

Normally, I’m not one for movies that involve rogue animals. However I love Anthony Hopkins and a friend recommended this movie, so I decided to give it a shot. I liked it.

The storyline isn’t the most original, but it manages to work for this film. I think this is because the acting is top-notch from Baldwin, Hopkins and Bart the Bear. There is a nice tension between Charles and Bob due to the underlying conflict that both men are in love with the same woman (McPherson), yet they have to support one another in order to get out alive. Hopkins and Baldwin make this tension very believable. Also, the scenes with the bear chasing the men feel very realistic – and some of the things the bear does makes it seem like an intelligent, calculating predator. (For example: shaking the log Charles is balancing on while attempting to cross the river.) It’s hard to believe that in real life, Bart the Bear interacted with people daily when he appears so vicious in the film. He was truly a magnificent animal. (He died in May of 2000.)

I did see the twist in the plot coming a mile away, however. Whenever a love triangle is involved, the story is always a little predictable. The dialogue was also annoying in places, with Bob using Charles’s name every time he talks to him. It was a little irritating because the audience knows the hero’s name is Charles – we don’t need to be told a hundred times. (Someone on imdb actually counted the number of times his name was spoken – it is literally over one hundred.) Lastly, Bob and Stephen were frustratingly dumb in places. I’m really not sure how you hack your leg open while carving a spear or why you would hang a blood soaked rag in the trees when a highly intelligent person told you to bury it. (Blood attracts bears.) Those were the two most irritating things in the movie that could have been avoided if Charles’s companions were smarter.

Overall: It was a good movie because of the beautiful scenery and the believable performances. The writing could have used a little work, however. There was no need for the level of stupidity exhibited by two of the men stranded in the wilderness.

6.5/10