The Edge (1997)
This is a fun wilderness adventure movie with some terrific acting by both Alec Baldwin (as a spoiled bad boy) and Anthony Hopkins (as a very smart millionaire). They battle of wits, and the fighting of the elements, is fodder for screenwriter David Mamet, who has produced more interesting dialog than this, for sure. The third star is the Kodiak bear, who gets a huge credit line at the end, and who unites, at least sometimes, the two men in the cold isolation of Alaska.
But let's face it, as much fun as this is, this is thin going. It even looks a bit like a slightly adult version of a Disney adventure film, with people bonding and conflicting as needed. In fact, if you start comparing this movie to others like it (there are a few), you might even consider the television series "Lost," which is at least more imaginative and full-blooded in its writing. Or just survival in the mountains you might check out "Touching the Void."
I just saw the old Spencer Tracy movie "Mountain" this week, and it is a weird precursor to this one (minus the bear). That is, two people facing the elements have very different ideas of morality and of trust. Like that movie, this newer one doesn't explore the conflict of personae, or ethics, very far, giving only what are the obvious differences. That's not enough for a feature length affair.
Which brings us back to Baldwin and Hopkins. They are, actually, enough to hold you in for the duration. You really do hope they survive, and if you wince at some of the dialog and at the appearance of bear traps at all the wrong moments, you can get into the drama of it pretty well. And into the scenery. Amazing stuff.
This is a fun wilderness adventure movie with some terrific acting by both Alec Baldwin (as a spoiled bad boy) and Anthony Hopkins (as a very smart millionaire). They battle of wits, and the fighting of the elements, is fodder for screenwriter David Mamet, who has produced more interesting dialog than this, for sure. The third star is the Kodiak bear, who gets a huge credit line at the end, and who unites, at least sometimes, the two men in the cold isolation of Alaska.
But let's face it, as much fun as this is, this is thin going. It even looks a bit like a slightly adult version of a Disney adventure film, with people bonding and conflicting as needed. In fact, if you start comparing this movie to others like it (there are a few), you might even consider the television series "Lost," which is at least more imaginative and full-blooded in its writing. Or just survival in the mountains you might check out "Touching the Void."
I just saw the old Spencer Tracy movie "Mountain" this week, and it is a weird precursor to this one (minus the bear). That is, two people facing the elements have very different ideas of morality and of trust. Like that movie, this newer one doesn't explore the conflict of personae, or ethics, very far, giving only what are the obvious differences. That's not enough for a feature length affair.
Which brings us back to Baldwin and Hopkins. They are, actually, enough to hold you in for the duration. You really do hope they survive, and if you wince at some of the dialog and at the appearance of bear traps at all the wrong moments, you can get into the drama of it pretty well. And into the scenery. Amazing stuff.